Police Catch Car Break-in Thief with Stolen Backpack and Computer

At 2 a.m., Nov. 7, police saw a man walking with a backpack on Weaver Street. The man was showing signs of nervousness, such as constantly looking around, checking his surroundings and checking his phone. Due to recent burglaries in the area, police stopped the man to interview him. When asked where he was coming from, the man pointed to Weaver Street and said Hartsdale. He said, “I’m good” and attempted to walk away. Patrol told the man Hartsdale was in the other direction, and then the man changed his story and said White Plains. While speaking with police, the man kept trying to move away. The man then put down the backpack and tried to walk away. Due to the man’s increasing nervousness and suspicious behavior, police then asked the man to put his hands on the patrol car and called for additional backup. During a pat down for officer safety, police found a roll of quarters in the man’s coat pocket. Police opened the backpack and found an Acer computer that had been left on, as well as two pairs of glasses. Police opened the lid of the laptop and observed a photo of an older white woman and man, as well as a name and contact information. Patrol asked the suspect – later identified as Dwayne Wilkinson, 36, of White Plains – if the computer was his. Wilkinson answered that he had bought the computer on the street in Mount Vernon approximately three weeks ago. Police asked what the computer’s password was and the provided a numeric sequence. When asked again, the provided a different numerous sequence. Police then contacted the listed number on the computer’s contact information and spoke with a Varian Lane man who described the backpack and its contents. He said the backpack had been in his unlocked, parked car before he went to bed. He confirmed it had been stolen. Wilkinson was placed under arrest and taken to headquarters. A check of Wilkinson’s criminal record indicated prior arrests for larcenies, burglaries, robbery, weapons possession and credit card offenses. Following his arraignment, Wilkinson was remanded to Westchester County Jail on a $2,500 cash bail. A future court date is pending.

DWI arrest
On Nov. 11, police arrested Xuanmin Chen, 40, of Scarsdale, on charges of driving while intoxicated (first offense), aggravated DWI with a blood alcohol level of .18 or more and driving too slowly. Police noticed something was wrong when they noticed Chen’s 2018 Tesla pass by on Post Road, traveling very slowly with a flat front tire. Police conducted a traffic stop. Chen said he was coming from a friend’s house. He smelled of alcohol and admitted to having two or three drinks there. Chen failed field sobriety tests. An alco-sensor breath test indicated a blood alcohol level of .11. Chen was subsequently arrested and charges. At headquarters, he submitted to a Datamaster test that turned back a blood alcohol content reading of .20. Chen was released on his own recognizance and issued an appearance ticket for Scarsdale Village Justice Court, returnable Nov. 14.

Burglary
On Nov. 5, a Carthage Road resident returned home after being out for approximately five hours and found his house had been burglarized. In particular, the master bedroom was heavily tossed. Emptied jewelry boxes were observed thrown onto the bed and floor. Doors were discovered unlocked, and there was no sign of forced entry. Detectives are following up.

On Nov. 6, a Gatehouse Road resident reported her housekeeper witnessed her house being burglarized on Nov. 5. According to the report, the housekeeper saw about $200 worth of bar mitzvah jewelry being stolen. Detectives are following up.

Shoplifting
On Nov. 12, an employee of a Boniface Avenue store reported merchandise had been stolen approximately 30-40 minutes in the past.

Stolen
On Nov. 5, an Overlook Road resident reported someone stole a $20,000 diamond wedding ring from her house sometime between Sept. 26 and 28.

On Nov. 6, a 93-year-old Spier Road resident reported $10,000 had been stolen from her house.

Identity theft
On Nov. 7, a Cooper Road resident reported seeing fraudulent activity, amounting to $782.54, on her bank account.

Warrant
Yonkers police arrested Toniann Orichello on Nov. 10. Since Orichello was also wanted by Scarsdale police for a charge of petit larceny, Yonkers PD notified Scarsdale PD. Scarsdale PD faxed a copy of the warrant to Yonkers PD and learned that the warrant would be processed after several other warrants from other Westchester and New York City jurisdictions were processed.

Dispute
A woman who parked her car on Overhill Road called police to report a man was arguing with her about her parking Nov. 5. She alleged the man then stood in front of her car and obstructed her ability to drive. Police went to the scene and spoke with the woman and the man. The man said he was concerned about the woman’s parking and wanted to discuss it with her. He said he also photographed her car. Police advised him to contact the police department regarding any concerns related to parking and to refrain from discussing it directly with motorists.

Mistaken identity
A Secor Road resident reported a man was in his backyard with a metal detector Nov. 6. Police spoke with the man, who was an exterminator working on a contracted job.

Packages
An employee of Shaarei Tikvah reported an unknown package was received at the temple Nov. 6. After some follow up, police spoke with the Rabbi who said the package was for him and got delivered to the temple by mistake. As a courtesy, police drove the package to his house.

On Nov. 9, a Fox Meadow Road woman received a suspicious package in the mail. The return address on the package was the same address as a person the woman had convicted while serving on a criminal jury in Westchester County courthouse in the past. Another juror, from Hartsdale, received a similar package. Police picked up the package and turned it over to Westchester County’s hazardous devices department. They opened the package. It contained 25 typed pages and a USB flash drive. WCPD was going to follow up.

On Nov. 11, a Church Lane resident reported receiving a suspicious package. It was identical to package received by the Fox Meadow Road woman (see above.) Both women had served on the same jury.

Ladder
While conducting burglary patrol, police noticed a ladder leaning against a Cushman Road house that was under construction Nov. 7. Further investigation revealed an open door. Police spoke with the homeowner who was inside the house. He removed the ladder and secured the door.

Help
A person walked into headquarters and asked to be taken to a homeless shelter in White Plains at 4:12 a.m., Nov. 11. As a courtesy, police transported the person to the shelter.

Damage
On Nov. 12, a Griffen Avenue man reported someone might have intentionally damaged a photo of his wife and him. The photo appeared to have been cut or pierced with an unknown objects. The man said he has recently had some disagreements with employees who work in his house, and it has created a stressful situation. The man refused to file a formal report and said he preferred to deliberate possible future actions with his wife.

Civil matter
A man called police and requested a Spanish-speaking officer Nov. 12. A Spanish-speaking officer met with the man, and the man alleged a Spencer Place restaurant, where he had been employed briefly, owed him for a few days of work that had not ben paid. Police spoke with the business owner who said she did not owe any money to the man. She claimed he missed two days of work during his brief employment, and that accounted for the difference. Police advised the parties that this was a civil matter, which could be addressed in court.

Cars and roadways
Police issued a citation to the driver of a work truck parked on a Post Road sidewalk Nov. 5.

Con Edison was notified about a utility pole with visible curvature, located at Post Road and Boulevard Nov. 8.

A driver’s car was unable to reach a speed of more than 10 mph while traveling on Post Road Nov. 6. Police followed the driver as a safety precaution and stood by as the driver safely parked his car on Tompkins Road. The driver said he would return with a mechanic to address the problem.

A highway worker reported a pile of leaves on Brite Avenue was blocking access to a drain Nov. 7. The responsible homeowner was mailed summons for violating village code.

On Nov. 7, the parking enforcement officer identified a 2007 Honda Civic with scofflaw status parked on Scarsdale Avenue. Police towed the car and impounded it.

Police helped move a disabled car with an overheated motor off of Popham Road and onto a side street while the driver waited for a tow Nov. 7.

For safety in an area of abundant traffic, patrol waited with the driver of a disabled car until a tow truck arrived Nov. 7.
A pedestrian claimed a taxi driver almost hit him while he was in the marked crosswalk at Chase Road and Christie Place Nov. 8. The pedestrian alleged the taxi driver yelled at him to “get out of the crosswalk.” Police spoke with the dispatcher and planned to follow up with the taxi driver after he returned to the depot.

On Nov. 11, police helped a driver with a stalled car jump start the battery.

A caller with a flat tire requested assistance on Brite Avenue Nov. 11. Police called a tow for the caller.

Police prepared a summons for an Autenreith Road homeowner who placed piles of leaves on the street Nov. 11.

Ten car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Village code
Police stood by while teens were dispersed from a gathering on Freightway Road Nov. 5.
A resident complained of noisy kids on Burgess Road after 10 p.m., Nov. 5. Police stood by as the kids were picked up by their parents.

Three boys were digging up soil in Davis Park in an attempt to build a ramp for their bicycles Nov. 11. Police advised the boys they were not allowed to dig up dirt and reposition it in the park. The boys apologized and put the dirt back in place.

Dogs
Police reunited a lost dog, found on Palmer Avenue, and its owner Nov. 12.

Lost and found
Police contacted the owner of a wallet found on Depot Place Nov. 5. The owner’s father promptly picked up the wallet from headquarters.

A Carstensen Road woman reported leaving a designer tote bag in an Uber she shared with a stranger Nov. 13. The bag contained the woman’s personal documents, driver’s license and credit and debit cards. The Uber driver said the bag was no longer in his car.

Firefighters
According to Fire Chief James Seymour, firefighters responded to 27 incidents during this reporting period. Seymour provided details about the following incident below:

On Nov. 5, firefighters responded to an interior gas odor in a Popham Road building. A check of the area discovered that the rooftop-heating unit was not working properly. Firefighters notified Con Edison and shut the unit down for repair.

On Nov. 7, a Butler Road homeowner reported a smoking electric outlet. The outlet was attached to an old intercom buzzer. Firefighters disconnected the unit and advised the homeowner to call an electrician.

On Nov. 8, an overheated sump pump was smoking in an Innes Road house. Firefighters disconnected the pump and advised the resident to call a plumber.

On Nov. 10, firefighters assisted with a car accident on Popham Road.

A gas odor inside the Christie Place parking garage was caused by gasoline leaked from a parked car Nov. 10. Firefighters put Speedi-Dri on the fluid to absorb it.

This report covering police and fire department activity from Nov. 5 – 12 has been compiled from official information.

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