The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Sarah Ellen Rindsberg

The Proliferation of Generators

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Hauling out sleeping bags, scouring the area for a place to charge cell phones, scrambling to find a place to store perishables.  Residents of the town of New Castle were preoccupied with these activities after Hurricane Irene and the pre-Halloween storm on October 30.  With each passing deluge, an increasing number of people are proceeding from the hypothetical discussion of whether to install a generator to actually plunking down the requisite funds.  The prevailing sentiment among those who are regularly tethered to the internet and those who have tossed a freezer full of savory items is that a generator is a necessity.

According to Building inspector Bill Maskiell, the number of installations is growing exponentially.  “After the snowstorm in October we were inundated with generator permit applications,” he said.  The town has endeavored to turn around applications within a two week time period in order to facilitate installation of generators during the period when the ground is not frozen.  In the past few months, a minimum of 250 permits have been issued by the town.  On a recent temperate day in February, Maskiell had approximately eight permits awaiting his review.  Demand has slowed down over the past few weeks.  Prior to that time, the number of applications for permits ranged from five to ten a day.

The average size of generators being installed in town is between 10 and 14 watts.  Although some installations are only designed to provide power for heat and refrigeration, Maskiell finds that these are not the norm.  “For the most part people are putting in the size they need to take care of the whole house,” he observed.

The process of applying for a permit is relatively straightforward.  Applicants are required to submit the name of their contractors and the proposed location.  Setback compliance is closely monitored.  For a one acre property, the setbacks are at least 60 feet in the front, 50 in the rear and 35 on the sides.

An Incidence of Identity Theft in the Town of New Castle

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On December 4, 2011 the New Castle Police Department received a report from a New Castle resident regarding credit card fraud.  “They discovered some unusual unauthorized charges on their credit card,” Detective Sergeant James Wilson related.

Approximately $1000 worth of goods had been charged on the card at the end of November.   The Department’s investigation found that the credit card had been used at several stores in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.  No purchases were made online.  After viewing surveillance videos at the stores, the identity of the suspect was revealed:  Luis Morocho of 141 Fremont Street, Peekskill.  The card was confiscated while he was working as a carpenter at the residence in town.

Morocho came in voluntarily on January 10 and admitted his culpability.  He was arraigned in Town Court by Judge Kraus and charged with identity theft and grand larceny.  Bail was set at $25,000 and the suspect is being held at the Westchester County Jail.

On January 12, 2012 Morocho returned to court and appeared before Justice Zuckerman.  His lawyer’s request for an adjournment until February 2, was granted.  Zuckerman noted that Morocho’s last offense was for DWI in 2009.

Today, when the subject of identity theft is raised, it is widely assumed that the illegal activity occurred online.  This incident falls under the same category because the suspect “assumed the identity of the owner of the card,” Wilson said.

According to Wilson, identity theft is “probably the biggest crime in the country.”  “Be very diligent in checking your bank and credit card statements for any suspicious activity,” he advised.

Beware

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$4,500 and $2,500.  These large sums were wired separately by two senior citizens of the town of New Castle on Friday, January 27.  Both amounts were extorted as the result of a scam.

In one incident, a senior citizen received a call telling him that his son had been kidnapped in Bolivia.  By employing a ruse, the name of the son was extracted from the senior.  The caller referred to the son by name, lending an air of veracity to the scam.  The senior hastened to Western Union in Mount Kisco and sent $4,500 to Bolivia.  Fortunately, in this case, when the senior confirmed that the information he had been given was false, Western Union was able to cancel the money transfer because the sum had not yet been collected by the designated recipient in Bolivia.

On the same day, another elderly gentleman received a phone call that sounded quite similar.  He was told that his grandson had been in a car accident in Mexico City.  The caller said that if $2,500 was not sent immediately, terrible consequences would befall the grandson.  This caller used the grandson’s actual name which persuaded the victim to send the money.

Detective/Sergeant James Wilson of the New Castle Police Department explained that this type of scam began on the internet.  Emails are sent to unsuspecting family or friends, claiming that someone they know desperately needs money right away.  The two incidents in town occurred solely on the telephone.

“If you receive a phone call about a relative who needs money, try to confirm it,”  Wilson cautioned.  “These people are very convincing on the telephone,” he added.

Rape Case in the Town of New Castle

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By Sarah Ellen Berman

On January 1, the New Castle Police Department received a call from a 26-year-old woman.  The call was placed shortly after the victim was raped in the home where she worked in the Town of New Castle.

With the assistance of the Village of Ossining Police Department, the New Castle Police Department located the alleged perpetrator of the crime at his residence on Yale Avenue in Ossining.  On January 5, 25-year-old Nestor Alejandro Guaman Guartambel was charged with rape in the first degree.  He was arraigned in front of Justice Zuckerman in the Town Court of New Castle on the same day and ordered to be held without bail at the Westchester County Jail.

The following week on January 12, Guaman Guartambel, clad in a bright orange regulation uniform marked WCDOC – Westchester County Department of Correction, waited in the prisoners’ box at Town Court.  Accompanied by an interpreter on his left and his counsel on the right, he appeared again before Justice Zuckerman.  His lawyer’s request for an all purpose adjournment was granted and the suspect was ordered to return to court on February 2.  Guaman Guartambel’s lawyer requested a copy of the rap sheet and was told that this would be provided.

Although rape crimes are extremely unusual in town, there have been several cases of sexual abuse.  Statistics on previous rape cases were unavailable.

Locally, the overall crime rate is fairly low.  Burglaries constitute the highest number of incidents in any given year.  “People have a false sense of security,” Public Information Officer, Detective/Sargent James Wilson related.  “It’s not necessarily true that nothing ever happens here,” he added.

 

A Portrait of the Town Supervisor: Susan Carpenter

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Town Supervisor Susan Carpenter, right, and Confidential Secretary to Town Supervisor, Daisy Hernandez

By Sarah Ellen Berman

On January 5, Susan Carpenter commenced her first full official day as town supervisor.  The path that led her to this office, full of extensive civic involvement, insured a swift and efficient integration into the town government.

Carpenter traces the origin of her community activism back to the time when her son was a student at Grafflin.  While serving on the Grafflin PTA’s environmental committee, she effectively lobbied the district to cease using harmful pesticides inside the schools.

Subsequently, Carpenter has served in a multitude of organizations including the town’s open space advisory committee, conservation board and as chair of the town’s planning board.  She is continuing as legal counsel and director of land preservation for the Westchester Land Trust.  Carpenter is also an avid participant in the advisory group of My Second Home, an adult day care facility for seniors.

When Carpenter was on the open space committee, the property that is now Burden Park was acquired.  She enjoys hiking there and pitched in to help maintain the trails after Hurricane Irene.  “We had to move a couple of trails because there were erosion problems,” Carpenter mentioned.  During her introduction of Carpenter at the inauguration, Congresswoman Nita Lowey noted, “She’s keenly aware of the environmental issues facing the town of New Castle.”

One of the projects Carpenter is most eager to embark on is the continuation of the effort to revitalize the town’s business districts in the hamlets of Millwood and Chappaqua.  She looks forward to pursuing the discussion to, “get people in the community involved to focus on what services and businesses would work in our community.”

An avid reader of the New Yorker and “anything by Michael Lewis,” Carpenter added, “It would be great to have a bookstore.”