A Blake Street senior’s favor to a thirsty handyman ending up costing her. And a Fountain Street tenant learned that neighbors’ constant coital commotion is not a police matter.
Those are among the incidents contained in top West Hills/Westville/West Rock/ Amity/ Beaver Hills cop Lt. Rose Dell’s latest weekly report to neighbors.
Her report follows.
FROM 11/03/19 to 11/9/19 POLICE RESPONDED TO 169 CALLS FOR SERVICE IN THE WESTVILLE/WEST HILLS SECTION OF NEW HAVEN. THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF NOTABLE INCIDENTS:
On 11/03, a resident of Valley Street was outside of her home when she was approached by two unknown males. One of the males told her to take her hands out of her pockets because “around here that means you have a gun.” He then threatened to shoot her if he saw her again. Her girlfriend, who was in the area prior to the incident, said she saw the two males exchange a gun. The male who had the handgun was described as a black male, late teens to early 20s, around 5’4”, with a medium build, who wore a red hat, black hoodie and had braids. The other male was a Hispanic male, also late teens to early 20s, around 5’7”-5’8”, with a medium build, last seen wearing a white sweatshirt with colorful designs.
An elderly resident of the 300 block of Blake Street hired a handyman to do some work around her house. The handyman came inside the home and asked the resident for a drink. While he sat at the kitchen table, he noticed a gold watch on the table. He examined the watch closely and then asked if it had a 14K stamp on the links. This week the resident noticed the watch was missing. No one has been in her home since the handyman left. The watch is a 1940s Hamilton worth around $3600.
On 11/5, around 1 a.m., a resident of Central Avenue was in his home when he heard around 4 – 5 gunshots. He looked outside and saw two vehicles parked at the intersection of Central Avenue and Chapel Street. Officers located seven shell casings and a set of keys in the roadway. A short time later, a gunshot victim walked into Yale-New Haven Hospital. He suffered multiple non-life-threatening injuries and was listed in stable condition. The victim was also shot in early August of this year. Detectives have reported that the incident appears to stem from an ongoing dispute. The involved parties are not from the area and were passing through when the encounter occurred.
Monday morning the Criminal Intelligence Unit along with members of the Shooting Task Force and the Narcotics Enforcement Unit executed a search warrant on Fowler Street for an ongoing investigation that indicated narcotics were being sold from a residence. Detectives seized both crack-cocaine and marijuana in the residence. One of the residents was arrested and charged with possession of drugs with intent to sell.
On Tuesday morning the property manager of the Yale Tennis Center reported that a Craftsman air compressor and a battery charger had been stolen overnight. The items had been left outside in a poorly secured area of the property. None of the cameras were operable.
Officers were dispatched to an apartment on Fountain Street Tuesday morning on a noise complaint. A resident complained that the neighbors above him have sex at all hours of the day and night. Last night they kept him up until 4:45 am and resumed activity again at 9 am. Officers told him this was not a police matter, and he was told to speak with the property manager.
On 11/5, a resident of Pond Lily Avenue reported that shopping carts are constantly left in front of his home. He believed these were left by occupants of the Best Way Inn. Officers spoke with the owners of the Best Way Inn who said they are aware of the shopping cart problem and are doing their best to limit the number of shopping carts left near their property. The management also contacts Stop & Shop when they locate the abandoned carts.
This week three individuals reported that a passenger in a vehicle fired and struck them with paintballs. Two of the individuals were students at Job Corps and another was an employee in the area who was waiting at the bus stop at Wilmot Road and Brookside Avenue. Two of the individuals were bruised by the paintballs. Similar incidents have been reported throughout the City.
A resident on Taylor Avenue arrived home on 11/6 and found the screen was removed from a front porch window. The home is unoccupied and currently for sale. Last week gold coins were stolen from the residence. The owners then removed all valuables that were in the home. The thieves made off with some loose change from a piggy bank.
On 11/07, a resident of Valley Street had over $3000 in cash stolen from a metal container on the vanity in her bedroom. Officers reviewed the footage from her video surveillance system and saw an unknown male walking throughout the residence. He exited the home through the rear door and walked up the hill, north on Pond Lily Avenue. Although not captured on film, Officers believed the subject entered through a poorly secured rear door. The unknown male was a black male, approximately 30 years old with a full beard with long hair in a bun. He wore a black winter hat with white stripes and a pom-pom, a black jacket, and black pants with white horizontal stripes on the left leg and a red vertical stripe on the right leg.
Overnight on 11/8, loose change was stolen from a vehicle parked in a driveway on Fountain Street. There were no signs of forced entry or damage to the vehicle.
On 11/08, police responded to Lowin Avenue on a fraud complaint. The elderly resident said approximately 18 months ago she received a text from an individual who claimed that he was a member of a Catholic Missionary Organization. He asked her to send donations and, in exchange, she would receive a non-taxable grant. For a year and half, twice a month, she sent them “donations” of $50-$100 in Amazon gift cards. She also provided them with her bank account information where they promised to send her “non-taxable grant.” She was recently contacted by a bank that informed her that a loan had been taken out in her name.
Friday evening at around 10:30 pm officers were dispatched to reports of gunshots on Level Street. Officers located 20 spent shell casings, three struck vehicles and a round that entered a residence. A witness saw a black 2000 model, 4 door Honda Accord complete a U‑turn on Level Street and then two men ran towards the parking lot firing guns. The males wore black hoodies, black jeans and face masks. The Forensic Detectives spent several hours on scene collecting evidence.