Investigators crack 20-year old murder case
The 20-year-old murder case of Dorothy LeConte, a Haitian woman from North Bergen who was raped and strangled in July of 1989, may be solved because of a DNA test.
LeConte, at the time 22 years old, had been visiting family relatives in Hempstead, Long Island when she was attacked, according to published reports. She had gotten onto a bus in Manhattan to travel to see her aunt and brother, but instead, her body was found the next day lying face down in a small creek on the edge of Hempstead High School.
She had a 23-month-old son, Narces, who was still in Haiti at the time.
According to police, Joey Bethea, 38, of Bainbridge, N.Y., had refused to submit DNA samples in the past, but because he had a long rap sheet, police contacted him at home recently and collected a sample.
New York State crime lab investigators then found that his DNA was a match in DNA and semen samples of the murder case and alerted Nassau County Police.
With the aid of New York State Police Troop C, Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Nassau County detectives arrested Bethea on Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. in Nineveh, N.Y. He has been charged with second degree murder.
According to a Hempstead First District Court spokesperson, at Bethea’s arraignment on Sept. 30, bail was set at a $2 million bond over $1 million cash. Bethea remains in custody.
NB cops find alleged Oxy robber
North Bergen Police arrested Henry Ryan, 32, of North Bergen as the alleged culprit to last month’s OxyContin robbery.
Henry allegedly pulled up to the CVS Pharmacy located at 90th Street and Bergenline Avenue at 2:40 a.m. on Sept. 22 in a taxi he had ridden from New York City, said police.
According to Capt. Robert Dowd, the it was the taxi driver’s first night. The driver was from Bangladesh and did not have a good grasp on English.
When they got to the CVS, he had told the New York driver that he was going to take money out of the ATM to pay him. Dowd said that the driver was “leery” so he followed Henry in and watched him demand the pills from the pharmacist, not truly understanding what was going on.
Henry allegedly left the pharmacy with 200 tablets of the drug and then fled into James J. Braddock Park.
The driver followed him into the park, where Henry allegedly called his mother so that he could pay the driver. Henry’s mother allegedly drove the two men to Oritani Savings Bank, where she took money $60 out of her bank account to pay for Henry’s ride.
Afterward the taxi driver returned to the scene. witnesses pointed him out as being a part of the robbery, said Dowd, who explained that he was then arrested.
After the aid of a translation service, police learned that the driver had not been a part of the robbery. He drove police to the ATM location, helping them find the bank records of Henry’s mother, said Dowd.
When police arrested Henry, he had been sleeping before they arrived. Only 69 pills remained. Dowd said the pills have a value of $20 each.
“We believe he had been using them,” said Dowd. “he admits that he was addicted to all kinds of pain medication.”
Henry is also a suspect in a July 25 robbery at the same CVS on July 25, and two others in Hoboken, police said.
Henry was charged with drug possession, distribution within 500 feet of a park, distribution within 1000 feet of a school, receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of prescription drugs, and first degree robbery. Henry received distribution charges not because he was believed to have been dealing the stolen goods, but because he had enough in possession to be doing so.
Cuban Lions Club holds flea market
The West New York Cuban Lions Club will hold a Flea Market today, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 1525 Kennedy Blvd., North Bergen. Club members will volunteer and supply all the donations for this event. All of the proceeds will go toward helping those who are visually impaired.
For more information contact Manny Reyes, president of the West New York Cuban Lions Club, at (201) 424-1201.
High Tech has successful 9/11 food drive
High Tech High School’s National Honor Society, along with their moderator, Language Arts instructor Patrick Noble, organized a school-wide food drive on Sept. 11.
NHS students collected over 600 cans and cartons of groceries from homerooms and are preparing the boxes to be delivered to the Saint Mary/Saint Michael Food Pantry in downtown Jersey City.
The food drive was done in remembrance of those who perished during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
On average the Saint Mary/Saint Michael Food Pantry feeds over 300 families a week.
For more information on the food pantry, contact Saint Mary’s R.C. Church’s rectory at (201) 653-2217.
Household waste collection day
On Oct. 4 and 17, the Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA) will hold their biannual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Days.
Residents can drop off materials for proper disposal on Oct. 4 at Norton Paints in Bayonne, at 148 East 5th St., and at the HCIA’s new drop-off location in the Secaucus High School Parking lot at 11 Mill Ridge Road.
On Oct. 17, drop-offs can be made from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Jersey City at the Jersey City Incinerator Authority at 501 Route 440, and at the Kearny DPW at 357 Bergen Ave.
Pesticides, herbicides, solvents, cleaners, thinners, corrosives, pool and photographic chemicals, propane tanks (from barbecue grills only), used motor oil, antifreeze, batteries, computer and electronic equipment, televisions, printers, fax machines, stereos, car batteries, fire extinguishers and old gasoline will be accepted.
Residents who bring in old mercury thermometers will be able to trade them in for a free digital model.
Palisades thrift shop helps support local residents
For more than 13 years, residents in search of low prices have gone to Palisades Thrift Shop, 595 Anderson Ave., in Cliffside Park.
The shop’s annual revenues from these purchases are donated to support the Palisades Medical Center Foundation to improve programs and services offered at Palisades Medical Center and at the Harborage Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center.
“Through the years, our best customers have been the ones that regularly buy and donate items in an effort to support the hospital,” said Denise Whitley, coordinator of Volunteer Services at Palisades Medical Center. “But in recent months, we have seen many new faces in the shop that are searching for bargains during these tough times.”
The shop features new and used clothing for men, women and children, along with jewelry, furniture, toys, books, artwork, CDs and DVDs.
The store is open from Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is also a pick-up service for donations available.
For more information, call (201) 945-6965.
UCP golf outing receives local donation
United Cerebral Palsy of Hudson County (UCP) recently received a generous donation from the Bayonne Community Bank for its annual golf outing.
The donation will provide programs and services for the organization, which serves individuals throughout Hudson County and neighboring communities from infancy through adulthood with developmental disabilities.
For more information on the programs and services of UCP of Hudson County or to participate in the upcoming 12th Annual Golf Classic, contact Vincent Lombardo at (201) 436-2200.
UCP receives $58K for childcare services
The UCP was also the recipient of $58,300 from the United Way of Hudson County for their 2009 fiscal budget.
Their ongoing partnership with the United Way of Hudson County will help provide the childcare services of UCP’s Growing Tree II Learning Center, located in Jersey City.
“With funding from the United Way, it was possible to provide free child care service to several families, including a single mom with twins, so she may be able to seek educational and employment opportunities,” said Associate Executive Director of UCP of Hudson County Keith Kearney.
NJ receives $40M for swine flu
New Jersey has been awarded almost $40 million in federal funding to help state and local responses to the H1N1 Influenza this fall, Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard announced last week.
County and local public health agencies will receive $20 million for vaccinations, planning, antiviral distribution and community management.
About $9 million will go toward hospitals, $2 million will be set aside for regional health care facilities, and $7 million was used by the state for vaccination preparation and their public education campaign. There is $1 million set aside in the case of an emergency.