Pelham Police Blotter: Burglaries and Identity Theft

More Than $25,000 Stolen from Bank Account, July 31
A Pelham man alerted police that three checks totalling $25,411 were fraudulently written from his Chase Bank checking account on July 30.

The victim contacted banking officials after he was unable to access his account online. A fraudulent claims operator told the man that his account had been restricted due to suspicious activity. Three fraudulents checks had been written from the account since July 1. Additionally, the phone number, email and address associated with the account had been changed.

The victim filed a report with Pelham police and so that he could submit it to Chase Bank.

Car Wash Employee Allegedly Steals $150 from Employer, July 31
A New Rochelle man was arrested after surveillance video allegedly showed him smashing the window of the of the 99 Lincoln Hand Car Wash in Pelham with a rock and stealing $150.

Dennis Morris, 49, of New Rochelle, was arrested and charged with third-degree counts of burglary and criminal mischief, which are both felonies.

The video surveillance showed that Morris allegedly smashed the window, causing about $1,500 worth of damage, and walked into the establishment shortly after 11:20 p.m. on Monday, July 30. Morris then moved to the cash register and left the scene.

Workers noticed the damaged window the next day and discovered that $150 in small bills that was kept next to the cash register had disappeared.

Ther owner of the business was able to identify the man in the video as Morris. It is unclear when police arrested Morris, but he was processed at Westchester County Jail without bail on Friday, Aug. 3 without bail.

He is scheduled to appear in Pelham town court on Aug. 9.

Burglary Reported from Home on  Eighth Street, July 20 
A Pelham man reported to police that he left his home with his family at about 9 a.m. on July 20.

When the man returned home at about 7 p.m., he noticed that numerous pieces of  computer equipment and jewelry had gone missing. Family members also noticed that the drawers in their rooms had been pulled out.

Items that were taken included a Macintosh laptop, an iPad and three Amazon Kindles. In all, more than $4,000 worth of items was taken from the home.

During the police investigation, it was determined the burglar entered the home through the window. Police interviewed neighbors, brushed the home for fingerprints and took a window screen to check for DNA evidence.