LEWISBORO, N.Y. - Over the past three weeks, the Lewisboro Police Department spent much of its time dealing with an array of unusual calls – particularly ones involving theft and the potential for fraud - and significantly less time on its usual mix of traffic incidents.
In the early afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 17, both New York State Police and Lewisboro Police responded to a reported robbery at a Goldens Bridge smoke shop. The store’s clerk reported that two young men had stolen about $150 worth of merchandise from the shop. The state trooper notified the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which will pursue the matter further. The store has video surveillance, and the clerk provided the on-scene video taken during the incident.
That evening, police responded to a call from a Waccabuc resident. The man said he had received a call from a toll-free number alerting him that his personal information was used for a credit-card application, yet he had not applied for any card. He subsequently notified the credit card companies of the potential fraud and put a freeze on any new accounts. He told police he wanted to file a report so he could provide the incident number to credit bureaus. The resident required no further assistance, prompting the two officers at the scene to advise him to continue to monitor his credit activity. They also suggested that he subscribe to a service such as LifeLock.
On Thursday, Sept. 19, police were dispatched to the home of a South Salem resident regarding a threatening email. In it, the recipient was instructed to send money to a specific account, or the sender would otherwise say the individual was “on porn sites.” The officer read the incoming email and noted that it contained language generic to similar threat scams. He advised the South Salem resident not to send any money and to report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.
On Monday, Sept. 23, police responded to a call from a Goldens Bridge resident who said an unknown tree company had cut down 10 trees on his property. The incident occurred on Sept. 17 and the case is still open.
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, police responded to a call from a South Salem resident who reported that an unknown man had arrived at her house, purporting to deliver “food for families.” After the resident sent the man away, he knocked on the doors of two neighboring homes as well. Later, the resident provided a flyer the caller had left at her door that contained a phone number and a menu of food offered. Police contacted the man and asked him if he had obtained a soliciting permit from the town – which he hadn’t. The officer informed the man that he’d subsequently need to obtain such a permit to continue knocking on doors offering food. The man understood and the case was closed.
On Thursday, Sept. 26, police responded to a Cross River home after a reported burglary. The home’s owner said somebody had broken into the house and stolen copper piping. The home is vacant and listed for sale and was entered via an unlocked garage. Besides a four-inch section of pipe that was taken from the house’s laundry room, no other damage was evident. The case was turned over to New York State Police.’
Police handled a neighborhood dispute on Wednesday, Sept. 25 in Cross River. The caller complained that another resident experienced breathing problems from his neighbor’s open fires. When the neighbor refused to put out a fire, the complainant attempted to douse it with a hose. The neighbors agreed to refrain from lighting fires near the property line and to boil water, to prevent smoke.
On Sept. 25, a retailer in Cross River complained that the landlord had removed her store sign and placed it in a dumpster. The landlord countered that the store is being evicted because the retailer has neglected to pay rent for a long time. The landlord agreed to give the store owner her sign back but said it cannot hang at the shopping center’s entry.
Lewisboro police responded to the following motor-vehicle infractions:
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, an officer on patrol in South Salem observed a southbound vehicle traveling on Route 123 at 52 m.p.h. in a 35-m.p.h. zone. The driver had a suspended Pennsylvania license and the car’s Vermont registration had expired in June. The driver received four tickets: two for driving without a current license, another for driving an unregistered vehicle, and a speeding ticket. The car was impounded by Sal’s Towing and the driver received a summons to appear in court,
On Monday, Sept. 23, an officer on patrol in South Salem stopped another speeding car across from Lewisboro Town Park on Route 35. The vehicle was traveling at 80 m.p.h. in a 45-m.p.h. zone. Both the driver’s license and registration proved to be valid, but the officer suspected DWI because the driver’s speech was sluggish. He contacted another officer for assistance, who detected the strong odor of alcohol. Upon exiting the vehicle, the driver appeared unsteady and used his hands for balance. Police administered a standard field sobriety test on the driver, which he failed, and the second officer brought him to the Bedford Police Department for further DWI testing. The vehicle was impounded, and upon the driver’s release with two tickets and a mandatory court appearance date, police drove the man to his home.
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, an officer on Route 22 in Goldens Bridge stopped a small motorcycle with no license plate. The driver stated that the cycle was a scooter and he did not need a driver’s license, registration, or insurance. This officer viewed the vehicle’s VIN, which stated vehicle type: motorcycle. The driver received three tickets: for driving without a license, for driving an unregistered vehicle, and for operating an uninsured vehicle. Sal’s Towing impounded the motorcycle.
Later that day, police stopped a truck with no license plates on Route 123 in South Salem. The driver provided the officer with his license and a temporary Texas license plate. Upon examination, the officer noticed an image of a cloud raining in the background on the plate. However, no data came back when he processed the temporary plate’s number though eJustice. The officer then ran the vehicle identification number through eJustice, which returned a Massachusetts license plate registered to someone else. The driver received a ticket for improper plates and a mandatory court appearance date, and Sal’s Towing impounded the vehicle.
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