At least 10 in Slingerlands neighborhood over weekend
SLINGERLANDS – Bethlehem police are investigating a series of car larcenies in the area around Daniel Street and Trumpeter Place that took place overnight between August 3 and August 4.
According to police, the vehicles were not locked and thieves took money or items that they could easily sell for cash. One victim lost a few hundred dollars left in a vehicle overnight as they were scheduled to leave for a trip the next morning.
There are no reports of forcible entry into any of the vehicles or indication of gang activities in these cases.
Police remind residents to lock their cars and property. This is an ongoing investigation and anyone who witnessed anything suspicious, especially on surveillance video, please contact the department at 518-439-9973.
Unlawful surveillance
SELKIRK – An owner of a Selkirk business was taken into custody on Wednesday, Aug. 7 by Bethlehem police for allegedly recording his employee from under their desk without permission.
According to police, after an investigation police determined that Christopher R. Salisbury, 55, of Wynantskill allegedly disguised a recording device under a female employee’s desk and recorded for a period of time.
He was arrested and charged with unlawful surveillance, a felony, and arraigned in Bethlehem Town Court by Judge Andrew Kirby.
Salisbury was released on his own recognizance.
Burglary and petit larceny
GLENMONT – A homeless man who was in court in May for an outstanding warrant for not showing up for court for an April 2023 larceny at Price Chopper on Route 9W, was arrested by Albany City police on an outstanding arrest warrant for burglarizing the business on Thursday, Aug. 1.
According to reports, Frank Weaver, Jr., 50, was trespassed by the store in August 2023 and was not allowed in the store. A trespass warrant is given and signed by someone who is caught taking items from the store. Another violation of that warrant elevates the charges to a felony burglary.
On Sunday, July 21, Bethlehem police responded again to Price Chopper for a larceny involving Weaver, but he had already left the scene. An arrest warrant was signed by Bethlehem Judge Andrew Kirby two days later.
On May 2, Weaver was arrested in Albany on a Bethlehem bench warrant for not showing up in court for the 2023 charges. He was released on his own recognizance at that time by Kirby.
For the latest arrest, Weaver was arraigned by Albany City Court Judge Holly Trexler and sent to the Albany County jail in lieu of $10,000 bail. He was scheduled back in court on August 5.
29 calls to police and had out of state warrant
DELMAR – A 56-year-old Albany man allegedly made at least 29 calls to dispatchers at the Bethlehem Dispatch Center on Tuesday, July 23 for no legitimate purpose and berated them with comments we cannot write.
According to reports, officers investigating the case identified Thomas Collins from previous in-person and phone interactions and also by the phone number used to make the first call.
Police applied for an arrest warrant and Bethlehem Judge Andrew Kirby signed it the next day.
Officers went to Collins’ residence later, but he was working and did make contact later in the day by phone.
Collins turned himself in to police on Thursday, Aug. 1 and was charged with aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor. He also had an outstanding arrest warrant from Delaware and they wished to extradite him.
Collins was arraigned by Kirby and sent to the Albany County jail without bail due to the out-of-state warrant.
Warrant
ULSTER – A 19-year-old Albany woman was taken into custody on Thursday, Aug. 1 for an outstanding warrant from Bethlehem for not showing up for court in 2023.
We have written about Winter Vandross for her involvement with three alleged serial larcenists over the past 18 months, but we could not use her name due to the State’s raise the age law. Although Vandross was 18 years old at the time of the incidents, the law requires that suspects arrested in crimes be at least 19 before State Police will identify them by name.
In this case Vandross, is one of three woman who allegedly stole $2,411.96 worth of merchandise with Myunique D. Mcqueen, 21, and Jonneasia A. Welcome, 20, both also from Albany.
All three have been arrested for multiple larcenies in the capital district.
Vandross was initially arrested and charged for this incident in May 2023 after a court appearance for a larceny incident that took place at Ulta Beauty Store located in Wilton where stolen items valued at approximately $11,000. At that time, she was released on her own recognizance for the Lowes incident. At that time Vandross had two additional warrants out for her arrest, but the departments did not take her.
This time, Kirby sent her to the Albany County jail. Vandross was due back in court on Monday, Aug. 4.
DWI on Feura Bush Road
SELKIRK – Bethlehem police observed a red Honda Civic speeding on Route 32 on Thursday, Aug. 1 at approximately 11:16 p.m. The vehicle was clocked at 70 mph by radar in a 35 mph zone and the officer attempted to stop the vehicle.
According to reports, the Civic did stop on Feura Bush Road. Upon interviewing the 25-year-old diver from Albany, officers observed the man to have bloodshot, droopy and watery eyes and had an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath. The man said he had two Bud Light beers earlier in the evening.
He was given and failed field sobriety tests and refused to take a test for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device.
An inventory of the car also found a cold and half full can of Twisted Tea in the center console.
The man was taken into custody and refused a breath test at the police station.
He was charged with DWI, a misdemeanor, and ticketed for speeding, refusing a breath test and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle.
The man was given a bill of particulars and released with an appearance ticket for August 20 in Bethlehem Town Court.
Fight and DWI on Rt 9W
GLENMONT – Bethlehem police responded to the Walmart parking lot on Route 9W on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 11:56 p.m. for a report of two men fighting.
Upon arrival, officers talked to three men standing near a gray Subaru and two of them, who were brothers, admitted fighting while driving down Route 9W. The driver of the vehicle said that that is what family members do and neither of the men wished to press charges.
Officers observed, however, that the driver, a 23-year-old Berlin man, had slurred speech, watery eyes, impaired motor coordination and had an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath.
He was given and failed field sobriety tests and tested positive for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device and was taken into custody.
At the police station, he provided a breath sample that returned a .10 percent BAC and was charged with DWI, a misdemeanor.
The man was given a bill of particulars and released with an appearance ticket for Bethlehem Town Court on August 20.
Warrant
DELMAR – Bethlehem police traveled to Saratoga to retrieve a Schuylerville man on Sunday, Aug. 4 for failing to appear in Bethlehem Town Court.
Tanner Dwyer, 21, failed to appear in December.
