Police Blotter, June 13-20, 2012

CRIMINAL POSSESSION: Register robber had fake ID 

A 45-year-old male Assistant Manager of the Rite Aid at 282 8th Ave. (btw. 24th & 25th Sts.) was arrested after he was observed on various nights, from Jan. through May, taking money from the register while closing the store. The defendant appears on camera taking money from dates corresponding to times when the register was short. In addition to being charged with stealing $500, he also kept a gift card that was to be destroyed — and used it for personal purchases. At the time of arrest, police found the man to be in possession of a fraudulent New York State drivers license and a U.S. Permanent Resident card.

ASSAULT: Beer buy escalates into bottle fight

At approximately 12:50am on
Sun., June 3, a 25-year-old male was inside the Empire Grocery & Deli (245 9th Ave., at 25th St.) to purchase beer. The victim stated to police
that a verbal altercation with a 23-year-old male (who was later arrested) escalated — when the defendant took a glass bottle and hit the victim
on the back of the head, causing
a laceration.

Costly memory lapse, at Club Amnesia

A 23-year-old female told police that while attending a party at Club Amnesia (609 W. 29th St., btw. 11th & 12th Aves.), at approximately 11:50pm on Sat., May 19, she had a few drinks — then could not remember where she put her property. That pricey ice, not the kind they serve in drinks, has presumably melted into the hands of another. The report filed by police did not indicate how the woman was dealing with the absence of a $54,999 pair of earrings — or how she explained the loss of that $229,999 engagement ring to her fiancé.

PETTY LARCENY: Thief knew the way to GPS

A blue 2002 Kia Sedona, parked in front of 265 W. 25th St., had its front left side window broken — and its $180 Garmin GPS device stolen. The incident was reported to police on Fri., June 1, some time after the theft occurred. According to police, the owner (a 53-year-old
resident of Manhattan) stated she “waited
to call police because she had to leave the area and use
the vehicle.”

GRAND LARCENY: Dream trip turns nightmarish at Starbucks

At the 593 9th Ave. Starbucks, at approximately 9:30am on Thurs., April 26, a female resident of Plainfield, NJ met a 25-year-old man in order to complete a transaction arranged through Craigslist. The victim forked over $1,600 in cash — as payment for airplane tickets to Europe and hotel rooms. When she checked to confirm the hotel reservations, she was told by Expedia that the credit card used for the reservation “was not good.” The victim did not indicate why she waited until June 2 to file her report, and the report did not indicate whether or not the plane tickets turned out to be as problematic as the hotel reservations.

Village assaults

Police arrested two men, ages 20 and 22, around 8:50pm on Wed., May 30, for attacking a victim, 20, in Hudson River Park at Pier 45 (Christopher St. Pier). They grabbed the victim by the hair, punched him and threw him to the pavement, police said.

A 28-year-old woman was arrested around 1:02am on Fri., June 1, in front of 250 W. 14th St. for biting the finger of a man, 52, and then punching him in the face.

Rude awakening

A man, 42, who fell asleep outside The 55 Bar, at 55 Christopher St., in the early hours of Thurs., May 31, was awakened at 2:35am to find two strangers going through his pockets and taking his wallet. The thieves (males, ages 18 and 16) fled, but were arrested.

CRIME ALERT

The West 400 Block Association sent an email to the community on Mon., June 11 with the following advice: “The weather is nice.  Our windows are open.  It’s time to be vigilant.” The message then directed readers to a message from the Association’s president, Dorothea McElduff. She wrote: “Today, June 10, 2012 my nephew James was mugged at 11:30am in front of 421 West 21st St.  The officers of the 10th Precinct responded quickly and apprehended the suspect. On May 28 at 1:30 in the morning, a young man and woman climbed onto the fire escape on the front of our building at 445 West 21st Street and they jumped onto the roof of 443 West 21, where they were captured by the police who responded to our 911 call. Please remind people to be alert no matter what time of day or evening while walking on the street.  Also keep windows and doors locked at all times.”

—Albert Amateau & Scott StifflerCE B