ELLENVILLE – Hot on the heels of last Tuesday's violent shooting in Berme Road Park, in which an Ellenville man was shot in the back of the neck and airlifted to Westchester Medical Center for treatment, three village businesses were the targets of late-night break-ins on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. Though police don't think there's any connection between the shooting and the break-ins, these latest crimes are put a capstone on what has proven to be a month with a higher crime rate than the same period last year.

Maggi's Country Store and Café on the corner of Canal and Market Streets, and the Hair Encounter and the European Deli on Route 209, were all broken into after business hours on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, police said. After speaking with the various business owners, it seems as though the method of entry differed from place to place, but in each instance, the business was accessed via the back.

Maggi's Country Store and Café’s back window was broken with a nearby wooden chair, allowing entry to the store. At the Hair Encounter, the business was accessed via an unlocked back window, while the European Deli had its back door and lock broken, breaking chunks of the wall along with it.

"They took some money from the register, and a few [grocery items] — they didn't steal too much," says Ula Zarnecki, who owns and operates the European Deli with her husband, Edward. "But the damage [to the wall] was more expensive than what they took."

The European Deli was the only location from which money was stolen. At Maggi's, Dameris "Maggi" Kutner reported that whoever broke in took a few knives from their display case and several Black and Mild brand cigars, while at the Hair Encounter, hair cutting equipment — electric edges and clippers — was all that was taken. "What are you going to take in a hair salon? Spray? Gel?" said owner and manager Swietlana "Lana" Kaziow.

As of press time, the Ellenville Police Department has not made any arrests, as the burglaries are currently under investigation. The police have said that they believe the burglaries were perpetrated by the same person or persons.

"Generally, when you get a series of break-ins occurring within a short period of time, in this case within a couple hours of each other, and the M.O.s [modus operandi] were all the same, basically you can attribute that to one or a couple subjects involved in this type of crime," said Ellenville Police Chief Phil Mattracion on Tuesday evening. He said that the department was pursuing positive leads, and began conducting interviews last week.

As to what could have been causing April's upswing in crime, particularly during last week, Chief Mattracion says that the change in season may be responsible. "With the onset of warm weather, generally there's always an increase [in crime]," said Mattracion, also making reference to last week's brief heat wave, which saw temperatures in the 80s. "[With] abnormally high temperatures, you tend to see disputes that can get out of hand and end up in violent acts. That's just undisputable. "You might be able to say it's the economy, tough times in the economy; maybe people are getting depressed, frustrated."

Chief Mattracion also alluded to the fact that these break-ins and the shooting can be seen as proof for the continued need for the village's police department. "I certainly empathize with the village and where they are financially, and the fact that they need cooperation from all the departments, and we're trying — we're doing our best. You can't cut public safety. We are unique to the village in the sense that we are a 24-hour, seven day a week operation."

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