Lewisboro Police Blotter: Dogs attack Instacart driver, officers

SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. - The prevalence of the term “fur baby” illustrates just how much people love their dogs these days – but out-of-control canines can get their owners into hot water.

Lewisboro Police responded to a dog complaint on Monday, April 14. Police went to the house where the caller, an Instacart delivery person, alleged the dog incident took place. There, the dog’s owner reported that the Instacart driver had arrived and that his dog was barking a lot. He further stated that the dog, a terrier mix, had been accidentally let out of the house by his children. The homeowner stated that the dog attempted to bite the driver, who was delivering food to his house, but that the driver had no injuries or torn clothing.  

The officer then contacted the Instacart driver. The driver reported that, in fact, the dog did bite him in the leg. He left a voicemail at the police department but continued his deliveries that day without seeking medical treatment. The driver said he was bruised by the dog, but the dog bite did not break his skin. The driver came to Lewisboro Police headquarters the following day. The officer observed no bite marks, scratches, or bruises on the man’s leg. A county bite form was filled out, and the matter was closed.

On the same day, police responded to a call from two highway workers on Perch Bay Road in Lake Waccabuc who reported two dogs roaming the neighborhood. Upon arrival, the two dogs came to the officer’s car – one of which was dragging a section of broken chain. Both dogs became aggressive, jumping at the responding officers and one dog bit an officer in the leg. The two highway workers blew their car’s horn, which helped the officer return to his vehicle. 

With the assistance of a third officer, police were able to get the biting dog into the back of a police car. The dogs’ owner then arrived and told police that the dogs had jumped out of his vehicle on South Shore Drive and ran into the woods. One dog was licensed, and the other was not. The dog owner was issued a summons to appear in court regarding the matter.

Police responded to a South Salem address on April 11 after its resident called to complain about her neighbor’s dog, a pit bull terrier. She said she attempted to leave her house but was confronted by the dog acting in “an aggressive manor.” The complainant showed a video of the dog as evidence. The officer went next door and knocked, and a pit bull matching her description came to the door. The officer returned the following day to speak to the owner of the house, who informed him that he was installing a metal fence because the dog was able to break through his electric fence.

A suspected theft of building materials was reported on April 1 in Goldens Bridge. A contractor reported that he left a stack of lumber covered by a tarp at a Nash Road residence where he was completing a job. When his workers arrived that morning, they noticed the lumber missing. He surmised that the theft occurred between 6 p.m. on March 31 and 7 a.m. April 1. The officer noted a nearby residence with a camera that might record vehicles on the street and contacted that residence’s owner. An investigation is ongoing.

Police in Lewisboro also responded to the following vehicle mishaps:

• A vehicle drove into a ditch alongside Route 121 near Route 138 on Tuesday, April 1. When police arrived, the driver was in the vehicle – which belonged to her father. She reported checking her phone right before driving into the ditch. All air bags and side curtains were deployed, and the driver was uninjured. Sal’s Towing removed the vehicle.
• On Thursday, April 3, a vehicle pulled onto Route 35 in Cross River and collided with another vehicle traveling east. Both vehicles were damaged and East Towing towed both vehicles. Police completed an accident report, a copy of which both parties received. The driver of the second vehicle was given a courtesy ride to his home in Lewisboro.
• Police were dispatched to the intersection of Routes 138 and 121 on Friday, April 4, where an unattended car was in the wooded area on the north side of Route 138. A check on the eJusticeNY portal located the vehicle’s owner, who later arrived and stated that the vehicle had been driven by her daughter, who had returned home without the car. The vehicle owner had arranged for a tow truck to retrieve the vehicle. The officer then went to the car owner’s house and spoke with the daughter, who had misgauged the turn onto Route 121 and ended up in the woods. The young woman’s sister was with her at the time, and neither was injured. No further action was taken.
• On Thursday, April 10, a driver traveling west on Route 35 struck and killed a deer that had jumped into the roadway. The driver proceeded to the train station to pick up his wife and then called 911 to report the incident. Police had already been dispatched to the scene of a dead deer in the road near Lewisboro Town Park. The driver filed an accident report, and the Wolf Conservation Center handled the deer removal.
• An accident took place on Sunday, April 13 at a Cross River parking lot. As a vehicle was attempting to park there, it was struck by a second vehicle that was backing up. The first vehicle sustained damage to the passenger side rear quarter panel.
• On Thursday, April 17, an accident occurred at the Acme parking lot in Goldens Bridge. One driver was backing out of a parking spot when his car was hit by a second driver. The first vehicle sustained damage to the rim on the front passenger side; the second had no damage. The drivers exchanged information, and both declined to file an accident report.