ELLENVILLE – Know that old saying that 'they always return to the scene of the crime'? Well, the Ellenville Police Department proved this weekend that it's true.

In the wee hours of Saturday morning, officers received reports of four or five car larcenies on Hickory, Spring, and Lincoln Streets, with items stolen from within, culminating with an actual car theft. In all cases, the owners of the cars left their doors unlocked — and in the last case, the owner also left the keys in the car.

"We always have to use caution," says Ellenville Police Chief Phil Mattracion. "And while we would like to believe that nobody will go through our personal property, and nobody will invade our personal space and commit crimes against us as individuals, that would be an idealistic society…however, that being said, we're not in an idealistic society. We certainly have to just take the necessary precaution of locking our car doors and making sure the keys are removed from our vehicles at all times."

Two hours after they began investigating, however, the Ellenville Police were able to close the case. Apparently, the car thief, who'd taken the swiped vehicle on a joyride all the way to Liberty and back, returned to the scene of her crime to retrieve her own ride: a bicycle. After confronting the suspect and questioning her, she admitted to the thefts.

Police arrested Checota Tiger Pinto, 42, of Ellenville, charging her with one count of grand larceny in the third degree, a felony, and four counts of petty larceny, misdemeanors. She was remanded the Ulster County Jail and appeared before Hon. Judge Matt Parker in Village Court on Tuesday night.

"Last week we had another case where a car got taken, and was wrecked in an accident as a result of it, because the keys were in it, and the car was left running while the person went into the store," recounts the chief. "You just never know who's looking for that crime of opportunity."

Tiger Pinto's arrest was about as easy as it was going to get for the village's cops. On Sunday, at about 2:20 a.m., the police received a call that there was a 20 year old male lying on the ground, bleeding from the mouth and neck. He was taken by the Ellenville Rescue Squad to Ellenville Regional Hospital, where he received 16 stitches to close wounds in his mouth. He had numerous cuts and abrasions about his face and head, two black eyes, and numerous more abrasions and bruises all over his body. The victim has since been released from the hospital and is resting at home.

According to Chief Mattracion, the police found that there had been a gathering at a house on Essex Street, where seven or eight individuals parked a car up the road and went to the house with a specific target in mind. When they arrived, after an exchange of words, a relative of the target got involved, and wound up getting jumped by the group who'd arrived at the house. The chief says that the victim was knocked down, punched, kicked, and even hit with a pipe.

After investigating, the chief says that the police department has identified the suspects, Ellenville residents, some of whom are minors, and will likely be making arrests this week. He also says that after speaking with the Ulster County District Attorney, those members of the group who are minors will be tried as adults.

"The message must be sent loud and clear that we will not tolerate, as individuals or a society, a group or groups of individuals who go out and commit violent acts upon other residents of our community. It is not acceptable," says Chief Mattracion.

Chief Mattracion also stresses that while the act is known as "gang assault," this is not the result of gang activity in the traditional sense. He says that this is simply a case of a violent act committed by individuals in concert — and that, in fact, the assault was over a girl. He's not able to say any more on the subject, however.

Things didn't end there for the police this weekend, though. The very next night at about 2:30 a.m., while doing routine door checks of businesses throughout the village, two officers saw someone take off down a street, forcing the officers to give chase. The suspect eluded them, so they backtracked to see if a business had been broken into. While proceeding down an alley behind a business on North Main Street, the suspect jumped out and punched Officer Phillip Brooks in the face, once again taking off on foot. Brooks pursued him again, and was joined by other officers, but once again the suspect eluded the police. The Ulster County Sheriff's K9 unit came to the scene, as did the New York State Police, but after an extensive search, they were unable to find him.

The police have described the suspect as such: a Hispanic male, between the ages of 18 and 25, thin build, straight, close-cropped, dark hair, and was last seen wearing a light blue t-shirt and blue jeans. Anyone with information regarding the suspect, or who may have been driving around the area at that time and may have seen something, are urged to call the police at 647-4422. All calls will be kept confidential.