Thread: N.Y.: Cop who ran 100-mile race nabs man easily

September 11, 2008


Cop who ran 100-mile race nabs man easily

Robert Brum
The Journal News

WEST NYACK - A man suspected of identity theft at the Palisades Center mall picked the wrong cop to try to run away from yesterday morning, Clarkstown police said last night.

The arresting officer, Andrew Kelly, had recently run a 100-mile race through Vermont's Green Mountains. Yesterday's foot chase through the West Nyack woods in pursuit of the 37-year-old suspect took only about five minutes.

About 10:50 a.m. yesterday, Dwight Edwards purchased a GPS system, calculator plus gift cards totaling more than $3,000 using a credit card issued in a New York City firefighter's name, Sgt. Gerard O'Connor said. The suspect had obtained the firefighter's identity and gotten a card issued in his name, police said.

Someone from one of the stores at the mall became suspicious and called police, who stopped Edwards' Plymouth minivan on the mall's ring road.

Edwards then crashed the minivan on Route 303, and O'Connor said Edwards then tried to run through the Saturn dealership parking lot across from the mall and into the woods.

It didn't take Kelly long to catch up with him.

"Of all the officers he could have decided to run from, Officer Kelly was probably the last one he wanted to run from," O'Connor said.

Kelly, a former Marine, participated in the 24-hour race in July. The Wounded Warrior Project tries to help returning servicemen and women who have been severely injured during their tour of duty.

Edwards, who gave an address of Freeport, Long Island, had been deported to Jamaica in June.

He is charged with six counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, seven counts of first-degree identity theft, six counts of second-degree forgery, one count of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and eight counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, all felonies.

He also was charged with the following misdemeanors: third-degree unlawful possession of personal identification information; second-degree reckless endangerment; resisting arrest; and second-degree obstructing governmental administration.

Edwards was awaiting arraignment last night, He will be held in the Rockland County jail. He also faces an immigration charge and deportation.

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 8809110469

This is the most shocking part.

Edwards, who gave an address of Freeport, Long Island, had been deported to Jamaica in June.

He's back in three months? This guy came in on a plane, boat or ship so we have a security problem, since he was able to come back.

Dixie