ELLENVILLE – The members of the Ellenville Police Department continue their work to keep the village's streets safe, and to bring to justice those who would threaten that safety. According to Police Chief Phil Mattracion, there was yet another home invasion on the evening of Friday, June 5, at about 11 p.m., a mere two weeks after an unrelated home invasion occurred on Clinton Avenue.

According to Chief Mattracion, Beverly Regan and her seven-year-old granddaughter were asleep at her residence on North Main Street, when she was woken up by a knock at the door.

"She asked who it was; the subject gave a name that was familiar to her, so she opened the door. The suspect then pushed his way in, closed the door, and demanded money and various other items that the suspect believed may have been in the residence," said Mattracion.

The perpetrator threatened to hurt Regan and tie her up if she did not cooperate, said the chief. When she repeatedly said that she didn't have what he was looking for, he made her take him around the residence, and eventually woke up her granddaughter.

"The only money that was there was her piggy bank that had money in it that she had been saving. He took that money." Chief Mattracion said that the piggy bank held a couple hundred dollars.

"The seven-year-old, not knowing what was going on, asked why the man was taking the money. I think that really hits to the heart of the story, when a seven-year-old sits there and says, 'Grandma, why is this man taking my money?' She was very sad," said the chief.

The perpetrator continued to search the house, then proceeded to remove the battery from Regan's cell phone and disconnected her other phone. He fled the scene on foot.

Chief Mattracion said that the suspect was unknown to Regan, and that he did not wear a mask of any kind. He also said that there was no weapon displayed or implied. Police are asking for help in identifying the suspect, who is described as follows: a light-skinned black male, thin build, thin mustache, about 5'9", wearing a yellowish-orangeish hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. He had a bald head, and is believed to be in his early 20s.

"It's a cowardly act to push your way into a house and steal a seven-year-old's piggy bank for a couple of hundred bucks. That's certainly the act of a desperado." The chief also said that this invasion was not believed to be related to the aforementioned Clinton Avenue home invasion from May 25, during which three suspects forced their way into a home and repeatedly pistol-whipped the occupants, stealing a cell phone and a set of car keys, both of which were recovered outside the residence by police. Chief Mattracion said, however, that there may be a connection between the Clinton Avenue invasion and another home invasion that took place in Cuddebackville two days later, which resulted in a man suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

The Final Bullet
Regarding another recent case, the Ellenville Police Department recovered the final bullet that was fired in the Berme Road shooting, which occurred on April 28, an incident that resulted in Alex Jorge suffering a gunshot wound in the back of the neck. Jamin A. Ward of Chester, NY, was arrested by the Ellenville police two days later.

The chief said that the police found the bullet at about 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning while conducting one last sweep of Berme Road Park; the area was being cleaned in preparation for the building of the Ellenville Playground. The gun fired by the perpetrator, however, has yet to be found.

"Obviously the shooter knows where that gun is, but he's not saying," said the chief. Ward is still in custody in Ulster County Jail.

This Party's Over
The police also recently had an altercation with a woman who was arrested after she was found to be hosting a party and serving alcohol to minors, a violation of the social host law, said the chief.

"The Ulster County Legislature, I believe, and the district attorney's office, passed it last year. It's a law where parents and people of age cannot host a party at their house and serve alcohol to minors," he explained.

At 12:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, police investigated a noise complaint on Mountainview Avenue, where Susan Rivera, 33, was found to be hosting the aforementioned party.

"She was very uncooperative," said Chief Mattracion. "She herself was under the influence of alcohol. She made verbal and physical threats to the officers. Upon being placed in custody, she kicked out the back rear window of the patrol car." After being subdued, Rivera was arraigned before Village Justice Harvey Levine and was remanded to Ulster County Jail on $770 cash bail. As of Monday, she was still in jail. She was charged with disorderly conduct, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief in the third degree (a felony), and also a violation of the social host law.

Bee End
Finally, the police department also tackled one of their strangest adversaries yet: a swarm of bees which had descended on a tree on Canal Street near Yankee Place.

"We had to close down one of the streets and keep pedestrian traffic out of the area until the bees were removed by the beekeeper," said the chief. He said that the bees had likely followed a pregnant queen bee to the area, and had come from a nearby hive somewhere in the vicinity. He said that the beekeeper who the department called to remove the swarm estimated 20,000 bees were actively present, since a pound of bees is about 3,300, and he estimated the hive he coaxed them into weighed about six pounds.

"The public should know that if they ever do encounter bees like that, you should not disturb them or agitate them, especially in a swarm," said the chief. Fortunately, no one was hurt or stung in the incident.

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