Lewisboro Police Blotter: Drug busts, bus crash, small fires

LEWISBORO, N.Y. - After a lull following the New Year, the Lewisboro Police Department responded to several serious incidents in January – including two drug busts with help from police dog K9 Zane.

Lewisboro Police discovered a sizable volume of illicit drugs during a traffic stop on Old Oscaleta Road on Thursday evening, Jan. 9. The officer initially stopped the vehicle for speeding, after which he discovered that the driver’s license had been suspended. When the driver exited the car, the officer discovered two capsules that the driver identified as crack cocaine after which a second officer arrived for backup. The first officer on scene also discovered a glass pipe typically used for smoking crack. 

Upon further search of the car, the officer discovered another glass pipe, a syringe with blood residue, and a small plastic bag – which the driver and passenger identified as methylphenidate. The officer also discovered two rolled up dollar bills with yellow residue believed to be from the crushed methylphenidate. 

Police Sergeant Andrew Llewellyn then arrived with K9 Zane, the department’s police dog. K9 Zane found a yellow plastic bag on the rear seat and a pill crusher in the passenger’s purse, which contained crushed methylphenidate. The yellow bag had another capsule inside containing more of a powdered substance. 

Police also found a black plastic bag containing an opened cigarette box with nine small paper folds. Each contained what the driver said were syringes. Two more pill grinders containing crushed methylphenidate were also discovered as well as an open bottle of vodka within reach of the driver’s seat. The narcotics found to be in their possession were a felony weight of crack cocaine, heroin, and methylphenidate.

The two officers brought the driver and passenger to Lewisboro Police Headquarters, where they were arrested and charged with one count each of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a class D felony.  They also were each charged with three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a class A misdemeanor. The driver also received four traffic tickets – two for unlicensed vehicle operation, one for disobeying a traffic signal, and another for having an open container of alcohol.

K9 Zane’s olfactory skills again proved astute during another traffic stop in which Lewisboro Police assisted New York State Police. That stop took place Jan. 17 at the intersection of Route 35 with Mead Street in Cross River. In searching the stopped vehicle, K9 Zane located a brown paper bag on the front passenger seat floor, which contained individual packages of marijuana. K9 Zane also discovered a knapsack on the rear floor, which also contained a large quantity of marijuana as well as drug paraphernalia. The driver was arrested and charged with two counts of possession of a forged official document, a class D felony. 

In January, Lewisboro Police officers responded to the usual complement of traffic crashes – but the most serious one took place on Wednesday, Jan. 15 and involved a paratransit bus and a car. The accident took place on Route 35 in Cross River, in front of Cameron’s Deli. The car had stopped in the eastbound lane of Route 35 for another driver turning left into the deli. The driver of the paratransit bus also was traveling east, failing to stop, and hit the stopped car on its passenger side. The bus then drove off the road into a tree.

South Salem Fire Department responded to the scene and helped extricate the eight passengers on board, four of whom were in wheelchairs. The two drivers reported no injuries, but the eight passengers were taken to Westchester Medical Center, where they were evaluated and ultimately treated for cuts and bruises. Seven ambulances helped transport passengers, including vehicles from Lewisboro, Vista, Katonah, Somers, and AMR medic. Sal’s Towing transported the damaged bus.

Lewisboro Police also responded to the following traffic incidents:

An accident occurred on Monday, Dec. 23 at a supermarket in South Salem when a vehicle searching for a parking spot struck another. On Dec. 26, a vehicle struck a curb and tree at the Golden’s Bridge train station when, according to its driver, it self-accelerated. East Towing transported the damaged vehicle to its owner’s residence.

On Monday, Jan. 6, a two-car accident took place at the intersection of Route 35 and Mead Street. The first vehicle was traveling west on Route 35 when it was struck by a second vehicle, which slid in snow through the intersection. No injuries were reported, and both vehicles drove away from the scene.

Later that same day, an accident occurred on Route 35 under the traffic light for Route 121. The first vehicle was driving west on Route 35 when it was struck by a vehicle turning east from 121 onto 35. Language translators had to be utilized for both drivers, who also declined medical attention. 

On Jan. 13, a vehicle traveling east on Route 35 slowed for traffic, and was struck from behind by another vehicle. The first vehicle sustained rear-end damage while the second had front-end damage. The latter had to be towed from the scene.

On Jan. 14, a vehicle backing up in a Goldens Bridge parking lot struck another parked vehicle. The driver refused medical attention.

On Wednesday, Jan. 15, a traffic stop on Route 123 near Meadow Pond Elementary resulted in an arrest of an individual driving with forged credentials. The officer observed a sedan traveling north that had no license plate in back. Upon stopping the car, the officer noted a temporary Connecticut license plate in the rear window – which appeared to be a forgery because it was larger than what is standard for such plates. The driver had no license and the registration certificate appeared to be fraudulent as it contained a variety of misspellings. Via a records check, the officer learned the registration belonged to a different car and had expired. When asked, the driver said he purchased the temporary plate on Facebook Marketplace. The driver was arrested, and the vehicle was towed by Sal’s Towing.
Rounding out the period’s activities, the Lewisboro Police Department assisted with two minor fires recently. On Jan. 14, a police officer canvassed a neighborhood in South Salem for a possible brush fire. It provided to be a campfire in a backyard of a residence, and was extinguished. 

Three days later police responded to a call about a small bonfire on Lake Waccabuc. It had been started by children playing hockey on the lake, and was 50 yards from shore. It posed no risk.