Unusual Suspects: Nosey Teen; Cop Impersonator; Real Estate Scheme
Recent weird and unusual crime in the Hudson Valley.
Nosey Teen Gets Himself Charged
An 18-year-old North Salem teen asked police investigating a matter on Holly Branch Road in Katonah what they were doing when police noticed the youth's pupils were enlarged and he had trouble focusing on their conversation. Then, police noticed a strong marijuana smell. After failing field sobriety tests and refusing to take a pre-screen test, police turned up a small amount of marijuana in his car.
Helder Desa, 28, of Verplanck identified himself as a cop and tried to use a New York State Police shield when he was pulled over during the traffic stop in Peekskill. New York State Police Investigators helped reveal that Desa was not a police officer and had gotten the badge from a company on the internet.
A Scarsdale homeowner whose property is on the market told police a Kees van Dongen painting worth approximately $10,000 was no longer hanging on her living room wall. She also reported an antique, marble-topped burl walnut sideboard server under the painting was damaged. Police did not find any signs of forced entry.
An Irvington resident's wrought iron fence stop, worth about $40, has been stolen.
Ex-Fire Commissioner Sentenced For Real Estate Scheme
Nathan Rothschild, an ex-commissioner of the Monsey Fire District, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for hatching a real estate scheme in which he proposed the fire district purchase real estate from one of his creditors without disclosing his personal stake in the matter -- approximately $125,000 of his personal debt would be paid off with the sale.
