The FBI today announced the recovery of 82 postage stamps valued at $500K that were stolen from the NY Public Library in 1977.
The recovered stamps were among 153 that were stolen. The stamps were recovered in 1983.
On a May weekend in 1977, when the library was closed, the stamps were removed from 10 of the 100 panels stored in recessed oak cabinets on either side of the information counter. Among the stolen stamps was a rare 24-cent air mail stamp known as the “inverted Jenny.”
The FBI had identified suspects in the library burglary, but the five-year statute of limitations for such cases has expired.
excerpt from NYT 10/17/84
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 17, 1984
Thursday, February 28, 1980
Witness Is Struck by Arrow On Brooklyn Subway Steps
An assailant using a bow and a three-pronged arrow with razor blades at the end of each prong seriously wounded a man in the back yesterday as he started down the steps of the Botanic Garden subway station in Brooklyn. The 27-inch arrow was aluminum and the razor blades were attached with wires.
The 36-year-old victim, Alexander Hudson, was reported in satisfactory condition. He had been a prosecution witness in a trial charging a former police officer with attempted murder, which ended with a hung jury in November 1978. He was a possible witness for either prosecution or defense in a coming new trial.
Mr. Hudson told transit police that a man wearing a green hooded jacket emerged from a white van just before he was struck by the arrow at 6:55am.
Bleeding, Mr. Hudson staggered down to the Franklin Ave shuttle’s token booth and fell against it. The arrow snapped, leaving its forward end six inches in his right shoulder blade. Surgeons removed the shaft in a four hour operation saying that it had reached a lung.
He had testified in a case in which Mark McCurdy, the a city police officer, was charged with shooting Alexander Bradford, a sanitation man and his former record-store partner, on March 13, 1977. Mr. M. claimed self-defense.
NYT 2/28/80
The 36-year-old victim, Alexander Hudson, was reported in satisfactory condition. He had been a prosecution witness in a trial charging a former police officer with attempted murder, which ended with a hung jury in November 1978. He was a possible witness for either prosecution or defense in a coming new trial.
Mr. Hudson told transit police that a man wearing a green hooded jacket emerged from a white van just before he was struck by the arrow at 6:55am.
Bleeding, Mr. Hudson staggered down to the Franklin Ave shuttle’s token booth and fell against it. The arrow snapped, leaving its forward end six inches in his right shoulder blade. Surgeons removed the shaft in a four hour operation saying that it had reached a lung.
He had testified in a case in which Mark McCurdy, the a city police officer, was charged with shooting Alexander Bradford, a sanitation man and his former record-store partner, on March 13, 1977. Mr. M. claimed self-defense.
NYT 2/28/80
Tuesday, June 12, 1979
Prisoner Convicted in 1977 East Side Murder Flees Jail on Rikers Island
A 20-year-old Manhattan man who was sentenced last month to 15 years to life imprisonment for a burglary-murder in 1977 escaped yesterday from the Rikers Island Adolescent Reception and Detention Shelter.
The man, Sean Ryan, was awaiting transfer to the crowded state prison system.
He burned a hole in one of three plexiglass louver window panels in his cell and then, with a five-inch hacksaw blade, sawed through the panel frame. He then let down a 15-foot rope that he had braided from blanket, pushed out the glass, squirmed his 145-pound, 5-foot-6 inch body through the opening and climbed out and dropped down to the ground 20 feet below. A correction officer heard a crash at 3:30am and found the cell empty.
Ryan was found guilty of the 11/12/77 death of Harry Kassoff, 68, at the Sovereign, 425 East 58th Street. Willis Jackson, 22, had admitted stabbing Mr. K and had testified that Mr. Ryan participated in the burglary.
Excerpt from The New York Times 6/12/79
The man, Sean Ryan, was awaiting transfer to the crowded state prison system.
He burned a hole in one of three plexiglass louver window panels in his cell and then, with a five-inch hacksaw blade, sawed through the panel frame. He then let down a 15-foot rope that he had braided from blanket, pushed out the glass, squirmed his 145-pound, 5-foot-6 inch body through the opening and climbed out and dropped down to the ground 20 feet below. A correction officer heard a crash at 3:30am and found the cell empty.
Ryan was found guilty of the 11/12/77 death of Harry Kassoff, 68, at the Sovereign, 425 East 58th Street. Willis Jackson, 22, had admitted stabbing Mr. K and had testified that Mr. Ryan participated in the burglary.
Excerpt from The New York Times 6/12/79
Thursday, July 13, 1978
Just 110 of 3,076 Arrested in Blackout Sentenced to More Than Year
Only 110 of the 3,076 people arrested on looting and other blackout-related charges during the citywide power failure that began last July 13 have been sentenced to jail terms of a year or more, according to a report issued yesterday by NY State court and criminal officials.
Fewer than half got any jail time at all. This contrasts with the usual felony burglary conviction pattern, in which jail terms are imposed in nearly three out of four cases.
Fewer than half got any jail time at all. This contrasts with the usual felony burglary conviction pattern, in which jail terms are imposed in nearly three out of four cases.
Friday, June 23, 1978
Berkowitz Outbursts Disrupt Court; Sentencing Put Off, Tests Ordered
David R. Berkowitz, who was scheduled to be sentenced yesterday for the six “Son of Sam” murders, battled officers before entering the courtroom, then walked in chanting, “Stacy was a whore.”
The courtroom erupted in turmoil and, only minutes later, he was dragged out by half a dozen officers.
Neya M. heard him chanting and cried out, “You’re an animal!” and ran out of the courtroom. “That’s right. That’s right,” Berk shouted after her. “I’d kill her again. I’d kill them all again!”
Robert Violante jumped up shouting, “You should get killed, you creep!” (His vision is limited to four feet in the one eye that has vision). He collapsed in his seat sobbing.
Those who had observed the .44-caliber killer during earlier court appearances were shocked. He had always seemed pleasant, polite, even slightly repentant, they said. But when he was dragged into the courtroom yesterday, his face was flushed, his eyes distended wildly and his forehead smeared with dirt. His light blue suit – the same one he had worn in other court appearances – was rumpled and soiled.
Later a young friend of the M. family, Daniel Carrique shouted out, “That’s no justice! What about the families? How much do you think they can take?”
Carrique was led from the courtroom by guards. Judge Joseph Corso was visibly angered. “I trust I am presiding in an American court to dispense justice. I will not be influenced by any public clamor.”
Excerpt from June 23, 1978 New York Times
The courtroom erupted in turmoil and, only minutes later, he was dragged out by half a dozen officers.
Neya M. heard him chanting and cried out, “You’re an animal!” and ran out of the courtroom. “That’s right. That’s right,” Berk shouted after her. “I’d kill her again. I’d kill them all again!”
Robert Violante jumped up shouting, “You should get killed, you creep!” (His vision is limited to four feet in the one eye that has vision). He collapsed in his seat sobbing.
Those who had observed the .44-caliber killer during earlier court appearances were shocked. He had always seemed pleasant, polite, even slightly repentant, they said. But when he was dragged into the courtroom yesterday, his face was flushed, his eyes distended wildly and his forehead smeared with dirt. His light blue suit – the same one he had worn in other court appearances – was rumpled and soiled.
Later a young friend of the M. family, Daniel Carrique shouted out, “That’s no justice! What about the families? How much do you think they can take?”
Carrique was led from the courtroom by guards. Judge Joseph Corso was visibly angered. “I trust I am presiding in an American court to dispense justice. I will not be influenced by any public clamor.”
Excerpt from June 23, 1978 New York Times
Tuesday, June 06, 1978
1,058 Bombings in US In 1977 Sets A Record
There were a record 1,058 bombings in the US last year, and labor strife was behind more of them than any other cause, the Treasury Dept reported today.
In 1976 there were 870 explosive bombings.
Thirty-eight people were killed, some of them when their cars blew up.
NYT 6/6/78
In 1976 there were 870 explosive bombings.
Thirty-eight people were killed, some of them when their cars blew up.
NYT 6/6/78
Tuesday, February 14, 1978
Reports of Violent Crime Dropped by 9% in NYC Last Year
The total number of violent crimes reported in NYC declined last year, for the first time since 1973, according to statistics made available yesterday by the Police Dept.
The Dept said that a total of 121,916 violent crimes – murders, forcible rapes, robberies and assaults – were reported in 1977 a 9 percent drop from the 1976 number: 134,153.
The overall number of major crimes – including burglary, larceny and motor-vehicle theft dropped 7% to 610,062.
But even with the one year improvement the overall figure for 1977 was higher than it had been in all recent years but 1976 and even exceeded the total recorded in 1971 which was regarded as an exceptionally high crime year.
(591,9292 major crimes and 126,740 violent).
Criminals were finding it “easier and safer to rip off property than people.”
1977 crime figures were depressed by extreme cold weather early in the year….
The number of homicides was placed at 1,557, 65 fewer than in the year before.
NYT 2/14/78
The Dept said that a total of 121,916 violent crimes – murders, forcible rapes, robberies and assaults – were reported in 1977 a 9 percent drop from the 1976 number: 134,153.
The overall number of major crimes – including burglary, larceny and motor-vehicle theft dropped 7% to 610,062.
But even with the one year improvement the overall figure for 1977 was higher than it had been in all recent years but 1976 and even exceeded the total recorded in 1971 which was regarded as an exceptionally high crime year.
(591,9292 major crimes and 126,740 violent).
Criminals were finding it “easier and safer to rip off property than people.”
1977 crime figures were depressed by extreme cold weather early in the year….
The number of homicides was placed at 1,557, 65 fewer than in the year before.
NYT 2/14/78
Tuesday, December 27, 1977
Escaped Murder Suspect Caught After Shooting Chase in the Bronx
A murder suspect who escaped from the prison psychiatric ward at Bellevue Sunday night (Christmas) was recaptured by Yonkers police after he reportedly stole a car and outran two police cars in a chase through the Bronx.
In October, the suspect, 25-yer-old Anthony Ricco, escaped from Rikers Island and held 50 police officers at bay while holding a gun to his wife’s head. In exchange for releasing his wife the police promised to take him to Bellevue instead of Rikers.
On Sunday, Ricco used a hacksaw blade to cut through bars on a second-floor window before lowering himself to the street with knotted bedding.
A friend who was with him when he was recaptured, 18-year-old Sondra Tyrel is being held on conspiracy charges. Police believe she had smuggled the blade in to Ricco.
A fellow inmate who proceeded Ricco down the rope fell into a pit in front of a basement window, breaking one foot and both ankles. He was recaptured immediately.
Ricco’s first stop after the escape was the Kips Bay Garage, diagonally across from Bellevue, where he stole a 71 Buick.
Police tried to arrest him after receiving a tip as to his whereabouts (1152 White Plains Rd near Virginia Ave in the Parkchester section of The Bronx). They waited for him in an unmarked car until he walked up to the stolen car at about 12:30 am. But, they said, he fired one shot at them, backed the car up into a lamppost and then roared away.
Miss Tyrel was found on the floor of the car with a bullet wound in her right hand.
Excerpt from The New York Times 12/27/77
In October, the suspect, 25-yer-old Anthony Ricco, escaped from Rikers Island and held 50 police officers at bay while holding a gun to his wife’s head. In exchange for releasing his wife the police promised to take him to Bellevue instead of Rikers.
On Sunday, Ricco used a hacksaw blade to cut through bars on a second-floor window before lowering himself to the street with knotted bedding.
A friend who was with him when he was recaptured, 18-year-old Sondra Tyrel is being held on conspiracy charges. Police believe she had smuggled the blade in to Ricco.
A fellow inmate who proceeded Ricco down the rope fell into a pit in front of a basement window, breaking one foot and both ankles. He was recaptured immediately.
Ricco’s first stop after the escape was the Kips Bay Garage, diagonally across from Bellevue, where he stole a 71 Buick.
Police tried to arrest him after receiving a tip as to his whereabouts (1152 White Plains Rd near Virginia Ave in the Parkchester section of The Bronx). They waited for him in an unmarked car until he walked up to the stolen car at about 12:30 am. But, they said, he fired one shot at them, backed the car up into a lamppost and then roared away.
Miss Tyrel was found on the floor of the car with a bullet wound in her right hand.
Excerpt from The New York Times 12/27/77
Saturday, December 24, 1977
Fugitive Arrested in Slaying of Policeman in Harlem
A man who escaped from Green Haven prison was arrested early yesterday morning for the murder of an off-duty police officer and another man in a Harlem tenement on Wednesday night.
Ronald Haynes, 33, was arressted at 8 AM in his apartment on 111th Street. Police found the slain officer’s .38 in the apartment.
According to police, robbery was the motive for the crimein which Officer William Flood, a 37-year-old policeman who trained other officers for the Queens Area Task Force was fatally shot along with another man, Perry Young also 37.
Police are still investigating the case to find out why the police officer was in the building and what connection he had with Mr. Young a transvestite who was wearing women’s underclothes at the the time he was found. A woman’s wig was found nearby.
Officer Flood lived in Ronkonkoma LI with his wife and two children – he went to the building at 11:30pm after driving from a class at John Jay College.
Mr. Haynes followed Flood and Young, who appeared to be a woman into the building with the intention of robbing them. The suspect shot the officer in the head before he was able to fire a shot. Haynes, with a record of more than 20 arrests, had been a fugitive since 1976 (!).
Flood would not be given an Inspector’s funeral – normally given to officers killed on duty – because he was off duty. He was the seventh cop killed this year.
NYT 12/24/77
Ronald Haynes, 33, was arressted at 8 AM in his apartment on 111th Street. Police found the slain officer’s .38 in the apartment.
According to police, robbery was the motive for the crimein which Officer William Flood, a 37-year-old policeman who trained other officers for the Queens Area Task Force was fatally shot along with another man, Perry Young also 37.
Police are still investigating the case to find out why the police officer was in the building and what connection he had with Mr. Young a transvestite who was wearing women’s underclothes at the the time he was found. A woman’s wig was found nearby.
Officer Flood lived in Ronkonkoma LI with his wife and two children – he went to the building at 11:30pm after driving from a class at John Jay College.
Mr. Haynes followed Flood and Young, who appeared to be a woman into the building with the intention of robbing them. The suspect shot the officer in the head before he was able to fire a shot. Haynes, with a record of more than 20 arrests, had been a fugitive since 1976 (!).
Flood would not be given an Inspector’s funeral – normally given to officers killed on duty – because he was off duty. He was the seventh cop killed this year.
NYT 12/24/77
False Santas Ho-Ho Public for Funds
Officials warn that anyone can dress up like a Santa Claus or a nun and solicit money on the street. The only beneficiary of the donations is the imposter.
excerpt from NYT 12/24/77
excerpt from NYT 12/24/77
A Grocer and His Dream Killed by Robbers in Brooklyn
Two men entered the small store. One pointed a gun at Mr. Rosado and shot twice, killing him. When the police found his body, the wallet in his pocket was empty.
The robbery that resulted in the death of Louis Rosado was the most revent of many holdups that have closed small businesses throughout the city, sometimes leaving blocks of abandoned stores.
Besides Mr. Rosado’s grocery, several stores on the block are empty. There is no longer any store on the block at which nearby residents can buy food.
Twice before he was held up. Once they put the gun against his head and pulled the trigger but the gun did not fire.
excerpt from NYT 12/24/77
The robbery that resulted in the death of Louis Rosado was the most revent of many holdups that have closed small businesses throughout the city, sometimes leaving blocks of abandoned stores.
Besides Mr. Rosado’s grocery, several stores on the block are empty. There is no longer any store on the block at which nearby residents can buy food.
Twice before he was held up. Once they put the gun against his head and pulled the trigger but the gun did not fire.
excerpt from NYT 12/24/77
Friday, December 23, 1977
Two Teen-Agers in Bronx Are Held In Attacks on Woman Neighbor, 72
Two teenage boys, one 13 year old, the other 14, were held in the Bronx yesterday in connection with a six-day siege of terror against a 72-year-old woman, a former concert pianist, who lived in the same apartment building.
The two looted the apartment, smashing keepsakes of a lifetime and choking the woman and eventually raping her. Her only income was from social security.
The building was staked out in response to her first complaints, on the assumption that the intruders came from elsewhere in the neighborhood. Meanwhile the youths continued their raids on the woman’s apartment undetected.
Yesterday they were apprehended by Gonazalo Vargas the superindendent. The 14-year-old has a record of nine arrests dating to when he was nine.
The youths first broke in on Dec. 21. They returned on the 23rd and on each day thereafter for four days. Each time the woman called the police. Detectives said she gave confusing accounts of what had happened when police first responded. They said she created further confusion when she repeated her calls on succeeding days.
excerpt from NYT 12/23/77
The two looted the apartment, smashing keepsakes of a lifetime and choking the woman and eventually raping her. Her only income was from social security.
The building was staked out in response to her first complaints, on the assumption that the intruders came from elsewhere in the neighborhood. Meanwhile the youths continued their raids on the woman’s apartment undetected.
Yesterday they were apprehended by Gonazalo Vargas the superindendent. The 14-year-old has a record of nine arrests dating to when he was nine.
The youths first broke in on Dec. 21. They returned on the 23rd and on each day thereafter for four days. Each time the woman called the police. Detectives said she gave confusing accounts of what had happened when police first responded. They said she created further confusion when she repeated her calls on succeeding days.
excerpt from NYT 12/23/77
Wednesday, December 21, 1977
Ex-Detective and Gunman Killed, 3 Officers Hurt in Street Shootout
A murder suspect apparently fearing that two police officers were waiting for him opened fire on a busy Brooklyn street yesterday, killing a retired detective and wounding three officers before shooting himself.
The two police officers had been investigating a minor traffic accident.
Pedestrians and motorists hastily sought cover as the shooting erupted at the corner of Bergen Street and Flatbush Avenue in the Park Slope section.
The police identified the slain gunman as William Ross Wakefield, 27 years old, who was being sought in the robbery last Thursday of the East New York Savings Bank during which the assistant manager was killed. He was also wanted in connection with 7 other bank robberies.
The accident that touched off the shooting spree involved a car driven by Raymond Gallo, a 50-year-old retired police detective.
A police car stopped to investigate and Mr. Gallo stood talking to Officer Lawrence Brom when Mr. Wakefield came up to them and opened fire with his .38. Mr. Gallo was hit in the chest and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Officer Brom is in critical but stable condition with chest wounds. Wakefield exchanged shots with Officer Fred Connors and the gunshots attracted other officers from the nearby precinct house and the battle raged back and forth across Flatbush.
Mr. Wakefield started running from the scene after he was wounded severely in the neck. He collapsed two blocks away in the doorway of a Spanish restaurant. Some police reports indicated that he had been wearing a stocking mask over his head when he opened fire.
Detective Vito Navarra said a warrant for Mr. Wakefield’s arrest had been signed just minutes before the shootings. They had been questioning family and friends.
“He knew we were looking for him and might have gotten a little jittery.”
“I looked out the window and saw this guy running and bleeding. He stopped at the corner. He was already doing zigzags. He crossed the street and went into a restaurant. Five or six detectives went in and took the guy out and threw him in a open wagon.”
He had at least three bullets in his body.
NYT Bird 12/21/77
The two police officers had been investigating a minor traffic accident.
Pedestrians and motorists hastily sought cover as the shooting erupted at the corner of Bergen Street and Flatbush Avenue in the Park Slope section.
The police identified the slain gunman as William Ross Wakefield, 27 years old, who was being sought in the robbery last Thursday of the East New York Savings Bank during which the assistant manager was killed. He was also wanted in connection with 7 other bank robberies.
The accident that touched off the shooting spree involved a car driven by Raymond Gallo, a 50-year-old retired police detective.
A police car stopped to investigate and Mr. Gallo stood talking to Officer Lawrence Brom when Mr. Wakefield came up to them and opened fire with his .38. Mr. Gallo was hit in the chest and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Officer Brom is in critical but stable condition with chest wounds. Wakefield exchanged shots with Officer Fred Connors and the gunshots attracted other officers from the nearby precinct house and the battle raged back and forth across Flatbush.
Mr. Wakefield started running from the scene after he was wounded severely in the neck. He collapsed two blocks away in the doorway of a Spanish restaurant. Some police reports indicated that he had been wearing a stocking mask over his head when he opened fire.
Detective Vito Navarra said a warrant for Mr. Wakefield’s arrest had been signed just minutes before the shootings. They had been questioning family and friends.
“He knew we were looking for him and might have gotten a little jittery.”
“I looked out the window and saw this guy running and bleeding. He stopped at the corner. He was already doing zigzags. He crossed the street and went into a restaurant. Five or six detectives went in and took the guy out and threw him in a open wagon.”
He had at least three bullets in his body.
NYT Bird 12/21/77
Tuesday, December 20, 1977
Thieves Get 700 Toys Donated by Brooklyn Students
About 700 toys, which the students at Winthrop Junior High School donated for distrribution to the children’s ward at Kings Country Hospital, were stolen from a teacher’s office at the East Flatbush school over the weekend.
“I think it is really rotten,” said Stazee Burnett, a ninth-grader who helped to wrap the gifts, although she could not afford to buy one. “Those children in the hospital – some of them don’t even have families, and this was like a little ray of hope.”
Various donations started coming in from neighborhood businesses and individuals.
excerpt from M. Breasted NYT 12/20/77
“I think it is really rotten,” said Stazee Burnett, a ninth-grader who helped to wrap the gifts, although she could not afford to buy one. “Those children in the hospital – some of them don’t even have families, and this was like a little ray of hope.”
Various donations started coming in from neighborhood businesses and individuals.
excerpt from M. Breasted NYT 12/20/77
Monday, December 19, 1977
A Victim New York Took To Heart Is Now Held for Police in Vermont
Jerry Jenkins, the out-of-town newlywed to who NYC opened its heart after his car had been stolen – and driven on a fatal rampage – on his first night here last Monday, was arrested yesterday by NY detectives on a charge of cashing more than $2,500 in bad checks in Vermont stores.
The Vermont charge and arrest was apparently the direct result of the publicity surrounding the couple. He was booked on a charge of grand larceny.
There was even some question about whether Mr. Jenkins was a newlywed. The Vermont police said he told a bank in Burlington on 10/27 that he was already married then, to the woman who accompanied him here. Police there said they had been unable to find a marriage license. Mr. Jenkins carried a Texas driver’s license.
Jenkins told reporters that a roommate had swiped his checkbook. “The honeymoon is over,” said a policeman as the suspect was led away.
“I thought no one could con New Yorkers,” said Detective Edwin LaRock of the Burlington police.
excerpt from NYT 12/9/77
The Vermont charge and arrest was apparently the direct result of the publicity surrounding the couple. He was booked on a charge of grand larceny.
There was even some question about whether Mr. Jenkins was a newlywed. The Vermont police said he told a bank in Burlington on 10/27 that he was already married then, to the woman who accompanied him here. Police there said they had been unable to find a marriage license. Mr. Jenkins carried a Texas driver’s license.
Jenkins told reporters that a roommate had swiped his checkbook. “The honeymoon is over,” said a policeman as the suspect was led away.
“I thought no one could con New Yorkers,” said Detective Edwin LaRock of the Burlington police.
excerpt from NYT 12/9/77
Tuesday, December 13, 1977
Case of Boy, 13, on Rampage Cited In Call for Family-Court Judges
A 13-year-old boy who stole three cars, was sent to a shelter and then escaped and went on a wild ride in a fourth stolen car was cited yesterday as an example of “oversights and mishandling” by the juvenile justice system.
The boy ended his “wild and dangerous spree” last Wednesday. Jumping into a car that a garage attendant had just delivered to its owner, the boy sped up Amersterdam Ave, passed a red light at 72nd and narrowly missed hitting several pedestrians.
Commmandeering a private vehicle, officer Lou Salvatorelli caught up with the stolen car at Bway and 75th. The youth ran and the officer found him hiding under a Volkswagon.
excerpt from NYT 12/13/77
The boy ended his “wild and dangerous spree” last Wednesday. Jumping into a car that a garage attendant had just delivered to its owner, the boy sped up Amersterdam Ave, passed a red light at 72nd and narrowly missed hitting several pedestrians.
Commmandeering a private vehicle, officer Lou Salvatorelli caught up with the stolen car at Bway and 75th. The youth ran and the officer found him hiding under a Volkswagon.
excerpt from NYT 12/13/77
Monday, December 12, 1977
Policeman Indicted In Brooklyn Killing Of an 18-Year-Old
An off-duty police officer who shot and killed a teenager in Brooklyn last Sept 2 after a brief scuffle was indicted yesterday on charges of manslaughter in the second degree.
The officer, Roger Scheid, 26, was suspended immediately of the Department pending the outcome of the trial.
Yesterday’s indictment, by a King’s County grand jury, was the second this year involving a white police officer and a young black. (Torsney and Randolph Evans, 15. Torsney has since filed for disability retirement).
Three other New Yor City police officers have been charged with homicide in recent years. All five have been white and their alleged victims black or hispanic.
According to the police, Scheid, his brother and two women were driving through the Coney Island section last Sept 2 when his date pointed to a young black in a playground and said he had tried to rob her earlier that day.
Scheid confronted Frank Thompson, 18. According to police sources, Thompson pulled out a knife, slashed the police officer on the lower lip and ran off. Scheid cornered him in an abandoned building and ordered him to come out. The teenager was said to have lunged with the knife at which point Scheid fired six shots, two hitting him in the chest. He was dead on arrival at C.I. Hospital. The knife was found at the scene of the shooting.
In one of the earlier cases, officer Thomas Shea was acquitted in 1974 on charges of shooting to death Clifford Glover, 10, in South Jamica, Queens.
Last February, Officer William Walker was found not guilty in the 1974 shooting death of John Bradham, a 22-year-old Brooklyn College student.
In the only case to result in a conviction. Ryan was found guilty of beating to death Israel Rodriquez at a Bronx police station.
NYT Seigel 12/12/77
The officer, Roger Scheid, 26, was suspended immediately of the Department pending the outcome of the trial.
Yesterday’s indictment, by a King’s County grand jury, was the second this year involving a white police officer and a young black. (Torsney and Randolph Evans, 15. Torsney has since filed for disability retirement).
Three other New Yor City police officers have been charged with homicide in recent years. All five have been white and their alleged victims black or hispanic.
According to the police, Scheid, his brother and two women were driving through the Coney Island section last Sept 2 when his date pointed to a young black in a playground and said he had tried to rob her earlier that day.
Scheid confronted Frank Thompson, 18. According to police sources, Thompson pulled out a knife, slashed the police officer on the lower lip and ran off. Scheid cornered him in an abandoned building and ordered him to come out. The teenager was said to have lunged with the knife at which point Scheid fired six shots, two hitting him in the chest. He was dead on arrival at C.I. Hospital. The knife was found at the scene of the shooting.
In one of the earlier cases, officer Thomas Shea was acquitted in 1974 on charges of shooting to death Clifford Glover, 10, in South Jamica, Queens.
Last February, Officer William Walker was found not guilty in the 1974 shooting death of John Bradham, a 22-year-old Brooklyn College student.
In the only case to result in a conviction. Ryan was found guilty of beating to death Israel Rodriquez at a Bronx police station.
NYT Seigel 12/12/77
Sunday, December 11, 1977
Vermont Man Still City ‘Guest’ With Changed Status
A Vermont man who, with his wife, had been wined and dined and made an official guest of NYC after the armed theft of his car last Monday night was arraigned in Criminal Court yesterday and held on $1,000 bond for a hearing on
Extradition to Vermont on charges of cashing fradulent checks.
The deputy State Attorney in Chittenden County said he would be charged with cashing more than 10 checks valued at $2,500 when he had only $1.81 in in his account. He could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison.
They also lost their apartment in Burlington where they had been living since their marriage two months ago. The landlord said he evicted them when he heard what happened.
Failing to post bail, Mr. Jenkins was held for the night on Rikers.
Detectives said they thought Mrs. Jenkins had left town.
The Mayor was said to be ‘surprised and disappointed” when he learned about Mr. Jenkins’ arrest.
excerpt from E.P. NYT 12/11/77
Extradition to Vermont on charges of cashing fradulent checks.
The deputy State Attorney in Chittenden County said he would be charged with cashing more than 10 checks valued at $2,500 when he had only $1.81 in in his account. He could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison.
They also lost their apartment in Burlington where they had been living since their marriage two months ago. The landlord said he evicted them when he heard what happened.
Failing to post bail, Mr. Jenkins was held for the night on Rikers.
Detectives said they thought Mrs. Jenkins had left town.
The Mayor was said to be ‘surprised and disappointed” when he learned about Mr. Jenkins’ arrest.
excerpt from E.P. NYT 12/11/77
Friday, December 09, 1977
New York Says ‘We’re Sorry’ To Robbed Honeymoon Couple
Mayor Beame made New York City’s love affair with Darlene and Jerry Jenkins official yesterday with a City Hall ceremony honoring the Vermont couple whose honeymoon almost turned into a nightmare.
Their introduction to New York last Monday was a man ordering Mrs. Jenkins out of their car at gunpoint. The gunman later drove the car along a West 42nd Street sidewalk, killing one and injuring 14 others before wrecking the car by driving into a fire hydrant.
“New York is normally a very warm town and we’re sorry it happened,” said Mr. Beame, who gave the couple a silver plate embossed with the city’s seal.
Since Monday, the shy couple has been almost overwhelmed by New Yorker’s generosity: The Daily News arranged for them to stay at The New York Hilton, eat at Windows of the World and see the Broadway show “I love My Wife.” Last night they got a doberman pinscher and a full set of china. On Sunday they are going to the Jets game.
“I think some of the people are very rude but I love this city, it’s beautiful,” said Mrs. Jenkins. “I was surprised because in Vermont you just don’t steal a car if someone is sitting in it.”
“In Vermont you wait until everyone’s asleep. Then you usually just take the CB radio,” said the husband.
“I want to go back to Vermont where all the quiet people are,” said Mr. Jenkins. “I want to go back to Burlington and look at three feet of shnow instead of cameras.”
The body of the 70 year old lay unclaimed and headed for potter’s field.
excerpt from Charles Kaiser NYT 12/9/77
Their introduction to New York last Monday was a man ordering Mrs. Jenkins out of their car at gunpoint. The gunman later drove the car along a West 42nd Street sidewalk, killing one and injuring 14 others before wrecking the car by driving into a fire hydrant.
“New York is normally a very warm town and we’re sorry it happened,” said Mr. Beame, who gave the couple a silver plate embossed with the city’s seal.
Since Monday, the shy couple has been almost overwhelmed by New Yorker’s generosity: The Daily News arranged for them to stay at The New York Hilton, eat at Windows of the World and see the Broadway show “I love My Wife.” Last night they got a doberman pinscher and a full set of china. On Sunday they are going to the Jets game.
“I think some of the people are very rude but I love this city, it’s beautiful,” said Mrs. Jenkins. “I was surprised because in Vermont you just don’t steal a car if someone is sitting in it.”
“In Vermont you wait until everyone’s asleep. Then you usually just take the CB radio,” said the husband.
“I want to go back to Vermont where all the quiet people are,” said Mr. Jenkins. “I want to go back to Burlington and look at three feet of shnow instead of cameras.”
The body of the 70 year old lay unclaimed and headed for potter’s field.
excerpt from Charles Kaiser NYT 12/9/77
Thursday, December 08, 1977
Joan Little is Seized in Brooklyn Case
Joan Little, who drew national attention in 1975 when she was acquitted of murder in the death of a prison guard she said had tried to rape her, was arrested early yesterday after a 70-mile-an-hour automobile chase through Brooklyn. Miss Little, 23, had been serving a seven-to-ten for b-and-e in NC.
She escaped a minimum security prison in Raleigh by scaling a fence.
During her 1975 trial, Miss Little, who is black, became for prison inmates, women’s groups, and blacks, a symbol of oppression.
Vernell Muhammad, a former friend of Miss Little told police they could find her a maroon Buick. Muhammad, back in NC, told authorities that he had been in touch several times with her and had visited her in Brooklyn. Last month she told him she was pregnant and that he was the father.
excerpt from M. Seigel NYT 12/8/77
She escaped a minimum security prison in Raleigh by scaling a fence.
During her 1975 trial, Miss Little, who is black, became for prison inmates, women’s groups, and blacks, a symbol of oppression.
Vernell Muhammad, a former friend of Miss Little told police they could find her a maroon Buick. Muhammad, back in NC, told authorities that he had been in touch several times with her and had visited her in Brooklyn. Last month she told him she was pregnant and that he was the father.
excerpt from M. Seigel NYT 12/8/77
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