Police Blotter: A Rape, a Drug Bust and a Suspicious Fire

Crime is up 14 percent in the 81st precinct, compared to this same 28-day period in 2011. What appears to be driving up recent crime numbers are grand larcenies, most of them cell phone snatches. For the month, homicides are down 66 percent; rapes are up 200 percent ( three versus one last year at this time); robberies are down 5 percent; arrests are up 13 percent; burglaries are down 4.5 percent; shootings are down 40 percent; total crime is up 14.7 percent.

Rape:

On Monday, April 9, at approximately 12:00am, an 18-year-old female was raped accosted and raped walking down Monroe Street. According to police reports, she said she was walking down Monroe Street when she was approached by an unknown man. She had did not see the perpetrator and could not provide a description of him other than he was a black male. He hit her on the back of the head with a hammer and then pulled her into an ally and forced her to perform oral sex on him. She admitted herself to Woodhull Hospital, and she is in stable condition. The police investigation is ongoing.

Fire:

On Monday, April 9, at approximately 4:00am, a woman who resides at 654 Monroe Street, called 911 when her house caught on fire. There was no one else in the house at the time of the fire, and she was able to walk out of the house on her own with no injuries. Fire officials are deeming the incident a suspicious fire, and the investigation is ongoing.  

Drug Bust:

On Saturday, April 7, at approximately 6:00am, through a residential tip and follow up observations by the crime unit, police executed a search warrant of a residence on Patchen Avenue. Police were able to recover two guns, 4 ounces of crack cocaine, 2 bags of marijuana, as well as drug paraphernalia, including a scale and 1600 empty Ziplock bags. Police arrested two men, ages 32 and 36.