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Burglar Strikes Again in Cold Spring Village
Citizens urged to remain vigilant and take precautions
by Kevin Foley
A worrisome string of burglaries in and around the Village of Cold Spring got longer in the pre-dawn hours of Monday, September 24, 2007 when an intruder attempted a break-in at the Depot Restaurant and then, failing to gain entry, managed to break a window and squeeze through the narrow opening in the rear of the nearby Ice Cream Shop. According to proprietor Tom Rolston, "several thousand dollars were lost" from the shop, which he also uses as an office and storage room.
"They crawled through the jagged glass of a 12x16 window," said an exasperated Rolston. He said it was the first such incident his business had suffered since a few break-ins in 1985, the year his business opened along the Metro North railroad tracks at the foot of Cold Spring's Main Street.
Rolston said that a surveillance camera had captured digital images of the intruder, who kept a large cloth over his head most of the time as he searched both the back and front rooms of the Ice Cream Shop at around 3am. He said he had turned the tape over to police for possible enhancement of a fleeting image of a face. Rolston declined to say just how the burglar obtained access to the cash and coins that are missing. The burglar did not exit through the same window he came in, choosing instead to kick out a large window panel in the front of the shop, said Rolston.
Citing concerns over the integrity of an active investigation, Darrell Burris, commanding officer of the Cold Spring Village Police Department, was reluctant to offer much information beyond acknowledging that "yes, there has been another commercial burglary in the Village." He did say that the matter was now a joint investigation with the Putnam County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The intensity of the investigation was underscored by the presence of a half dozen plainclothes officers in Burris's office as he spoke.
Burris did confirm that Cold Spring police had done some investigative dog tracking early Monday morning in the Foundry Cove area south of Main Street near the railroad tracks. He declined to say if anything was found.
Acknowledging the frequency of recent break-ins at mostly commercial establishments, Burris urged merchants to take precautions to discourage potential burglars. "Make sure to lock all doors, don't keep cash on the premises, leave a light on, try to leave frontal views unobstructed so police can see inside when patrolling," said Burris. He also warned victims of a break-in not to disturb the scene of a crime by entering the area but instead to call the police immediately.
Burris urged all residents of the Village to "call police
whenever they see or hear anything out of the ordinary. Don't be afraid to call,
don't think you are bothering us."
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