COLONIE-- A Schenectady woman who was supposed to be caring for a disabled and blind town resident drained at least $60,000 from her bank account, police said.
Cheryl Kirk, 31, who has been charged with second-degree grand larceny and first-degree identity theft, used the money to support her cocaine habit, according to police.
On Thursday, officials at the Capital Communications Federal Credit Union on Karner Road called police to report that a customer there was being ripped off. When police arrived, they found the 50-year-old victim and Kirk.
After befriending and moving in with the woman although never hired to help her, police said, Kirk gained access to the woman's ATM card, check book and PIN number and used it to steal the money beginning in September 2010.
The bank determined something was wrong after several suspicious ATM transactions over the past few months, including an attempt by Kirk to cash an unauthorized check, police said.
Kirk was arraigned in Town Court and sent to the Albany County jail in lieu of $25,000 bail. She is due back in court Monday.
SCHENECTADY- A local man is wanted for questioning in connection with a case of animal cruelty in Schenectady. That's according to the Schenectady Schoharie and Saratoga SPCA.
A release from the organization says investigators found two dead cats inside the 1519 State Street apartment of 25-year-old Wendall Smith. A third cat, on the verge of death, was rushed to a local veterinarian hospital for treatment.
The case began with a phone call to the local SPCA hotline. Investigators searched the apartment at Monday morning and discovered what they describe as a gruesome scene. Investigators were faced with the smell of decaying animals and feces when they entered the residence. They found two dead cats and one barely living that had apparently been eating the deceased animals.
“This is one of the most disturbing cases of animal cruelty I’ve seen in a long time,” said SPCA Chief Mathew B. Tully in a prepared statement. “We are asking for the public’s help in locating Wendall Smith but caution against approaching him,” added Tully.
Investigators say the animals suffered from extreme dehydration and emaciation, having been denied food and water for some time. “Despite the best efforts of SPCA Captain Jeremy Noble, who stepped in with life-saving techniques to save the third feline, it does not appear the animal will make it,” said Tully.
This is not the first time Wendall Smith has faced animal cruelty charges. He was arrested one year ago in connection with a similar case in Albany County. No word on the outcome of that particular case.
To report animal abuse or provide an anonymous tip, please call our emergency hotline at (51 755-9517.
For more information about this case or to speak with SPCA Chief Mathew B. Tully, please contact Ali Skinner at (51 640-1248 or at press@countyspca.org.
Burglar feels the heat dangling over hot oil vat 3:32pm EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Police answering cries for help on Friday found a screaming burglar dangling from a ceiling air vent over a hot fat fryer at an upstate New York restaurant.
"He said he thought he was going to die," said Lt. Michael Brown, spokesman for the police in Rotterdam, New York.
A grease-covered Timothy Cipriani, 46, of nearby Schenectady was pleading for help when he was discovered wedged into the ventilation duct at Paesan's Pizza in the early hours of the morning.
He had climbed a tree to the roof, where he broke into an air duct to enter the restaurant after it closed, police said.
He was trapped where the vent opened over the fryer, and he became extremely distraught, Brown said.
"The fryer had been used all day, so it may have been generating some heat," Brown said.
Cipriani was arraigned on charges of burglary, criminal mischief and possession of burglary tools and was held in lieu of $20,000 bail at the Schenectady County Jail, police said.
(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Greg McCune)
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