Forensics Team on Prospect Road for Valentine's Day Burglary

Forensics Team Called to Prospect Road for Burglary

Chief Donald R. Dolfi said that two boys—aged 15 and 16—have admitted to burglarizing a home in the 1300 block of Prospect Road on Valentine's Day and trying to break into another home in the 1200 block of Prospect that same day.

Whitehall police officers were called to the first home at around 4 p.m. on Feb. 14 for a report of a burglary. The victimized resident there said that s/he had left his/her home at around 8:45 that morning and returned home at around 3 to discover that several items, including jewelry, were missing.

The victim said that the burglar, or burglars, rummaged through belongings in the first and second floor of the home.

Police officers searched the immediate area, called a forensics team to the scene and interviewed neighbors in an attempt to track down the culprit, or culprits. The officers found two abandoned bicycles nearby.

The next day, a neighbor from the 1200 block of Prospect called borough police to report that one or more people had tried to break into his home on Feb. 14, as well. That resident said that he noticed hand marks on a rear door of his home and footprints in the snow in his backyard. No damage was done, though, and no items were taken.

Evidence gathered at both scenes, combined with information obtained from interviews, led police to question two teenage boys regarding the incidents, and the boys ulimately confessed during the evening of Feb. 15 to being involved in both of them, Dolfi said.

The boys are being charged with burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal attempt to commit burglary.

Dolfi called burglaries "one of the hardest crimes to solve" and their investigations "painstaking and methodical." He commended his officers for their work on a number of burglaries recently in the borough, including and .

"We've had a run," Dolfi said.

Man Taken to Jail on Assault and Harassment Charges

police officers came to an apartment in the 1696 Skyline Drive building of the area at around 3:47 p.m. on Saturday for a report of a disturbance.

When the officers arrived, they heard a commotion in a nearby stairwell and discovered a female victim with fresh bruising on her cheek and cuts on her lips, Dolfi said.

Information obtained during an interview with that woman led the officers to arrest Ar Win, 33, of 1696 Skyline, Apt. 3, on charges of assault and harassment. UPDATE: The charges were .

Win was brought to the Whitehall police station before ultimately being taken to the Allegheny County Jail.

Criminal Mischief Reported on Flamingo Drive

A resident from a home in the 4800 block of Flamingo Drive called Whitehall police at around 4:20 p.m. on Monday to report that the resident's 12-foot trampoline was damaged recently by a large cut down the center of it.

That resident also reported that someone had smashed a small aquarium in the home's driveway that the homeowner had been using to store gardening tools and other similar equipment.

The resident provided police officers with the names of possible suspects, Dolfi said, and the incident is under investigation.

Disorderly Conduct Charge on Parkline Drive

Whitehall police officers came to 1690 Parkline Drive, Apt. 6, in the Prospect Park area for a report of a disturbance at around 12:46 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

When the officers arrived at the apartment, they were greeted with loud music and voices, Dolfi said, and cited the apartment's leaseholder—Edward Poka, 21—with disorderly conduct.

UPDATE: The charge was .

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