Full Moon: Dropped Shorts Earn Man Public Lewdness Charge

A Connecticut man was arrested Tuesday night for mooning a female passerby, but witnesses said he exposed more than his posterior.

A 49-year-old woman was driving north on Grace Church Street at 8 p.m. when she passed Michael Martinez, who was standing on the street. The 45-year-old Martinez turned around and mooned the woman, but instead of tugging down his black shorts, he dropped them completely -- and apparently he wasn't wearing any underwear.

The horrified driver called police, and officers arrived to find Martinez "sitting on a wall, highly intoxicated," Lt. James Ladeairous said.

Martinez, of 4 Bertolf Road in Riverside, CT, was charged with public lewdness, a misdemeanor.

Suspects block Stamford man's car, force him to accept "service"

Police are warning Port Chester residents about overzealous car buffers employing tactics from the squeegee man playbook.

A 62-year-old Stamford man called police Wednesday to tell them about a run-in with the car detailers the night before, at 5:30 p.m. The victim was walking out of the nearby Costco when two Hispanic men pulled up in a black Ford Explorer and asked him if he wanted them to remove scratches on his parked car, Lt. James Ladeairous said.

The Connecticut man declined, but the other men were persistent -- they angled their SUV to block him from leaving the parking space, then jumped out and started spraying the scratched surfaces of the victim's car.

The man "repeatedly asked them to stop," which they did after a perfunctory sweep of the scratched areas. The men demanded $100 and the victim refused. But eventually he gave in, offering them $20 and ultimately handing over $40 total after a haggling session. The men took the money and drove off. Police checked the area, but the victim didn't have a plate number for the Explorer and the men were gone.

Ladeairous said victims will often pay for the "service" out of intimidation and to avoid a potentially escalating confrontation. Others have reported similar scams in the village in the past, and police want their help getting license plate numbers and detailed descriptions.

"We've had this type of thing," Ladeairous said. "If anyone sees any of this, try to get their info and call us."

Anyone who's witnessed -- or has been the victim of -- a similar scam can call Port Chester police at 914-939-1000.

Monday burglary wasn't just office equipment

Victims of a burglary earlier this week discovered more belongings were stolen than they'd initially realized.

Police were called back to 315 Westchester Avenue, the site of a Monday burglary in which communications equipment -- including a computer, fax machine and copier -- was stolen from an office.

The building is a converted home that now houses office suites, and on Wednesday another tenant realized about $700 worth in belongings was missing -- including clothes, a mirror and a gold lamp, Lt. James Ladeairous said.

Police believe it was the work of the same burglar who stole the office equipment.