Accused sex offender apprehended at bridge

A U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, wanted in New Jersey on child abuse charges, was arrested Thursday at the Rainbow Bridge.

Reinaldo Rodriguez, 42, a U.S. citizen from Taly Cidra, Puerto Rico, was held on a warrant charging him with one count each of sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and child abuse.

The felony warrant was issued on March 23 by the Hudson County, New Jersey Sheriff’s Department.

Rodriguez told Customs and Border Protection agents that he was returning after a one day sightseeing trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario. A primary name check showed that Rodriguez might be the subject of an active warrant.

During a secondary inspection, fingerprint verification revealed that Rodriguez was the subject of the New Jersey warrant. Rodriguez was turned over to Niagara Falls police pending extradition to New Jersey.



Niagara Falls

• ARRESTS: Three Falls teens were arrested after creating a disturbance. Duane H. Honsberger, 18, 2468 Weston Ave., Richard Lee Jones, 18, no address available and Frederick Johnson, 19, no address available, were all charged with unlawful assembly. The trio were part of a group of eight to 10 teens who were blocking traffic at 22nd Street and Ontario Avenue at 7 p.m. Friday and refused police orders to leave the area.

• ARREST: A Falls teenager was arrested on a shoplifting charge Friday. David A. Morgan, 18,1206 15th St., was charged with second-degree criminal impersonation and petit larceny. Morgan was picked-up after an employee at the Target store in the 7400 block of Niagara Falls Boulevard said he observed the teen taking an MP-3 player at 3:30 p.m. without paying for it. Morgan than gave a fake name when questioned by police.

• BURGLARY: Police are investigating a burglary in the 1800 block of 15th Street. A 73-year-old woman told officers that sometime between 9 a.m. May 8 and 1 p.m. Friday someone broke into her home and took copper pipe from a first floor bathroom, plastic pipe and brass couplings, copper electrical wire and a city water meter from her basement.

• BURGLARY: Officers are looking into a burglary in the 500 block of Fourth Street. A property owner told police that sometime between 2:35 p.m. Wednesday and 1:45 p.m. Friday someone broke into the property by kicking in a back door. The victim said about 50 feet of copper pipe were taken.

Wheatfield

• DRUGS: Alexander S. H. Hyde, 19, 127 Fifth Ave., North Tonawanda, was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, and his sister, Robin L. Hyde, 22, also of 127 Fifth Ave., was charged Thursday evening with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop on Lockport Road. Deputies reportedly saw Robin, the passenger, and Alexander, the driver, switching seats after the traffic stop. Robin reportedly told deputies she’d switched seats with her brother because he just got his learner’s permit and she was upset with him for running the red light. Robin appeared anxious and admitted to deputies she had smoked marijuana an hour earlier. Deputies asked if there was marijuana in the car, and Robin reportedly said Alexander had some on him. Deputies searched Alexander and reportedly found a small baggie of marijuana in his shoe. A search of the vehicle yielded a bottle of prescription painkillers, the report said. Robin and Alexander were released on appearance tickets and are due May 27 in Wheatfield Town Court.

• DWI: Ann Marie Eckel, 47, 5484 Pinecrest Drive, Lockport, was charged early Friday with driving while intoxicated and failure to use designated lane after a traffic stop on Lockport Road. A deputy stopped Eckel’s car about 1:53 a.m. after he reportedly saw her driving 33 mph in a 55 mph zone, cross the center line and brake several times for no apparent reason. Eckel failed several field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. She registered a 0.12 percent blood alcohol content on a breath test. Eckel was held in lieu of $250 bail and is due Tuesday in Wheatfield Town Court.

• SHOPLIFTING: Deone L. Johnson, 41, 515 14th St., Apt. 2, was charged Thursday evening with petit larceny. Johnson tried to steal $176.50 worth of shirts and pants from Steve and Barry’s on Williams Road. Johnson was released on an appearance ticket and is due May 29 in Wheatfield Town Court.

• LARCENY: An employee of Niagara Sheet on Shawnee Road reported Thursday that overnight, someone stole a Dell laptop worth $1,669 from an employee’s office.

City of Lockport

• DRUGS: Gary N. Duchscherer, 49, 24 Ellen Drive, right, Cheektowaga, was charged early Friday with unlawful possession of marijuana and a seat belt violation after a traffic stop on Walnut Street. As officers were speaking with Duchscherer, they reported saw a plastic bag containing marijuana in plain view on the front seat. Duchscherer was released on an appearance ticket.

• DRUGS: Damon J. Quackenbush, 17, 278 Chapel St., Apt. 1, was charged early Friday with unlawful possession of marijuana. Quackenbush was a passenger in a car stopped on Outwater Drive about 12 a.m. Officers reportedly found a marijuana in his coat pocket. He was released on $50 bail and is due Tuesday in Lockport City Court.

• HARASSMENT: Matthew W. Hall, 16, 356 Vine St., Apt. 1, was charged Thursday night with second-degree harassment. A Clinton Street juvenile told police Hall placed him in a head lock and “bullied” him. The boy’s mother told police there has been an ongoing problem and that Hall had been previously warned by police to leave her son alone. Hall was released on his own recognizance and is due Monday in Lockport City Court.

Town of Lockport

• LARCENY: A Getzville woman told deputies Thursday that between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., someone stole her wallet from a table outside her sister’s house on Sherwood Drive. The woman said she was in and out of the house, doing paperwork both inside and at the outside table. The wallet contained a driver’s license, a library card, a credit card, a Bally’s card, a YMCA card and $400 in cash.

• LARCENY: A Groff Road woman reported Tuesday that sometime during the day, someone broke into her house and took several items, including a digital camera, a flat screen TV, a laptop, an iPod, a PlayStation Portable and a yellow Sabres necklace. The items are worth about $2,500, the report said. A neighbor told deputies he saw an older while Chevrolet station wagon parked in the driveway about 11 a.m.