12 The QUEE NS Courier • december 5, 2013 FOR Breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com s police beat COMPILED BY TONIA N. CIMINO & crisabelt tualmo A FOND FAREWELL 108th Precinct LIC, Sunnyside and Woodside Seek burglary suspect The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance identifying the individual wanted for a burglary which took place on October 7 inside of a home at 41-32 44th Street. The suspect entered through a balcony door and took jewelry and electronics. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. 110th Precinct Corona and Elmhurst Man found dead in Corona home A 27-year-old unidentified man was found dead inside a Corona home early Sunday morning, December 1, police said. Cops found him in a third floor bedroom at 108-62 42nd Avenue shortly before 2 a.m. after responding to a call of a “foul odor” inside the home. There are no arrests at the time and the investigation is ongoing. Live-in boyfriend arrested in murder of Elmhurst woman The boyfriend of a woman found shot to death in her Elmhurst apartment has been arrested for her murder. Rolando Perez, 33, who lives with the victim, has been with charged with seconddegree murder and criminal use of a firearm, said police. Responding to a 9-1-1 call, cops found 29-year-old Carolina Cobena around 1:50 a.m. inside her 52nd Avenue apartment with a gunshot wound to the head, said police. She was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where she was pronounced dead. According to police, Cobena’s five-year-old son was in the apartment when the murder occurred. Cement & Brick Work Old World Craftsmanship Cement & Brick Work CALL ARTIE Basement Water Proofing Specialist Serving Queens for 35 Years Serving Queens for 35 Years For more information contact Artie DiBiase Mason Contractor 718.767.0072 Licensed #808097 and Insured Licensed #808097 and Insured Old World Craftsmanship CALL ARTIE Basement Water Proofing Specialist Pavers and Exposed Aggregate Concrete For more information contact Artie DiBiase Mason Contractor 718.767.0072 THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan Deputy Inspector Jason Huerta (left) and Community Council President Jack Fried (right) honored retiring Community Affairs Officer Gary Poggiali Suspect sought in string of Queens bank robberies Cops are looking for a man they say robbed three banks across Queens this fall. During each incident the suspect passed a demand note and fled with cash, said police. The first robbery took place inside of the Flushing Savings Bank at 188-08 Hollis Court Boulevard in Flushing on October 25. He then robbed a Chase Bank at 47-11 Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside and a second Chase Bank location at 31-05 30th Avenue in Astoria on November 25, said cops. Police described the suspect as a white male last seen wearing a black ski cap, black jacket, eyeglasses and carrying a black backpack. Fire tears thru auto body shop BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] A Whitestone auto body shop erupted in flames over the weekend, fire officials and residents said. More than 100 firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire at 150-15 14th Road, the site of Whitestone Collision, at 11:13 p.m. on November 30, according to the FDNY. It was under control by 12:20 p.m. There were no reported injuries, an FDNY spokesperson said. “The fire was huge,” said Devon O’Connor, president of the Welcome to Whitestone Civic Association. “Whitestone Collision is on 14th Road, and I saw smoke down by 11th Avenue.” The civic leader said firefighters filled the street to extinguish flames at the 1.5-story car body shop around midnight. Nearby residents posted photos on Facebook of billowing smoke coming from the blazing building. O’Connor said several ambulances were on scene but he “didn’t see anyone hurt.” The cause of the fire is under investigation. BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] For 10 years, Community Affairs Officer Gary Poggiali has watched 120 officers accept their “Cops of the Month” awards from the back of the room. Now he has plenty of plaques to call his own. Community leaders gave a final salute to the retiring, beloved cop with an armful of plaques and an earful of praises at a farewell party on December 3. “Gary is one of the good guys,” said Community Board 11 Chair Jerry Iannece. “He deals with us and all the issues in the community, and he does it with humor. He does it with pride, and he does it really well.” Poggiali has served close to 20 years with the NYPD. After one year in the police academy, he spent five years with the 73rd Precinct in Brooklyn, three working patrol for the 111th Precinct and then a decade in community affairs. “I know this community better than the community I grew up in,” Poggiali said. “I’ve spent a lot of time here. It’s just another page. My mother used to say, ‘When one door closes, another one opens.’” The precinct’s Community Council and a number of elected officials thanked him for his service, while poking jabs at him for “always eating.” “No matter what, Gary was always there for us, always friendly, always went the extra mile to help our office out,” said Assemblymember Ed Braunstein. Community Council President Jack Fried credited the affable Poggiali for the success of the precinct’s annual National Night Out Against Crime. “If it weren’t for Gary, they wouldn’t be half as big as they were,” Fried said. “Gary really put everything into it.” Poggiali, 50, plans to move and work security jobs down south in March. The new father welcomed his son Ryan to the world about two months ago. His last day with the NYPD is in mid-February. “This was a big piece of my life,” Poggiali said. “I’ll look back and tell my kids stories of how I ran the neighborhood, how I was the commanding officer,” he joked. 111 bids adieu to beloved Community Affairs Officer
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