As Halloween approaches, some of the spirit has vanished from Moore Drive.
A thief in a black coat, driving a black Volkswagen, made off with six scarecrows, five skeletons, and a tombstone that had been erected as holiday directions there. The thief remains at large.
That was among numerous thefts and other incidents included in the latest two weekly crime reports written by top West Hills/ Westville/ West Rock/ Amity/ BeverlyHills cop Lt. Rose Dell.
Her reports follow:
FROM 10/20/19 to 10/26/19 POLICE RESPONDED TO 173 CALLS FOR SERVICE IN THE WESTVILLE/WEST HILLS SECTION OF NEW HAVEN. THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF NOTABLE INCIDENTS:
On 10/20, Officer James Murcko responded to the Family Dollar on Whalley Avenue on a shoplifting complaint. The store manager reported that she watched a Hispanic male with a lazy eye place a container of Tide laundry pods and then one of Gain pods under his shirt. She approached him and demanded he return the pods. He threw the Gain pods into a bin but ran off with the Tide. Officer Murcko is searching for the male with the lazy eye and clean clothes.
Sunday evening a resident of Moore Drive reported that a neighbor witnessed an unknown subject steal her Halloween decorations. The neighbor was walking to her home for a visit when she saw a middle-aged Hispanic male, around 6’2” with a medium build take off with 6 scarecrows, 5 skeletons, 4 mini fences and a tombstone. He wore a black coat, gray scrubs with slippers and drove a black Volkswagen.
Police responded to Chen’s Kitchen for a burglary on 10/21. Passerby’s on their morning walk to school saw the front glass door was broken. Officers found a rock inside the restaurant, and the cash drawer had been removed and placed next to the register. The owner responded to the scene and said only a small amount of cash was stolen. Detectives processed the scene for forensic evidence.
A resident of Valley Street left her Anne Klein purse in her unlocked car when she returned home from dinner on 10/20. The purse contained $300 and her debit card. The card may have been used at the Sunoco station. On 10/26, a resident of Jennings Way reported that $7,000 and some loose change were stolen from her vehicle.
Officers were dispatched to the New Haven Inn on a threatening complaint Monday morning. A guest complained that his neighbor called him a “demon” and threatened to “kill his master.” Officers spoke to the neighbor who said she has been unable to sleep, because the guest next door was “half demon and half human.” She was transported to the hospital for an emergency evaluation.
Sometime overnight on 10/23 a Toyota Corolla was stolen from a driveway on Stevenson Road. The keys to the vehicle had been left in another vehicle that was also parked in the driveway. The owners explained the Corolla had recently been damaged in an accident which made the vehicle difficult to steer. They knew it couldn’t travel far, so they searched the neighborhood and found it parked at the intersection of Kohary Drive and Conrad Drive.
Officer Jeffrey Luis was flagged down for another theft in progress at the Family Dollar. As the Officer pulled into the lot, employees pointed to a male walking away from the store. When the subject saw the Officer, he ran and tried to climb the wooden fence. Officer Luis was able to grab the subject and, after a brief struggle, detain him in handcuffs. He had stolen a pair of sweatpants. He was arrested and charged with the theft.
A resident of Fountain Street reported that his apartment’s management company came to his residence to complete some electrical work for a new heating system. He left the apartment while they performed the work. When he returned, $160 worth of marijuana was stolen from the living room. He wanted the incident documented so that the management company would not charge him a month’s rent in exchange for the stolen marijuana.
Two residences on Harper Avenue that were unoccupied and under renovation were broken into on 10/24. One resident woke up and saw a notification from her Comcast camera that there was motion in her home at 4 am. She reviewed the footage and saw four unknown subjects inside her residence. They stole an Xbox, gaming headsets, a large bag of tissues, and 2 cameras. Detectives are reviewing the footage to determine if the perpetrators can be identified. This resident told her neighbor about the break-in. The neighbor then discovered that her home was also burglarized. A PlayStation, an Xbox, video games, a Samsung tablet, Jordan sneakers, various pieces of clothing and a blowdryer were stolen.
On 10/26, around 1 am, a resident of Laurel Road went to her garage to lock the exterior door. She heard a noise inside and then saw a figure appear near one of her vehicles. He threw an orange at her and then fled out the door. Both vehicles parked in the garage had been rummaged through. Two checks were stolen from one of the vehicles.
FROM 10/13/19 to 10/19/19 POLICE RESPONDED TO 165 CALLS FOR SERVICE IN THE WESTVILLE/WEST HILLS SECTION OF NEW HAVEN. THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF NOTABLE INCIDENTS:
On 10/15, Officers stopped a vehicle in the Best Way Inn parking lot. The Innkeepers have a signed agreement with the Police Department that no trespassing will be enforced on their property. The driver had no room at the Inn but claimed he was stopping by to visit a female he knows only as “Nikki.” He called “Nikki,” and she told him she was elsewhere. He was issued a ticket for trespassing.
A resident of Victory Drive reported on 10/13 that her vehicle was vandalized and ransacked. The vehicle had extensive damage to the windows, brake lights, steering wheel, gas tank, and the interior seats were sliced. Phone charger cords and two pairs of sunglasses were stolen. On 10/16, around 4 am, police responded to Springside Avenue on the report of two juveniles that broke into a Kia and Acura parked in the area. A gym bag was stolen from one of the unlocked vehicles which contained Beats headphones, Nike sneakers and some workout attire. Video surveillance showed two young, white or Hispanic males with thin builds who pulled up to the vehicles in a dark colored Nissan Maxima. On 10/19, a resident of Cleveland Road was woken up at around 3 am by an alert on her phone that motion was detected on her exterior cameras. She reviewed the footage and saw an unknown subject try to enter her locked vehicle. He was unsuccessful and left her property.
Thursday morning Officers responded to a residence on South Genesee Street for the report of a burglary. Sometime overnight entry was made through the front dining room window while the residents were asleep. Three sets of keys were stolen from the dining room table. The keys were then used to steal a Honda Accord that was parked in front of the home. Detectives responded to the scene and will review video surveillance and canvas the area for evidence and witnesses.
A resident of Stevenson Road was gardening when he found what looked like an old, rusted grenade in the ground. Officers contacted the Department’s Emergency Service Unit to respond to the scene. A bomb technician removed the item and determined it was just a replica.