Crime Watch

Renegade RenovatorsIt seems that some renovators may have paid more attention to a woman’s jewelry box than her apartment. A West 89th Street resident told police that several people had been authorized to enter her apartment to perform renovations starting on Nov. 8. Then on December 2, after the work had been finished, she realized that some of her property was missing. The items were a Cartier ring, a Chanel purse, a pair of Tiffany earrings, and a box of Kahrs hardwood flooring, with a total value of $15,350.

Wrong SequenceOn Dec. 2, a West 94th Street resident received an e-mail from her bank Capital One stating that there were insufficient funds in her account to pay her bills. She went to her online profile and discovered that three forged checks in the amount of $10,800 had been cashed at unknown locations. More perplexing, she found that the check numbers on the fraudulent instruments accorded with the proper sequence in her checkbook. Needless to say, she canceled that account.

Roubaix in PlayThinking of leaving an expensive bicycle in your parked car overnight? Think again! At 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, a man parked his car at the corner West 93rd Street and Columbus Avenue. When he returned at 7 a.m. the following morning, his car’s rear window was damaged and his Specialized Roubaix carbon fiber bicycle was missing. The bike is valued at $8,000.

No-Sea WatchLowlifes inhabit even the halls of higher learning. On Aug. 15, a West 88th Street resident left his Omega Seamaster watch inside a book bag in a classroom at Columbia University. He noticed that the timepiece was missing later than afternoon, but did not report the incident until Nov. 27 because he had taken the time to search his entire house for the watch and its receipt and also had been busy. He told police at that time that he might have had a guest over that day but wasn’t sure because “It’s been so long.” The watch is valued at $4,400.

Sibling Quibbling Turns ViolentA 27-year-old man was arrested on assault charges after a fight with his 30-year sibling inside her West 109th Street apartment on Dec. 1. A police account said a dispute escalated over a $200 debt. The woman told police that her brother, Richard Lucas, got upset, broke off a table leg, and swung it at her, striking her on the right side of her face. She also told police that her brother threw her friend’s laptop onto the floor.