Crime-Fighting iPod, Porn Found in Tree House, Baby Fawn Rescued

Here's your weekly look at some of the more unusual incidents police investigated in the area.

Pelham: The Case of the Crime-Fighting iPod

A student who was practicing his high jump at Glover Field reported a stolen iPod to Pelham Manor police and then tracked it for them using his synched iPad with its GPS and satellite imagery applications.

The young man, a New Rochelle resident, told police he had put his iPod Touch in a sneaker after taking off his shoes to use the mat. When he finished, he discovered its loss. A witness told him he had seen a stranger put the iPod in his pocket.

The victim checked his iPad at home, which is synched with his iPod Touch, and using the GPS feature was able to locate the missing mp3 player in a Mount Vernon home, police said. He also provided a satellite photo of the residence.

Pornographic Material Found in Tree House 

A Yorktown resident called police to report that her young son found a porn video in his tree house, which he turned over to her. Police are investigating.

Nothing Like Beer and Bread for Breakfast

Port Chester police said a 28-year-old man stole bread from the doorstep of a local business. An officer was on patrol on Main Street at 3:51 a.m. when he saw the Port Chester man stop and grab a bag of bread that had recently been delivered to Texas Chili restaurant.

The suspect continued down Main Street with a bag of bread in his right hand and an open 12 oz. bottle of Corona in his left hand, apparently forgetting the brown bag compromise.

An officer issued the man a violation for drinking in public -- and warned him to wait until local eateries open for the day instead of helping himself to breakfast.

Wave of Portable Toilet Fires Continues in Hastings

Hastings police are investigating the destruction of two more port-a-potties in the village—this time on May 21 at 663 Broadway, a fenced-in construction site just off the main road. Police said they were not sure how the arsonists were able to enter the property. The portable toilets were destroyed, they said.

Earlier that day, an employee of the Parks and Recreation Department reported that the previous night, someone had knocked over and attempted to burn a port-a-potty at Zinsser Field. Some benches were overturned as well.

Since April, two other porta-potties have been burned to the ground in Hastings, one near the public pool and the other in Draper Park. The portable toilets cost the village about $1,000 to replace, officials say.

Vehicle’s Steering Rack Severed and Stolen

A 47-year-old Dobbs Ferry resident reported to police on May 21 that someone had severed the steering rack on her 2005 Ford Explorer.

Police arrived on scene and confirmed that the steering rack had been cleanly cut with what appeared to be a hacksaw-type of instrument. The steering rack controls both front tires. The resident realized it was cut after she got in the vehicle and attempted to make a turn. She reported that $1,000 in damage was done.

 Man Repeatedly Rams Car Into Verizon Security Booth

An Orange County man reportedly rammed his car into a security booth at Verizon Wireless in Orangeburg and threatened to kill a security officer at 11:30 p.m. on May 23, according to Orangetown police.

Police said David W. Sandburg, 56, drove up to the guard booth and told the guard, “Hold on, I have something for you.” As the security guard fled the booth and tried to get help, Brown said the guard heard Sandburg shout “Come back here, I’m going to kill you.”

Sandburg chased the guard in his vehicle before turning around, heading back to the vicinity of the booth and ramming the guard’s personal car, said police. When Orangetown police arrived, they found Sandburg standing outside of his vehicle.

When police arrested Sandburg he was found to be in possession of a .22 caliber pistol. Sandburg was arraigned in Orangetown Town Court and ordered to be held in the Rockland County Correctional Facility in New City, with instructions that he receive a psychiatric evaluation

Baby Fawn Rescued in Sleepy Hollow

This isn’t a crime but deserves a mention just for the “Awwww” factor.

Sgt. Eldryk Ebel of the Sleepy Hollow Police Department responded to a report of an abandoned newborn fawn on the side of County House Road on Thursday afternoon. He was able to safely move the baby deer to Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital, where it will be retrieved by a licensed animal rehabilitator.