NEW YORK (AP) — Cheesecake in hand, the police commissioner personally apologized Friday for the 50 or so mistaken, door-pounding visits that police have made to the home of a bewildered elderly Brooklyn couple in the past eight years. It seems a glitch in computer records had led them over and over to Walter and Rose Martin’s modest home in the Marine Park neighborhood, about 7 miles southeast of the Brooklyn Bridge. The most recent intrusion came Tuesday, with officers pounding on both the front and back doors, yelling “Police, open up!” On Thursday, detectives from the NYPD’s Identity Theft Squad went to see the Martins again – this time to apologize. “And we wanted to be sure perps weren’t using that address for identity theft,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne told The Associated Press on Friday. The detectives told 82-year-old Rose and 83-year-old Walter that Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly had ordered them to solve the problem, which started eight years ago and was first reported this week in the New York Daily News. To bring home the sincerity of the NYPD’s contrition, Kelly showed up Friday at the Martin’s house with a gift: New York cheesecake. The commissioner rolled into the quiet Brooklyn neighborhood at midday, stopping in front of the Martins’ small, neatly kept house, a large American flag fluttering by the front door. Kelly “went to apologize – and to explain,” Browne said. “They expressed appreciation that the police commissioner came and they showed him pictures of their grandchildren.” The snafu started in 2002, when police used the Brooklyn address as part of what Browne called “random material” to test an automated computer system that tracks crime complaints and records of other internal police information. Before that, the work was done manually. The couple first complained about the harrowing police visits in 2007, when Rose Martin wrote a letter to Kelly. “And we identified the problem then,” Browne said. “It was a mistake by the police department.” Police wiped the Martins’ address from the system. Or so they thought, Browne said. Instead, the visits continued, and some computer files bearing the Martins’ address stayed in the system. “We thought all the test data had been purged, but apparently it had not,” Browne said. “The Martins’ address ended up migrating to various complaint forms and warrant information.” Most of the visits came in 2006 and 2007, he said. After the latest, “We realized we still had a problem and went back and further purged the records,” the deputy commissioner conceded. To make sure it will never happen again, Browne said the address has been flagged with alerts, so if there’s any record indicating officers should question the Martins, “they’re barred from doing it.” Rose Martin has asked the department to write her an official letter to that effect. “It seems like too simple a correction for something that has been going on for eight years,” she told the New York Daily News, which first reported the story. “I’m not feeling well today,” she told the AP after the commissioner’s visit, adding that neither she nor her husband could comment. But they did their best to carry on their business. Walter Martin left the house briefly to walk the dog, with a young man helping him.
March 20, 2010 | Posted in
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LONDON (AP) — It’s common to return a library book late – but not by half a century. Staff at a British library say they were surprised and puzzled when they received a book that was 45 years overdue through their mailbox. Alison Lawrie, the principal assistant at Dinnington Library, near northern England’s Sheffield, says the Penguin first edition copy of “Quartermass and the Pit” by Nigel Kneale was due back on Oct. 15, 1965. She says the borrower remains a mystery because the library records don’t go back that far, and the sender didn’t attach a letter or note with the book. Lawrie said Friday the sender need not worry about a hefty fine. She says: “If the person who returned the book wants to come forward, we’d love to know the story behind it.”
March 19, 2010 | Posted in
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NEW YORK (AP) — An elderly Brooklyn couple say they’re tired of hearing the phrase, “Police! Open up!” World War II veteran Walter Martin and his 82-year-old wife, Rose, said police have come looking for criminals at their house about 50 times in the past eight years. It’s not clear why. The New York Daily News says its computer search showed 15 other people living at the Marine Park address. The Martins don’t know any of them. Inspector Ed Mullen said the NYPD’s identity theft squad is investigating. Earlier this week, officers pounded on both their front and back doors. Walter Martin, who’s 83, said they’re respectful – but it still makes his blood pressure soar. — Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com
March 18, 2010 | Posted in
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BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A nudist in Boulder who was threatened with eviction last spring for gardening outside wearing only pasties and a thong has caused another stir by gardening topless. At least four callers told police 52-year-old Catharine Pierce was in her yard topless on Wednesday. State law prohibits exposed genitals, but Pierce was wearing a thong and gardening gloves. Police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said an officer told Pierce to consider wearing a shirt because children at the school across the street were playing outside. Pierce’s husband then complained to police. Huntley said a police supervisor agreed with Pierce’s husband that Pierce wasn’t breaking any laws. Boulder is considering expanding its anti-nudity law. — Information from: Daily Camera, http://www.dailycamera.com/
March 18, 2010 | Posted in
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KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — A burglar who spent about five hours on a store’s computer after breaking into the business gave police all the clues they needed to track him down. Investigators said the 17-year-old logged into his MySpace account while at Bella Office Furniture and that made it easy for them to find him. He also spent time looking at pornography and trying to sell stolen items, all while using the business’ computer. He was arrested Tuesday and charged with first degree burglary. Kennewick Police said he helped officers recover a cell phone stolen in the break-in. —- Information from KONA: http://konaradio.com
March 18, 2010 | Posted in
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BOSTON (AP) — A man from Maine who struck a match on a U.S. Airways flight to Boston’s Logan International Airport is facing some heat – but not over matches. Massachusetts State Police detained 50-year-old Paul Prater of Sanford on Wednesday over an outstanding identity fraud warrant in Canton, Ga. State police spokesman David Procopio said no charges have been brought for the match lighting, which Prater called an accident. Prater told police the match ignited when he pulled a package from his pocket during the flight from Washington, D.C. Prater pleaded not guilty Thursday in East Boston District Court to a fugitive charge. He was held on $5,000 bail and ordered to return to Georgia within five days to clear the warrant. It was unclear if he had hired an attorney.
March 18, 2010 | Posted in
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ALTUS, Okla. (AP) — A Mangum woman has been arrested for allegedly sending a text message about illegal drugs to a drug task force agent. A warrant was issued for the woman for possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a controlled drug with the intent to distribute. A Jackson County jailer said Wednesday the woman wasn’t in custody. Authorities said District III Drug Task Force agent Chris Counts received a text message that said, “if you want a hit of this stuff before it is all gone, you better get over here.” Counts sent a message asking for an address and determined that the suspect lived there. Officers said she thought she sent the message to a friend. Authorities said they found a gun and a powdery substance during a search of the residence. — Information from: Altus Times , http://www.altustimes.com
March 17, 2010 | Posted in
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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Some drivers in Newport Beach said they were left flat after a spike strip fell out of a police car and punctured their tires. A police report said the strip, which is designed to slow down fleeing drivers, fell out of a police officer’s Chevy Tahoe on Feb. 27. The report said the officer had checked out the vehicle but forgot to close the back door before leaving the police station. At least three motorists had several tires flattened and two have filed claims with the city. One is asking the city for $221 to cover repairs and towing fees while another wants $870 because of two flat tires on his Jaguar. City spokeswoman Tara Finnigan said the city is looking into those claims and can’t comment. — Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com
March 17, 2010 | Posted in
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PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — The attorney representing a jogger accused of yelling at police and citizens during his runs through Portsmouth, New Hampshire said an order barring his client from the city while he is free on bail is unconstitutional. Attorney Anthony Naro argued during a hearing Tuesday that a judge should dismiss a charge that 28-year-old Craig O’Brien violated his bail conditions. But prosecutor Rena DiLando argued that O’Brien engaged in a willful course of conduct, taunting the police department with daily visits for a week while on bail. The judge has not ruled on the dismissal motion. O’Brien is a resident of Eliot, Maine. He faces disorderly conduct charges alleging he yelled profanities or offensive words during jogging outings last May and August. — Information from: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com
March 17, 2010 | Posted in
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Police said a man broke into a Pittsburgh home and climbed into bed with its owner, apparently because he was drunk and cold following a rap concert. Homeowner Frank Fontana says he was in bed when the man climbed in about 5:30 Wednesday morning. Fontana says he asked whether it was a woman who has keys to his home – and he grabbed a baseball bat when a deep male voice answered, “No, it’s not.” Police said Fontana kept the man at bay until police arrived but didn’t hit him with the bat. Police say the intruder told them he was looking for shelter after a Tuesday night concert by rapper Jay-Z at the Mellon Arena. The 33-year-old man faces a preliminary hearing on charges of criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
March 17, 2010 | Posted in
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