Brazen tire thieves are Van-dals

Three men arrested in Flushing while riding in a Ford Econoline van with Pennsylvania plates, were in possession of stolen tires, burglar’s tools and a police scanner recently.
Fray A. Deidrick, 26 of Mount Vernon, N.Y. was stopped for a traffic infraction about 1 a.m. on Tuesday, November 11, near Northern Boulevard and 157th Street in Flushing.
Police Officer Terje Brown of the Patrol Borough Queens North Task Force observed a tire iron in the van, and also discovered an un-permitted police scanner radio, an ignition puller, numerous tools, a pneumatic jack and three tires that matched ones reported stolen earlier that night.
Cops from the 109th Precinct had responded to a complaint and found a 2006 Ford Econoline van at 149th Street and 33rd Avenue. It was up on blocks, with three wheels missing. According to a police source, there has been a recent rise in reports of larcenies involving Ford Econoline vans in Queens.
Also arrested were passengers Odari K. Jervis, 29 of Greensboro, North Carolina and Newton L. Whittaker, 37, from Brentwood, Long Island.
The trio had been charged with auto stripping, criminal possession of stolen property, possession of burglar’s tools, and unlawful possession of radio devices, all misdemeanors, which could have landed them in jail for a year.
Conviction on the burglar’s tools charge would have required the accused crooks to submit a DNA sample.
However, at their arraignment in Queens Criminal Court, on Tuesday, November 4, the trio of tire takers were allowed to plead guilty to a charge of Disorderly Conduct, and sentenced to 70 hours of community service.