Vandalism, a Swastika and an Arrest from the Scarsdale Police
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- Hits: 5536
Arrest: On the afternoon of May 1, an employee of Dunkin Donuts on Depot Place called about a suspicious man who said he was wanted by the police and asked to use a telephone. The man appeared to have stolen property with the security tags intact. Police asked the man where he got the property and he claimed that he had purchased it at Sears in the Bronx. Police took the man and the items to headquarters where they contacted Sears, read them the serial numbers on the items and determined that they were stolen. The suspect was identified as Michael Miller, age 32 of the Bronx. He was charged with criminal possession of stolen property and since he was unable to post bail he was remanded to the Westchester County Jail.
Vandals: On Brambach Road someone ripped down sections of a fence in a front yard ripped out the tulips and put the flowers in the mailbox. The incident occurred overnight from 4/27-4/28. The residents suspect that the damage may be the work of some former friend’s of their daughters who have been harassing her via text messages and threatening the girl with their car.
A bike valued at $350 was stolen from the bike rack on East Parkway on 4/25. The lock was cut. The bike belonged to a DeCicco’s employee. Another bicycle that belonged to a Berwick Road man was stolen from the same bike rack on 4/27. The red 24-speed bicycle was valued at $400.
A rock was thrown through the rear window of a 2010 Mercedes when it was parked at a Secor Road home at 1 am on 4/28. The son of the homeowner heard the sound of breaking glass, looked out the window and saw a car driving away.
A 2010 Acura was keyed when it was parked in the driveway of a Post Road home in the early morning hours of 4/28. Also sometime overnight from 4/27-4/28, two cars parked on Brookby Road were damaged. A 2011 Mercedes was keyed and a swastika was scratched into the passenger side door of a 2008 Acura.
Two iPods were stolen from the center console of a car parked on Leatherstocking Lane over night on April 30th.
Prowlers: A Fox Meadow Road woman reported that she saw a man and a woman walking around the area trying to get into homes. She spotted them tugging on the door at 45 Fox Meadow Road and peeking inside windows of several homes at 10:40 am on 4/27. The woman was a brunette and the man was wearing a safari hat.Shortly thereafter, at 11 am on 4/27 two people came to a Colvin Road home requesting a deaf interpreter. Police tracked the solicitors down who claimed they were soliciting on behalf of the Jehovah’s witnesses.
A man and a woman in a blue BMW were reported to be going into driveways on Birchall Road and looking into house windows on the morning of 4/28. When asked what they were doing, they claimed to be looking for Beyonce’s house.
A Boulevard resident called police at 3:30 am on 5/1 when he heard someone trying to get into his house through his rear door. His neighbor’s motion sensor light was also activated. Police were unable to find the prowler.
Disputes: A man with a malfunctioning car attempted to leave it on the property of Quaker Ridge School and got into a dispute with the school custodian on the morning of April 27. Ultimately the custodian agreed to let the man leave the car at the school temporarily.
A Bedford woman asked police to assist her when she was picking up mail from her parents home on Vanderbilt Road on April 25th. She wished to avoid conflict with her sister in law who was at the residence.
The landlord of a home on 52 Sprague Road tried to gain access to the house on the afternoon of 4/27, but the tenant did not want to let him in. The landlord claimed he was there to check on a water leak, however the tenant said that she had already fixed it. Police did not let the man enter the home and suggested that he call ahead to make an appointment with the tenant.
A distressed mason came to police headquarters on the afternoon of 4/27. He had been thrown off a job at 53 Paddington Road and was not paid for his work. He wanted to go to retrieve his equipment and asked the police to accompany him. Police told the man to make an appointment to meet the general contractor at the site and police agreed to go with him to get his belongings.
A Windmill Lane woman called police on the morning of 4/28 when water from construction at 65 Greendale Road was draining into her yard and causing flooding. Police notified the water department who said that the flow was ground water and therefore was not their responsibility.
A distraught New Rochelle woman called police on the evening of 4/29 to help her locate her daughter. The mother and her 15 year-old daughter had been shopping at DeCicco’s when the two got into an argument. The mom told the girl to wait outside in the car. However, after the mother finished her shopping she went to the car and her daughter was not there. She spent an hour looking all over the Village for her daughter but was unable to find her. While the police were talking to the mother, a passerby said that the girl might possibly be hiding in the back of Haagen Dazs. Police checked the store, found the girl and advised the mother to follow-up with the New Rochelle High School Counseling Office.
Help: Scarsdale Police assisted Westchester County Police in removing an erratic passenger from a B-line bus on the morning of April 26th. The passenger, a Tuckahoe Man, was removed from the bus when it was stopped at the Post Road and Crane Road and he was taken to White Plains Hospital.
A Greenacres boy repeatedly called police on 4/29, saying, “Aliens are coming to get him.” Police contacted the boy’s father who said that his son sometimes had delusional thoughts. Police asked the boy only to contact them in cases where he clearly needs help.
Animals: A dead cat was found at the intersection of Fox Meadow and Crane Roads on the morning of April 26th. A coyote was reported on the Heathcote Bypass at 12-noon o 4/29.
Party: Police found a group of partiers on the old Marx Estate at 15 Gatehouse Road shortly after midnight on April 30th. The estate is vacant and abandoned. No damage had been done and police told the trespassers to keep off the property.
Accidents: A school bus struck a light pole at Scarsdale High School on the afternoon of 4/29 and damaged the pole. No passengers were on the bus at the time.
A Quaker Ridge man driving a suburban hit a cyclist from Larchmont on the afternoon of May 1, when the cyclist failed to yield at the stop sign at Stratton and Franklin Roads. The cyclist was taken to White Plains Hospital.
A Garth Road woman left her wallet at 7-Eleven on Garth Road when she made some purchases on the afternoon of April 11. When she returned two hours later her wallet was gone.
Police Report: Two Arrests, Two Burglaries and Suspicious Homebuyers
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- Hits: 5905
An employee of a Yonker’s appliance repair service was charged with grand larceny and unlawful possession of personal identification after an investigation of a complaint from a Scarsdale man dating back to September 30, 2010.
A that time, a Scarsdale resident found fraudulent charges on his debit card after he had used the card to pay for repairs made by the Yonkers service. An investigation by Detective Rodriguez from the Scarsdale Police Department revealed that Ann Marie V. Cherry, who was employed at the company had used the man’s debit card.
According to a press release from the Scarsdale Police, “The investigation involved the examination of credit card transactions, merchant documents, telephone and cell phone records, and required numerous interviews with witnesses, suspects and other involved individuals in Westchester County and New York City.”
Ms. Cherry was arrested on April 26, 2011 and Scarsdale Police also have an arrest warrant for another suspect who made fraudulent purchases on the card, using the victims credit and personal information. Ms. Cherry was released on her own recognizance and given an April 27th court date.
In their second arrest this week, Scarsdale Police nabbed a 35 year-old Levittown man who preyed on an elderly 
Greenacres woman in late March. Claiming that he made repairs to the woman’s Kingston Road home, he drove the 92-year woman to the bank and had her withdraw $2,400 as payment.
When a companion came to the home later, she found the bank receipt and asked the elderly woman wit whom she had gone to the bank and why. The Greenacres woman was unable to recall the circumstances or what she had done with the funds.
However, the transaction was captured on video tape at the bank branch and photos of the suspect were distributed to Police Departments throughout Westchester County. On April 26th Scarsdale Detectives Albano and Rodriguez saw the man driving on Post Road. They stopped him in his car and identified him as the man in the video. Jon Musella, age 35 was placed under arrest and subsequently made a statement admitting that he was involved in the incident.
At his arraignment in Scarsdale court he was remanded to Westchester County Jail without bail.
Burglary: A home on Meadow Road was entered sometime during the day on April 19th. When the resident 
returned home at 5:20 pm he found that someone had pried open the door that leads to the kitchen. Coats and jewelry, valued at $18,000 were missing. The home is for sale and two days before two women had come to the door inquiring about the house. The resident let them in and showed them around. The homeowner suspects that the two women may have been involved in the burglary.
In another case involving suspicious homebuyers, an agent from Houlihan Lawrence called police on 4/22 when someone she took to see a Greenacres Avenue home acted strangely. The person who she took to look at the home identified himself as Eugene Segall but when the agent sent Segall a follow-up email she received a response from a man named Segall who had not contacted her about looking at a home. She realized that the potential buyer had supplied false identification. The homebuyers were described as a Hispanic couple driving a Hyundai or Toyota.
When the agent returned to the home the next morning, the key was missing from the lock box and it is unclear if another agent had it or if it was stolen.
Thieves: A woman who lives on Crossway parked her car at Scarsdale High School while she ran on the track on the afternoon of April 21st. When she returned to her 2009 Lexus, she found that the front passenger window was broken and later discovered that her wallet was missing as well as her credit cards.
On the night of April 24th, a Thornwood Place woman saw a man looking through her husband’s car which was parked at the house. She startled the intruder by knocking on the window of her house and he fled into his car and drove toward Black Birch Lane. The residents provided a limited description of the suspect and believe that others were in the getaway car as well.
A Trek bicycle, valued at $450 was stolen out of a Popham Road garage, sometime during the week of 4/15-4/21. The residents went away and inadvertently left the garage unlocked.
Harassed: A Webster Road woman complained that a friend who lives in Virginia was sending her harassing messages on her cell phone. Police contacted the man who apologized and agreed to stop contacting the woman.
On 4/24 a Brewster Road man complained of harassment from someone who had wanted to purchase his car. The Scarsdale man had accepted a down payment of $500 in cash for the car but wanted to return the money. The potential buyer was refusing to accept the refund and insisting he be sold the car.
Damage: An employee of a local business parked his 2010 Mazda at the Freightway Garage on the morning of April 15. When he returned to the car at 5:30 pm that same day he found a scratch on the left rear panel and door. Since he had a disagreement with someone at work, he suspected they may have done the damage. However the surveillance camera did not show any activity near the man’s car that day.
On the morning of 4/18 a Haverford Road man called to complain that his mailbox had been knocked over. The man believes that the newspaper deliveryman is to blame. Police called the newspaper carriers to inquire.
A Vernon Road resident complained on 4/19 that construction vehicles from a neighboring home were driving over her property and damaging her lawn. One of the workers said he would tell the contractor about the problem.
Falling Poles and Trees: A damaged utility pole in front of Hitchcock Church was found leaning on another pole on the morning of 4/20. Verizon was contacted to repair it. A large tree fell across Birchall Road and was reported on the morning of 4/21. Police called the highway department.
Missing: A Meadow Road woman came to police to report that she lost her gold tennis bracelet in Scarsdale between April 20 – 22. The bracelet is valued at $2,500.
Kids: At 10 pm on Saturday night police received a complaint about noisy kids congregating behind Quaker Ridge School. Police stopped two kids and had their parents pick them up. Loud kids were also reported in Correll Park at 10:30 pm on 4/23 and police asked them to leave the area.
Animals: A Quentin Road resident spotted a coyote in the neighborhood on 4/18. At 11 am on April 24, a cat got stuck in the soccer net at Quaker Ridge School. Police were able to free it.
From the Greenburgh Police - Trouble for Realtors
In another incident involving thefts at homes that are for sale, on 4/23 a Glenwood Road woman reported that over $5,000 in jewelry was missing from her home. The homeowner told police that realtors held an open house there on April 10th and she later realized that her jewelry was missing.
Furthermore, an agent from Remax agreed to show two men an apartment on Alexander Avenue in Hartsdale that was available for rent on 4/22. The two men only identified themselves as Robert and Kyle and refused to sign the disclosure form. Once inside the apartment they accused the agent of scamming them, claimed the price was too high and said they were going to report her to the Yonkers Police. The next day the agent received a phone message from “Robert” again claiming that he was reporting her to the Yonkers Police.
Theft: An outdoor light fixture, valued at $600 was stolen from the front lawn of a Clayton Road home in Scarsdale overnight on 4/18- 4/19.
A 2010 Mazda that was parked on Paradise Drive in Scarsdale was damaged overnight on 4/18-4/19. When the owner returned to the car she found that the sunroom had been smashed.
Tires and rims were stolen from a 2008 Honda parked at 370 Central Park Avenue Scarsdale overnight on 4/19 – 4/20. When the owner returned to his car the tires and rims were missing and he found it lying on two large rocks.
Heather Murphy, age 40 of the Bronx was caught stealing $415 of merchandise from TJ Maxx on Satruday 4/23. She was booked at Greenburgh Police and released on $250 bail.
Drugs: At 4 am on April 21 police followed a car along Secor Road because it had a loud muffler. While they were following the car, someone threw a clear plastic bag out of the passenger side window. Police recovered the bag and it contained nine plastic bags of marijuana. However, the people in the car claimed that they had borrowed the car and that the marijuana did not belong to them. They were issued traffic tickets.
Bomb? On the morning of April 21, police spotted a backpack at the Hartsdale station next to the rear warming booth. The backpack appeared to be full and not knowing what it contained, police cleared the area and contacted the MTA Police. They brought a bomb sniffing dog to the station and determinedthat the pack did not contain explosives. MTA Police opened the backpack and found that it held books and sneakers.
DWI? A 24 year-old White Plains woman was stopped by Greenburgh Police on Central Avenue at 5 am on 4/24 for a traffic violation. Police smelled alcohol on the woman’s breath but she refused to take a breathalizer test. She was taken to headquarters and issued a summons for failing to use the designated lane.
Nasty Neighbor: A Hartsdale woman complained that her neighbor allowed his dog to rip open a bag of garbage on her front lawn on Tuesday evening 4/19.
Trustees Diffuse Heathcote Coalition's Objections to Village Land Sale
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- Hits: 5429
In the words of former Planning Board Chair Beverly Sved it was déjà vu at Village Hall on Thursday 4/14 when Village Trustees, developer Stephen Oder, Village staff and concerned residents including the leadership of the Heathcote Five Corners Coalition assembled to review development plans for 2-4 Weaver Street.
In March, the Planning Board had invited the developer to resubmit his proposal to purchase a strip of Village Land adjacent to the Heathcote Tavern that now serves as the driveway to the parking lot for the restaurant.
Last year, a hotly debated argument ended when Trustees bowed to pressure from residents and denied the developer the strip of land to incorporate into the residential building they plan to build above the parking lot. As Fish and Oder own the property they have the right to develop it, and therefore requested a pre-application meeting with the Planning Board in early March, 2011 to review their plans. At that time, based on the assumption that they could not utilize the Village-owned land, they proposed a 10-unit, 46-foot high building, that was taller and closer to Weaver Street than the original building they had planned incorporating the Village owned land.
Realizing that the addition of the Village land to the project would allow the developer to scale back the height of the building and move the curb cuts away from the intersection at the Five Corners, Sved urged Oder to try again to purchase the land. Remembering the bitter, divisive fights last year, Oder agreed to give it one more try with the condition that the decision be made quickly. He requested a decision by April 24 and said if they could not come to an agreement by that date they would move forward with the 10-unit development.
At the 4-14 meeting, Trustees and the Village Planner were able to diffuse community opposition by addressing each of the Coalition’s concerns in a measured approach. As liaison to the Lane Use Committee, Trustee Jonathan Mark asked Oder, Sved and Marinnan to explain why the incorporation of the Village-owned land would allow for a better project. The Trustees had received a letter from the Heathcote Five Corners Coalition on April 8 posing a lengthy list of question about the land sale, project, parking, traffic, setbacks, zoning requirements and more. Many of these same questions had been asked in 2009 when the Village considered the land sale. This time the Trustees and the Village had their answers prepared.
Oder listed the following benefits to building on the expanded property:
- Better visual impact.
- Elimination of odd shaped parcel
- Addition of a landscaped area in front of the building.
- Building would be 38 feet in height, rather than 46 feet (a half story lower)
- Curb cuts further down Weaver Street away from the Five Corners intersection.
- Bigger distance between the new building and the Tavern building (20 feet, rather than 10 feet)
Oder also explained that with the addition of the Village land they would have the right to build up to 16 units on the property. Twelve could be housed in the new building and four more in the Tavern building which they would convert to housing in the future if they fail to retain a restaurant tenant. They would “substantially “ retain the façade of the Tavern building, but wanted flexibility in case they need to add windows if the building was converted to residential units. Unlike the previous deal, the building would no longer include units designated for seniors as Oder said that they could not get financing from the banks for restricted housing.
Sved addressed the audience concurring with Oder on the benefits of including the Village-owned strip in the project. She confirmed that she had invited him to come back and reapply to purchase the land. She added the following two points:
- The Trustees could use the land sale as a bargaining chip to require the developer to include an affordable housing unit in the project
- In recommending the sale, the Planning Board did not intend for the extra land to allow the developer to increase the project’s bulk or density.
Village Planner Liz Marrinan explained that the Village has conditioned prior land sales on aesthetic improvements. For example, at Christie Place, landscaping and new sidewalks were required.
Speaking on behalf of the Conservation Advisory Council, Lena Crandall urged the Trustees to consider open space, storm water drainage and the current use of the land by SVAC to accommodate additional vehicles. She called for further environmental studies and consideration of community character.
Martin Kaufman of the Coalition said that Oder’s proposal is “replete with generalities” and said the letter from the developer contained “no specific commitments.” Saying that “the devil is in the details,” he urged the Trustees to impose conditions on the deal “to make sure that the building height and bulk is not increased due to the sale of the village owned land.”
Larry Bell arrived an hour into the meeting and asked many questions that had already been answered. He challenged the calculation of the building size, inquired about the building height, number of parking spaces, parking waivers, sideyard and rear variances, and impact on Weaver Street traffic.
Finally Peter Gordon, also of the Coalition spoke and indicated that they had changed their position on the project. He thanked the committee for having the hearing and said, “We are not against all development. We support the premise that its in the best interest of the community to sell the land to build a better project.”
Mayor Flisser posed an interesting question at the end of the meeting, asking “what would be the advantage of retaining the Village land?“ The only answer to that question was that the Village now receives $15,000 a year for the rent of the property – but after a sale it would be added to the Village tax rolls and there revenue from the property would continue be received.
Cognizant that many of the specific questions could not be answered without a rendering of the proposed property, Mark asked Oder to produce some drawings and agreed to convene another meeting when these are available.
From the tone of the meeting, it appeared that the Trustees want to come to an agreement with Oder on the land sale and will attempt to structure the sale agreement to the benefit of the Village. It also appeared that this divisive issue has now been largely resolved. According to many, the desire to halt development at the Five Corners swayed both the nominating process for Village Trustees and Mayors and impacted the recent election. Now just weeks later, the new Village Board seems to be moving toward a fast resolution on the development of 2-4 Weaver Street.
Car in the Stream and Tax Fraud from the Scarsdale Police
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- Hits: 4711
Into the Stream: On Sunday afternoon 4/17, a 74 year-old Hartsdale woman drove her car into the stream at Scarsdale High School. The woman was attempting to back her car out of a parking spot and put the car in drive, instead of reverse. The car drove over the curbstones and into the stream. The Fire Department was called to get the woman out of her car.
Tax Fraud: An Oak Way man attempted to file his taxes and found that someone had used his identity and filed in his name. The IRS had not refunded money to the false filer yet, but they were not able to give him details on the return. Police advised him to contact the IRS to get an extension.
Public Urination: At 11:45 pm on 4/12. Clarence Road residents saw four young men get out of an SUV at 140 Clarence Road. One of the men proceeded to pee on the lawn. The people who reported the incident said that they think they have also seen people smoking pot in the area. Police were unable to find the culprits.
Damage: A Farragut Road woman called police on the afternoon of April 12 to report that a Scarsdale school bus backed into her driveway and damaged some curbstones. Police called the bus transportation department who confirmed that a school bus does make a drop off at that location and told the homeowner to contact the bus department to resolve the issue.
Abandoned Home: On the afternoon of 4/13 a neighbor noticed that the door to a home at 4 Windmiill Circle was open. Police checked the house and found that it was vacant. There was an open safe in a bedroom closet that contained bank statements and an expired passport from Ghana. Police called the post office who said that the resident had been evicted and that they were holding his mail as no forwarding address had been provided. Police closed up the house.
Loose Dogs: A Ridgecrest East woman found a brown and white pit bull on the street on the afternoon of 4/14 and turned the dog over to police. The dog’s owner was located and she came into headquarters to retrieve the dog. She was issued a summons for not having the dog on a leash.
Around noon on 4/15, police picked up a loose dog on Lyons Road. The dog had a red collar and no name tags, so it was turned over to the New Rochelle Humane Society. After the Humane Society picked up the dog, the owner arrived a headquarters. She was issue a summons and instructed where to retrieve her dog.
Getaway Car? On April 15, Yonkers Police alerted Scarsdale Police about an incident at Charlie Brown’s on Central Avenue involving a white Toyota registered on Bell Road. Yonkers Police said that five people were in the car and one had displayed a firearm. Scarsdale police went to the Bell Road address but the car was not there. Shortly thereafter, Westchester County police stopped the car on Chase Road near Spencer Place. At that point an 18 year-old Scarsdale boy and a 21 year-old woman were in the car. Police did not find any weapons and the two were released.
Found:
- Two keys on a penguin key chain on the street at Nelson and Sprague Road on 4/12
- A piece of tow truck equipment at Post and Fenimore Roads at 8:15 pm on 4/12
- An American Express credit card that was not picked up by the card owner, a New Rochelle man.
Noise: At 3:17 am neighbors heard music coming from a Morris Lane home. Police found the music playing at a tennis court at 100 Morris Lane. They asked the homeowners, who were unaware of the music, to turn it off.
At 7:30 pm on 4/17 police found a group of 8-10 kids at the Greenacres playground, one with a cap gun. Police told the kids that the park was closed and asked them to leave.
Harassment: A Donellan Road man reported receiving harassing phone calls during the past month. The caller claims the man has won money and wants to discuss how he can retrieve the funds. In addition, he has received a call from someone who claimed to be an F.B.I. agent to discuss a package to be delivered and another call claiming that a check was to be delivered to his home.
On 4/14 a Bradford Road woman reported that a man has been calling regarding money won in Jamaica. The caller wants the Bradford Road residents to wire money in order to gain a “substantial prize.” Police advised the woman to ask the phone company to block the number.
Stolen: A Trek mountain bike was stolen from the garage of a Brewster Road home sometime between 4/4 and 4/11. The bike is valued at $250.
On 4/17, a Birchall Road woman reported that her car had been entered overnight and her cell phone, charger and camera had been stolen.
Bench Warrant: Mr. Kenneth Levy, age 55 of Mt. Kisco, turned himself into Scarsdale Police on 4/15 due to an outstanding bench warrant. He was processed and released on $200 cash bail.
Keep Out – How to Avoid a Burglary
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It seems like there has been a recent flurry of home break-ins throughout Scarsdale. Statistics from the Police Department show that the number of burglaries has risen from 16 in 2007 to 45 last year. And, there have already been six in 2011.
Whether up or down, burglaries are inevitably a problem in affluent communities.
Speaking with several members of the Scarsdale Police Department, I’ve put together the following suggestions to keep your home and property safe. Of course, a determined professional will be able to enter even a well secured home.
Some of these things may seem obvious but we all get complacent. According to the detectives, the basics are the most important. Keep your doors locked (all of them!) and put on exterior lighting. Motion activated lights are a good investment and they must be 13 feet above the ground to cover the desired area. Also put lights on timers but don’t have them all go on at once. Despite belief to the contrary, most burglaries take place during the day.
If you have an alarm system, use it. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone into burglarized homes and there was an alarm system that had not been activated,” Detective Rodriguez said. A system doesn’t make you burglar proof. There is actually about a 4-10 minute window between the time the alarm goes off and when the police arrive on the scene. The alarm company usually calls the home, gets no answer and then calls the police who are subsequently dispatched. “Actually that’s enough time for an experienced thief to do a complete sweep of the upstairs jewelry and other valuable items,” says Rodriguez.
So what’s a cautious homeowner to do? Don’t leave your jewelry and extra cash in your bedroom dresser drawer. A safe is great but so is a good hiding place out of the bedroom. If you have a safe, bolt it to the floor or walls. You need 4” thick bolts to make it really difficult to move. Robbers don’t generally want to deal with bulky electronics. Don’t forget about watches and other valuables.
The good news is burglars want in and out quickly. The police report that thieves are usually inside the house for not more than 3 to 4 minutes. A barking dog is a good deterrent and you can put a sign outside your home saying you a dog, even if you don’t. Also don’t forget to put out the sign about the alarm system. Fortunately, burglars don’t want anyone to be home and they often ring a doorbell to check. If someone answers, they would say they are looking for a different address. So be on the alert, call the police when you see anything suspicious and … good luck.
Anna Decker is a longtime community volunteer. She was President of the HS PTA, PT Council and has served on numerous school and community boards. In her former life she was in charge of Corporate Communications for the Institutional Bank at Citicorp and she continues to do a variety of freelance projects.
