Incident Reports: $16,000 64-lb Photography Book Reported Stolen

Crimes and suspicious incidents recently reported to the :

Limited Edition Photography Book Missing After House Rented for Weekend

A Water Mill man reported on July 27 that a 64-pound photography book, “Sumo” by Helmut Newton, was stolen from his Roses Grove Road home while he was overseas and his home was rented out for the weekend.

The estimated value of the book is $16,000.

The man said that his house was rented out from June 22 to 24, and on June 24 his housekeeper called him to report the book was missing.

When the man contacted the person he rented the house to, the renter admitted to taking the book and promised to reimburse him, according to the incident report. The renter then changed his story and said a friend had taken the book during a party, the report states.

After the homeowner called the renter multiple times to inquire about reimbursement with no calls back, he contacted police, according to the report.

According to amazon.com, there are only 10,000 copies of the book in existence, all signed and numbered.

Identity Theft

 • A Sag Harbor woman told police on July 27 that her 10-year-old daughter received two letters in the mail from American Express denying applications for credit cards. She said that someone must have stolen her daughter’s personal information and she was informing police to preserve her daughter’s credit.

• A Southampton woman reported July 23 that police in Orange, Conn., notified her of a suspicious incident involving a package sent to a Connecticut resident. FedEx said that someone made several charges to her credit card. She closed her Visa account and FedEx’s fraud unit asked that she report the charges to police, according to the incident report. The charges were made online July 21.

• An Eastport woman reported July 23 that on July 21 someone used her name and personal information to charge $5,000 on her Banana Republic Visa card and attempted to withdraw money from her home equity credit line through Chase bank. The woman said the identity thief changer the security questions and mother’s maiden name affiliated with her accounts to access them. The suspect uses a Brooklyn address, according to the incident report.

Grand Larceny

• A North Haven woman reported to police on July 27 that a $10,000 Baume & Mercier 18-karat watch and a Dyson vacuum were stolen from her Fairlea Court home. She said that the items went missing between July 5 and July 20, when house cleaners and construction workers were in the house. Housecleaners said they noticed the vacuum missing on July 6, according to the woman’s statement to police.

• An East Quogue man reported that an outboard motor attached to a temporary mount was stolen from his Montauk Highway yard.

Burglary

• The owner of Coast Grill in North Sea reported on July 28 that when he arrived at work he found that his office door, which is usually leaves unlocked, was locked, and a safe containing $800 cash and employee checks was pried out of a shelf and taken. His said his files were rummaged through and $600 cash in a bank envelope with receipts was taken.

• A Westhampton man reported July 21 that his $2,000 37-inch Sharp Aquos flatscreen television was stolen from his home. The burglars apparently entered through an unlocked sliding glass door, which he found left open when he returned home, according to his statement to police.

• A Hampton Bays man reported on July 17 that sometime since the previous night a wakeboard and kiteboards were stolen from the backyard of his Nautilus Drive home, and the kites for the board were taken from a storage shed.

Criminal Mischief

• A Hampton Bays man reported July 28 that on July 26 his mailbox at his Lynncliff Road home was knocked over and the mailbox door was missing.

• An East Quogue woman reported July 28 that sometime overnight someone damaged her mailbox by denting it.

Criminal Mischief, Menacing

• An attendant  of Shamrock gas station in Riverside reported on July 24 that a white man came into the store at the gas station to buy cigarettes. When the attendant asked for ID, the man became angry, cursed out the attendant and walked out, according to the incident report. The man came back to curse and yell more, and the attendant asked him to leave, the report states. The man then pulled out a knife and waved it at the attendant, who went back into the store. Upon pulling away from the gas station, the man threw a metal pipe at the store glass door, breaking it. There is video of the incident.