By Tom Jordan
Rockville Centre police have arrested a man whot they believe may be responsible for at least some of the recent occupied-house burglaries in the village.
Anthony Rodriguez, 40, of Valley Stream was apprehended by plainclothes Rockville Centre police after he was observed walking out of the rear yard of a house on Dorchester Road at about 2:45 A.M. Friday, October 13.
Reaction within the community was a mixture of shock and relief.
"I find it pretty frightening that that's happening here in Rockville Centre," said resident Kay Murphy. "Every once in a while, we seem to go through a rash of burglaries. I'm very pleased, though, that we have such a great police department in Rockville Centre."
The arrest was made after Detective Sgt. Kevin O'Toole, on patrol in an unmarked car, stopped Mr. Rodriguez coming out of the Dorchester Road yard. Detectives O'Toole and Michael Meehan inspected the house and found the screen of the kitchen window had been cut open. The detectives searched Mr. Rodriguez and recovered a utility knife, which they believe was used to cut the screen.
"We again have reason to be proud of the Rockville Centre Police Department," Village Administrator Anthony Cancellieri said in the wake of the arrest. "We've been out there working hard and it looks like that work has paid off."
The week before the arrest, late on Thursday, October 5 and early on Friday, October 6, burglaries were attempted at seven houses in the area of Harvard Avenue, Midwood Road, Princeton Street and Amherst Court, prompting stepped-up patrols. Successful entries were made only through unlocked windows and doors, not by breaking glass or forcing locks, police said.
Lt. James E. Kraemer of the Rockville Centre police, said late-night burglaries particularly worry him because they occur when residents are at home, presumably asleep. He said he was concerned that a confrontation would result if a resident came upon a burglary in progress.
"That's my biggest fear, that somebody would break in while we were here," said Elizabeth Heinz, who lives with her husband and three children. "It's one thing if somebody enters when nobody is home, but when you're home with your kids, it's another story. Everybody needs to take a little more precaution."
Because of an earlier rash of house burglaries, the village sent a letter to residents in August, urging them to lock doors and windows on their first floors, as well as vehicles parked in driveways, which also were targeted by burglars and thieves.
Even with the unusual concentration of burglaries of occupied houses, the number of burglaries in the village this year, 63 through the end of September, is about average. In the past eight years, the average number of burglaries annually through September was 62, with a high of 76 in 1995 and a low of 44 in 1994, according to police records.
Lt. Kraemer said last week that by simply locking their windows, residents had prevented several break-in attempts. He also said, "It's tough to catch a burglar, but we'll get them."
One week later, Rockville Centre believes it may have caught the man responsible for some of the burglaries.
