Whitehall Borough Police Briefs (Feb. 15-21)

The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch spoke with  Chief Donald R. Dolfi on Tuesday, Feb. 22, to gather the 's police briefs for the time period of Feb. 15-21.

Dolfi reported four incidents for that time period.

On Feb. 17 at approximately 8:10 p.m., Whitehall Police responded to a call that a variety of items had been stolen from a home on the 500 block of Maxwell Drive. Police arrived at the scene and noticed forced entry to that home through a side door. The alleged victim said that items taken included some electronics equipment, jewelry and a firearm. Police collected some items from the home for crime-scene processing, such as fingerprinting.

Dolfi said that the victim of the alleged Feb. 17 burglary is still compiling an exact list of property taken and that property's value.

An investigation is ongoing.

On Feb. 19 at about 8:46 a.m., the Bethel Park Police Department notified Whitehall Police that Frank Mixter, 20 years old and residing at 5934 Dashwood Drive in Bethel Park, was believed to be in the 4500 block of Stilley Road in Whitehall. An outstanding warrant had been out for Mixter for receiving stolen property and theft.

Whitehall Police officers went to that Stilley Road location and made contact with Mixter. Mixter turned himself over to Whitehall Police without any incident, and Whitehall Police turned him over to Bethel Park Police.

Later that day at approximately 2 p.m., Whitehall Police responded to a call that two white concrete lions had been stolen from the porch of a home on the 500 block of Dunn Drive. The alleged victim said that he last saw the lions at around 4 p.m. on Feb. 17. The value of each lion, which weighs approximately 50 pounds, is not yet known.

An investigation is ongoing.

On Feb. 21 at approximately 4 a.m., Whitehall Police responded to a fire-alarm activation at 1765 Skyline Drive in the  complex. Whitehall Police officers reached the scene while the  was on its way.

Police officers noticed smoke in a hallway, ensured that residents were leaving the building and traced the smoke to apartment No. 33. The officers tried several times to alert the occupant of apartment No. 33 before she eventually answered the door. That occupant, Hilda Mbewe, 25, denied knowing where the smoke was coming from even as officers noticed smoke coming from her apartment.

When the Whitehall Fire Company arrived, firefighters ventilated the building and indeed determined that the smoke was coming from Mbewe's apartment, apparently caused by food on her stove.

Police cited Mbewe for disorderly conduct-causing a public inconvenience.

"... As much for the point of she kept denying she knew where the smoke was coming from instead of just coming out and saying it," Dolfi said. "It just dragged the incident on longer and longer and inconvenienced more people."