NIAGARA FALLS — CUSTOMS

Chinese woman arrested on forgery, other charges

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested Chinese citizen on charges she made a false claim to citizenship, misused a passport and made false statements.

Officers said the 28-year-old woman attempted to cross the Rainbow Bridge in a taxi on Sunday. The woman gave customs agents a Korean passport as proof of citizenship and told the primary officer that she was going to the local casino.

The initial examination of the passport revealed what appeared to be inconsistencies on the biographic page. Agents said after a further inspection of the passport, they noticed that the photograph contained on the biographic page of the passport did not bear an exact resemblance to the woman. CBP Officers then utilized a unique computer system which employs color and infrared video imaging to aid in the examination of documents.

That inspection showed the passport was valid, but the biographical page had been altered with the woman’s photograph. After further checks, agents determined the woman’s fingerprints did not match those of the Korean woman who had been issued the passport.

Instead, officers identified the woman as YinHua Jin, 28, who had previously been denied a U.S. visa in December 2009.



Wanted felon arrested at bridge

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested a U.S. citizen wanted in Montana on felony burglary charges.  

Officers said the suspect, Michael Barreca, 31, was attempting to enter the U.S. at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge on Tuesday. Barreca told the primary CBP officer that he, his girlfriend and her 9-month-old child, who were in his car, were moving from Montana to Saratoga Springs. He said they had traveled through Canada to save time.

A preliminary name check showed that Barreca might be the subject of an active warrant issued in Montana.  

During a secondary exam, additional record checks confirmed that Barreca was the subject of a nationwide felony warrant issued on Aug. 26 by the City of Billings Montana Police Department. The warrant charges Barreca with felony burglary and stems from the robbery of a casino in Montana.

Barreca was arrested and turned over to the custody of the New York State Police pending extradition to Montana. His girlfriend and her child were released from custody.



TOWN OF LOCKPORT

Dirt bikes, gear taken from home

Niagara County Sheriff’s Deputies are looking for a suspect who took $15,870 worth of off-road equipment from a Rapids Road resident’s garage Tuesday.

The victim told Niagara County Sheriff’s deputies someone entered the locked garage and stole two dirt bikes, tools, racing fuel, Motocross clothing and a racing helmet.

Deputies spotted tire marks on the west side of the garage where they think the suspect rolled the bikes out. Deputies added they believe the thefts were a one-person job.



Niagara Falls

• ARRESTS: Two Falls men were arrested on drug charges. Thomas M. Campbell, 23, 1117 Ontario Ave., and Jody David Yoerg, 39, 1736 LaSalle Ave., were each charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Roving Anti-Crime Unit officers said they saw Campbell and Yoerg make a hand-to-hand drug exchange in the area of 17th Street and LaSalle Avenue at 7 p.m. Wednesday and then stopped them. Both men had baggies containing marijuana in their possession.

• ARREST: A Falls man was arrested on a drug charge. James Lee Christian, 46, 474 22nd St., was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Roving Anti-Crime Unit officers said Christian was behaving suspiciously in the area of 18th Street and Ontario Avenue at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday and they stopped him. Christian had 10 hydrocodone tablets in his possession when he was stopped.

Pendleton

• BURGLARY: A Beach Ridge Road resident told deputies Tuesday someone tried to gain entry into his home by kicking in a window and breaking his sliding-glass door. A report said the damage sustained was about $600. The victim said he believes the suspect could have been scared away by a neighbor’s dog.

Wheatfield

• DRUGS: Christopher M. Siever, 25, 3143 Bellreng Drive, Niagara Falls, was charged Tuesday with criminal possession of  controlled substance. A report said deputies pulled over Siever on Niagara Falls Boulevard for a traffic violation. Upon interviewing Siever, deputies detected marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. Siever was also in possession of five hydrocodone pills without a prescription.

• CHARGED: Joanna Scovazzo, 51, 6931 Witmer Road, Apt. 3, was charged Wednesday with second-degree reckless endangerment. A report said deputies responded to Witmer Road for a harassment report and the victim told deputies Scovazzo pulled up behind her in her vehicle, and began to yell obscenities and honk the horn at the victim. Deputies said Scovazzo then sped up almost striking the victim.