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Cops made another gun arrest a west side motel this past week, this time at the Regal Inn, and caught up with an alleged liquor store robber with an affinity for Amsterdam Vodka nips at the Three Judges Motel.
Those are two of the incidents recounted din the latest weekly roundup of West Hills/West Rock/Westville/Amity/Beverly Hills police incidents prepared by District Manager Lt. Rose Dell.
Here’s her write-up, followed by an account written by a Central Avenue woman who reported a garage break-in.
FROM 3/16/19 to 3/23/19 POLICE RESPONDED TO 181 CALLS FOR SERVICE IN THE WESTVILLE/WEST HILLS SECTION OF NEW HAVEN. THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF NOTABLE INCIDENTS:
On 3/16, the Criminal Intelligence Unit received information that individuals staying at area hotels were involved in drug sales. Officer Samantha Romano stopped an unregistered Cadillac in the Regal Inn parking lot. The operator of the vehicle, Joseph Donaby, had a stun gun disguised as a cell phone on his person. The passenger, Jamal Harris, bolted from the vehicle and tried to throw a gun off the bridge and into the water. Officer William Gargone and Officer Javier Montalvo caught Harris and secured the gun. Both subjects were arrested and transported to detention. This is the third gun arrest at the hotels within the last few weeks.
Wednesday morning a resident of Central Avenue found the side door to her garage ajar. The front passenger side window of her vehicle was shattered, and the interior was out of order. Some loose change and a cell phone attachment were stolen from the vehicle. The homeowner admitted that she did not lock the side door to the garage.
On 3/20, an unknown male subject entered Amity Wine and Spirits and approached the counter to purchase two nips of Amsterdam Vodka. The subject paid for the nips and then lunged across the counter and grabbed a handful of cash from the register. He fled the store on foot and was chased by three employees and a customer to the rear parking lot of the Three Judges Motel. When approached by the employees and the customer, the perp said he didn’t steal anything but was upset that he lost his nip bottles. Police arrived and arrested the subject for larceny and disorderly conduct.
Thursday evening police were dispatched to Oliver Road for the report of a motor vehicle in the middle of the road. Police arrived, saw a BMW X5 in the middle of the street and determined it was registered to a nearby resident. The resident said she left the vehicle in her driveway overnight with the key in the ignition and the door unlocked, because it was going to be towed in the morning. The car thief didn’t get too far and abandoned the vehicle with the deflated tire.
On 3/21, Officer Michael Valente responded to an apartment complex on Fountain Street for a burglary. Sometime overnight an unknown subject entered the basement and ripped the cable from the security camera. Two washing machines were damaged near the coin attachments. Spare keys to the resident’s units were stolen from a key box. Video surveillance of the perp was obtained. He appears to be a tall, black male with a thin build, around 40 – 50 years of age with a slight beard. He wore a grey or dark colored jacket, a white sweatshirt or shirt, grey jeans, a black ski cap and he carried a black bag. Forensic detectives responded to the complex to dust for fingerprints and swab for DNA.
Thursday morning Officer Dwight Calderon was on patrol in the area of Alden Avenue when he was flagged down by a mailman. The mailman just delivered a package to one of the homes on Alden Avenue when he saw an unknown subject exit the Westville Quality Market and grab the package off the front porch. The home owner was contacted and confirmed that the male just stole an amazon prime package that contained laundry detergent. Officer Calderon found video surveillance footage of the perp who appears to be a black male who wore a red Yankees baseball cap, a black jacket, grey sweat suit and red sneakers. PRO TIP: Have packages delivered to a location not visible from the street.
Officer Christopher Stroscio was dispatched to the late report of a suspicious person on 3/21. A resident of South Genesee Street said she arrived home the previous night and saw an unknown male sitting on her roof. She then saw a blue vehicle pull up in front her residence. The subject jumped off the roof and entered the passenger side of vehicle. He was described as a light-skinned black or Hispanic male who wore Jordan sneakers.
Garage Break-In Account
I was the victim of a car break in, robbery, on the night of March 11 — found my locked car in my garage on morning of the 12th with front passenger window smashed! Contents of glove box scattered all over.
I called police and Officer Bengston came out within 15 minutes. He was very nice, although not much he could do. He advised me to get a heavier door for side door of garage, and told me about magnet alarm for door.
Even though I’ve recently had 2 new lights installed on my house, he recommended a couple of lights on garage. My big garage door was closed, but I never locked the side door. This door isn’t visible from the street, and I think the person came over a flimsy fence in my back yard from West Rock Avenue. The fence is bent in several places.
After he left I realized a handful of quarters were missing from drawer in dashboard and an inexpensive gizmo for charging cell phone that fit into the cigarette lighter. I keep the car locked and never have anything of value in the car. Little did I realize that having it in the garage was a detriment, keeping it hidden from view. I should park in the driveway near the street!
I asked the officer if he would dust for fingerprints — I had just had the car washed — but he said there were none visible. (We were checking a panel between the front and back windows that was pried loose.)
I’ve lived on Central Avenue for 30 years. My kids want me to move, as they see the neighborhood deteriorating. I like it here, but I want to feel safe.