Alleged ATM Robbers Arrested in Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant police have arrested a man who allegedly has been involved in a string of ATM burglaries in the area over a period of several months.
Working with several police agencies, Cristian Vargas-Minaya, 32, of 569 Academy St., in Manhattan, was arrested on Aug. 1 by Mount Pleasant detectives for his alleged role in the burglaries in town. As the investigation continues, additional charges are expected from the other agencies involved, Mount Pleasant police said.
Mount Pleasant police have been investigating a spree of 10 commercial burglaries and two attempted burglaries that have occurred in the hamlets of Thornwood and Hawthorne between February 25 and July 5 of this year.
Police said that due to the similarities in the burglaries, they determined the same group of individuals may have been involved. The suspects targeted businesses that contained ATM machines, according to police. The ATMs would be compromised during the burglaries and any surveillance equipment on the premises would be taken along with other proceeds, according to police, who added the alleged the burglars were “particularly brazen” because they spent an hour or more in a location.
The Mount Pleasant Police Department worked with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety Special Operations Unit Task Force to try to develop suspects. A burglary task force was created and headed by Mount Pleasant police for the purpose of identifying, arresting, and prosecuting the individuals responsible for these burglaries and the prevention of further burglaries, according to Mount Pleasant police.
Mount Pleasant detectives and the WCDPS Special Operations Task Force shared suspect information with the Westchester County district attorney’s office. The burglary task force increased in size to include detectives from Greenburgh, Peekskill, Ardsley, Pleasantville, New York State Police, and the New York City Financial Crimes Unit. The agencies had experienced burglaries fitting the same pattern as the one in Mount Pleasant.
The Westchester County members of the task force developed intelligence regarding an impending burglary in the Bronx. The task force notified the NYPD Financial Crimes unit and in the early morning hours of July 31 three persons were arrested by the NYPD while in the process of a burglary in the Bronx. Miguel Rodriguez, 34, of Clinton Street, Sleepy Hollow, along with two other subjects, was taken into custody by the NYPD. Mount Pleasant Police have lodged a warrant with New York City police for the arrest of Rodriguez for his role in the rash of Mount Pleasant commercial burglaries. Charges on the other two individuals are in abeyance pending analysis of evidence collected at the past burglaries, according to the Mount Pleasant police An additional main player was tracked down by WCDPS Special Operations Task Force. The task force was also assisted by Sleepy Hollow police, Ossining Village police, and the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Mount Pleasant Police Chief Paul Oliva said he perceived the series of burglaries in town as “an affront” and he dedicated all available resources to identify and arrest those responsible. Oliva said he is grateful for the resources that the Westchester County Department of Public Safety dedicated to the investigation along with the other agencies involved. Oliva said he was extremely proud of “the hard work and dedication of his entire detective division.” Oliva also said he was looking forward to continued cooperation with other agencies in the future, in an effort to neutralize organized crime groups such as this one.
