Another Burglary - And This Time the Residents Were Home: Scarsdale Police Report
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Another burglary took place in Greenacres this week – but unlike the previous incidents, this time the residents were at home and asleep upstairs. Fairview Road residents went to bed just after midnight on 1/12, leaving an iPhone, iPod and Nintendo 3DS charging in the kitchen. When the homeowner awoke at 6 am the following morning she found the back door open and the three items gone. She also noted that $100 in cash was taken from her purse that was in the living room, though nothing else was missing from her wallet or bag. Family members did not hear anyone during the night but they did find that a basement window had been pushed open. Scarsdale10583.com asked Scarsdale Police Detective Thomas Altizio for a comment on the burglary and here is what he shared. "The Fairview Road burglary was the first one that had occupants in the residence. I think this latest burglary should emphasize to residents the importance of effectively securing doors and windows, and utilizing burglar alarm systems, even when home. As far as the police department’s response, we have, and will continue to increase both marked and unmarked plain clothes patrols in the Greenacres area. We are continuing to utilize our license plate reader in the area, and have begun sending officers door to door in certain areas to personally advise residents on crime prevention and encourage a heightened level of awareness, and encouraging residents to notify the police of any suspicious activity."
Car break-in at SHS: A teacher at SHS reported that his car was vandalized when it was parked at SHS on the afternoon of January 11. The driver’s side passenger window was broken and his laptop computer, personal papers and two pairs of eyeglasses were taken. At the time, the SHS basketball team was playing a game against Mt. Vernon in the SHS gym.
Unwanted Visitor: Casey Jay Bennett of Jamaica Queens was arrested for trespassing, mischief and harassment when he appeared at an Old Lyme Road home at 6:40 am on January 15 and forced his way in. He kicked in the side door of the house and grabbed the 63 year-old man who lives at the home and threw him to the ground. The Scarsdale man told police that he sometimes gives Bennett money for medicine, but that Bennett had failed to show up at the appointed time and place the previous night to get the money. Instead Bennett came to the man’s home in Scarsdale the following morning. The taxi driver who brought Bennett to the house called police when he saw Bennett banging on the door. Bennett twisted his ankle in the altercation. After he was arrested he complained of pain and was taken to White Plains Hospital for treatment and ultimately was sent to the Westchester County Jail where he was held. Bail was set at $1,500.
Paparazzi: On January 12, a photographer from the NY Post was found outside 15 Heathcote Road trying to get a photo of a celebrity. Presumably he was trying to get a photo of Beyonce and Jay-Z who were rumored to have moved there. However the photographer was informed that they do not live there and he left.
Missing: A subcontractor for Con Ed who was working on Dolma Road had his $2,000 Subsite Transmitter stolen on the afternoon of 1/9. The contractor was marking gas lines on Dolma Road and used the transmitter to identify underground lines. When the man completed his work on Dolma he inadvertently left the transmitter on the site. When he returned two hours later, it was gone.
Pothole: A New Rochelle woman damaged the tire of her 2008 Mazda when she drove through a pothole at the intersection of Mamaroneck Road and the Hutchinson River Parkway on the night of January 9,2012.The tire was damaged and punctured.
Death: Boris Gueft, age 95, passed away at his home on Vanderbilt Avenue on the morning of January 10. His home care provider was with him when he passed away. Gueft suffered from liver cancer.
Identity Theft: On January 10 a Bell Road woman reported that $800 had been withdrawn from her account at an ATM machine at an HSBC Bank on Canal Street in New York. The woman said that no one had her PIN number or her debit card.
A Haverford Road woman reported that her 7 year-old daughter received an email from Western Union confirming a payment to a natural gas company on January 10th. The woman was concerned that someone had used her daughter’s identity to secure credit.
Graffiti was found on the Verizon building on Locust Lane on 1/9/12. The graffiti appeared to say “POES.”
On 1/19, a Heathcote Road woman called to complain that her neighbor’s front yard was filled with garbage. Police went to the home and the homeowner claimed that the garbage was items damaged by flooding. She said her insurance company had instructed her to keep the items until the claim was settled. Police asked her to move her property inside her garage.
Man in Backyard: At 5:30 pm on 1/10, a Ferncliff Road resident called police when she found a man wearing a gray hoodie, wrapped in a blanket and under a tarp in her yard. When police arrived the man was gone.
Drunk: Around 9 pm on 1/11, a police officer found a man walking unsteadily in the northbound lane of Post Road near Fenimore Road. Police stopped the man who said he was homeless and intoxicated and identified himself as Patrick M. Blount. He said he was currently staying at a shelter in White Plains and he was transported to the shelter.
Kids! On Saturday night January 14 police received two complaints about kids ringing home doorbells and then running away. The first incident was on Brewster Road and the second was on Overlook. Police found the kids on Overlook and they admitted to ringing the doorbells. Police called their parents who picked them up.
This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit http://scarsdalesecurity.com/
Scarsdale Police Charge Two with Burglary
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Scarsdale Police Chief John Brogan has announced the arrest of two men in connection with the burglary of a home on Greenacres Avenue in Scarsdale in September. On Wednesday, January 4th 2012, 49 year old Michael Maietta of Coodington Avenue in the Bronx, and 47 year old Michael Donofrio of Waterbury Avenue in the Bronx were both arraigned on charges of Burglary 2nd degree, Grand Larceny 3rd degree and Criminal Mischief 3rd degree based upon a Westchester County Grand Jury indictment for crimes committed during a September 2011 burglary of the Greenacres Avenue home. Maietta was previously arrested for burglary of a Yonkers home in 1995.
The arrest is the result of a 3-month investigation by Scarsdale Detective Mark Thomas, who worked with Detectives from White Plains, Yonkers, Bronxville and NYPD as well as members of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
Both subjects were also charged with Burglary 2nd degree for crimes in Yonkers and White Plains, as well as attempted Burglary 2nd degree in Yonkers. Defendant Donofrio is currently in jail on $300,000 bail and defendant Maietta has been remanded without bail.
Scarsdale Detectives continue to investigate the above individuals for any other possible criminal activity within Scarsdale.
Trespass: A Bradley Road man reported that a solicitor for a group called Family Energy entered his house without his permission on the evening of January 4th. He asked her to leave but she resisted. Police canvassed the area and found the woman and others from the group in the neighborhood and discovered that they did not have a permit to solicit. The woman who entered the home was identified as 18 year-old Linise Lamb of the Bronx and she was given a summons for trespassing.
Identity Theft: A Lyons Road man reported that thirteen cash withdrawals, totaling $9,800 were made from his Citibank checking account on January 5th. All of the 12 withdrawals occurred at an ATM machine on Canal Street in New York City.
Phone Nabber: On the afternoon of January 7, a 17 year-old Garth Road boy lent his iPhone to a friend so that the friend could call his mother. However, the friend ran off with the phone and refused to return it. Police contacted the culprit who was uncooperative. If he fails to return the phone, the Scarsdale boy will charge him for the offense.
Missing: Two female residents of Search for Change, the residential home on the Post Road in Scarsdale left the home on the morning of January 7th. Both residents have a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Police called local hospitals and the patients relatives but were unable to locate them. Missing persons reports were filed for both residents.
The father of a 6 year-old Greenacres boy called police on January 4th when his son failed to show up for an afterschool activity. Police searched the school but couldn’t find the boy. However, during the search, the father found out that the boy was at a friend’s house on Eton Road
A Cooper Road woman called police on 1/6 to say that some items may have been stolen from her home. However, after speaking to the police she decided to speak to her children and housekeeper before filing a report.
Locked In: A Brambach Road woman locked her daughter inside the car in front of the Chase Bank on East Parkway at 9:30 am on 1/3. A man from the Heathcote Gulf station was called and he was able to unlock the car.
Noise: Two complaints about noise were received in regard to an outdoor party on Ogden Road in Fox Meadow on the night of 1/7. The residents were having an outdoor party in a tent with a DJ and agreed to lower the volume of the music.
Man Served in Scarsdale in Wrongful Death of Wife
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A Manhattan man was served papers in Scarsdale on Wednesday in the wrongful death of his wife. Roderick Covlin is a former stock trader and founder of the U.S. Backgammon Federation. He was in his parent's Scarsdale home when the Manhattan public administrator served him with civil suit accusing him of killing his wife Shele Danishefsky Covlin. According to Your Jewish News, the suit charges Covlin with “intentionally, deliberately, willfully, wantonly, maliciously, brutally and without provocation or just cause [strangling, choking, striking, injuring, assaulting, abusing, beating and murdering] his wife.”
Two years ago, on New Year's Eve, Shele Covlin was found dead in the bathtub of her Upper West Side apartment. She was discovered by her 9 nine-year-old daughter.
Covlin had a cut on her head and appeared to have fallen while bathing.
Shele Danishefsky Covlin's death was initially ruled an accident and in keeping with religious tradition, her Orthodox Jewish family refused an autopsy and buried her almost immediately.
But questions quickly arose after her death.
The 47-year-old UBS wealth manager was in the middle of a difficult divorce from her husband Rod Covlin, who lived across the hall of the 68th Street apartment at the time.
That past November, Shele had obtained an order of protection against Rod, and according to an investigation she had expressed to friends that she was fearful of her husband. The night Shele Covlin died, she was just hours away from her January 1 meeting with an estate planner in order to cut Roderick out of her will, worth over $1 million dollars and leave her money to her two children.
Roderick Covlin immediately retained an attorney and was not cooperative with the police.
The District Attorney took up the matter and persuaded the Danishefsky family to exhume her body. Upon examination, there were signs of struggle and strangulation. However, since she had not been embalmed and was in a plain pine coffin there was exposure to the elements. It remains to be seen if this will have any effect on evidence such as DNA.
When contacted, the Manhattan District Attorney's office told me that they cannot comment on active investigations or even confirm or deny them.
Still, sources I spoke to close to the case, who wish not to be identified, say that there may be updates or even charges brought in the new year.
It's fairly unusual that the public administrator would get involved in such a case, however there is a two-year statute of limitations in wrongful-death claims. This suit aims to block Roderick from his wife's assets.
On Thursday December 29 the Daily News reported that a Westchester judge has denied Covlin access to a $1.6 miilion life insurance payment after learning that he is a suspect in his wife’s murder. According to the Daily News, nearly $4 million is at stake.
Shele's brother Philip Danishefsky is seeking custody of her children who are now ages 11 and 5.
County Taxes -- A Look Behind the Numbers
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The Westchester County Budget office has released an estimate of the tax levy for 2012 including a breakdown of the increases and decreases on the levy for all of the cities and towns in Westchester. Though the total levy remains at the 2011 level of $548 mm dollars, the levy on the various cities and towns has increased or decreased based on assessed value. Scarsdale residents will see an estimated 3.24% increase in their county taxes and the rate in Greenburgh will go up by 2.54%, while the rate in White Plains will decrease by 4.94%. How are these rates derived? The answer is complex and in order to fully understand the calculations we questioned Westchester County Budget Director Lawrence Soule who provided the following explanation:
Why will Scarsdale and Greenburgh residents receive the increase while White Plains taxes will go down?
In New York State, the property assessment and taxation process is more complicated than other states that have a uniform assessment process. There are several steps to the NYS process:
1) Each municipality conducts their own assessments, and could assess their real property very differently than another municipality. Assessors are allowed to use one of three methods: (1) Market (2) Cost or (3) Income. Once the “market value” is established by one of these three assessment methods, a municipality may decide to assess property at a percentage of the “market value.”
2) Due to the fact that each municipality assesses at a different percentage of the estimated market value, the Office of Real Property Services (ORPS) at the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance develops an “Equalization Rate” for each municipality. This rate attempts brings all assessments to an “Equalized Full Value.” If all municipalities assessed property at 100% of market value, equalization rates would not be necessary.
3) Each municipality is levied their share of the County Tax Levy based on their pro rata share of the Equalized Full Value of all property in the County.
4) Once each municipality knows how much it owes the County, it divides this levy amount by its total assessed value (not equalized full value) in order to calculate its County Tax Rate.
In response to your specific question, White Plains’ Equalized Full Value decreased by approximately $1 billion, meaning
Because Scarsdale and Greenburgh’s Equalized Full Value fell proportionately less than White Plains’, their share of the County Tax Levy increases while White Plains’ falls.
Does this indicate that property values in Scarsdale have leveled off or increased while other areas have seen real estate values fall?
While the above statement may be true you cannot necessarily draw this conclusion from the year-over-year change in the tax rate. As stated above, there are many factors that affect the assessment and equalization rates that can differ across municipalities. The Equalized Full Value represents the estimated market value of all real property in a municipality at a given point in time. The Equalization Rate is a tool used to compare assessments across municipalities in an attempt to allocate the County Tax Levy equitably. The equalization rate does not correct for all inequities in the assessment process across municipalities. You can find more information on the how the equalization rate is determined at the following link: http://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/learn/eqrates.htm
Is Westchester County bound by the NYS 2% tax cap? If not, why?
Yes, Westchester County is bound by the 2% Property Tax Cap. However, it is important to note that the 2% Cap applies to the aggregate Tax Levy assessed by the county on all municipalities within the County. The County does not determine the tax rates for individual municipalities. In 2011 the County tax levy was reduced by 2% from the prior year and in 2012 it was held flat to 2011’s amount of $548m. Despite this fact, some municipalities, such as Scarsdale and Greenburgh, as you noted, experienced increases while others, such as White Plains, had a decrease in their rate. This is largely the result of the New York state equalization and assessment process.
The Westchester County Board of Legislators restored some of the recommended funding cuts for day care, health centers, ArtsWestchester, the Greenburgh Nature Center, the Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the Westchester County Board of Elections. How has this impacted the budget?
These additions to spending do put pressure on the County finances for 2012. There are a number of uncertainties such as sales tax collections and potential reductions in State and Federal Aid that could also put pressure on the County’s finances. The Department of Budget will continue to monitor expenditures and revenues throughout the year to ensure that the County is able to stay within the appropriations adopted by the Board of Legislators and the County Executive.
License Plate Scanners to be Installed In Edgemont
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After a spate of robberies in Edgemont this fall, a group of residents called for a meeting with Greenburgh Police Chief Joseph DeCarlo to urge the department to do more to protect their homes. Some say they are now in the third year of a spree of Edgemont robberies and are asking for some permanent solutions. Here is what they learned at the December 15th meeting:
The robberies have occurred primarily in homes with easy access to the Sprain Brook Parkway, Jackson Avenue and Ardsley Road. The targeted homes belong primarily to people of Asian and Indian descent. However, the residents of the site of the latest robbery in Thomas Court were not of this background.
Typically, the burglars break through the back door and are in and out of the homes in 10 minutes. It is likely that the robbers have stalked the homes for a few days and know when the homeowner comes and goes. The police department says that the robbers are Columbian gangs from Queens as well as from other neighboring areas. This is not just a problem here as the gangs are operating all along the East Coast.
Edgemont residents asked the police to install license plate scanners that were requested earlier this year. In the interim the DA’s office loaned Edgemont three scanners, which have been in use for the past two weeks. Following the meeting, on December 20, the Greenburgh Town Board approved $69,000 for the purchase of license plate readers which will be used in addition to the license plate readers given to the town by the DA's office.
The Town urged residents to write letters or email elected state officials Tom Abinanti and Andrea Steward-Cousins to request permission for the Town of Greenburgh to install security cameras at key roadways. They can be reached at [email protected] and at [email protected]. The Southern Greenville Civic Association will send out a letter to both officials before the end of the year on this topic.
Residents also questioned whether they were getting their fare share of police resources. Edgemont contributed $4.1 million to the 2011-12 Greenburgh Police Department budget, roughly a quarter of the total budget, but contend that they are not receiving a commensurate amount of coverage. DeCarlo acknowledged that the robberies are an issue and promised to review resource allocation with the Town Board and Supervisor Feiner.
The Greenburgh Police Department provided the following tips on keeping homes secure:
- If you don’t have an alarm system, get one and use it.
- Put motion sensor lights covering dark areas around the back of the house.
- If you can, invest in a surveillance camera system.
- Lock all access to your homes
- Leave lights, radios and televisions on timers when your are away.
- Do not a store a lot of jewelry at home. Instead, use a bank safety deposit box. If you do keep jewelry at home, do not store it in an obvious place. Burglars know where to look.
- When you’re away, turn off mail and newspaper delivery. Ensure that someone clears your driveway of snow.
- Let your neighbors know you are out of town. Look out for your neighbors.
- Set up a neighborhood watch or join an existing one.
- Be aware of your surroundings even when driving around.
- If you see a suspicious car, note the make, model and license plate.
- Call GPD at 914-682-5300 if you suspect any strange activity. Always call, even if you are unsure.
