Waverly fatal fall
A man on a sixth-floor fire escape at 164 Waverly Place was talking to people on the sidewalk below around 2:05 a.m. Sun., March 7, when he slipped and fell, police said. The victim, Thomas Brandon Leary, 28, was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. He was drunk, a police report said.
R & B bust
Police arrested Michael Archer, 36, who performs rhythm and blues and “neo soul” under the name D’Angelo, around 2:30 a.m. Sat., March 6, at Greenwich and Bethune Sts. for offering an undercover policewoman money to perform oral sex. Police said Archer was driving around in his S.U.V. when he stopped the woman and offered her $40 for her services. He was arraigned Saturday and released on his own recognizance pending a May 4 court appearance for soliciting a prostitute in the third degree, according to a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney. The defendant had $12,000 in cash in the car at the time, according to a New York Post item.
Soho Grand burglary
James Jimenez, 37, charged with grand larceny and burglary in connection with an August 2007 burglary of a penthouse suite in the Soho Grand Hotel on West Broadway near Grand St., will be sentenced on April 9 for larceny, of which he was convicted last month, according to a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the burglary, and Jimenez is to be retried on that charge at a date to be set later, a D.A. spokesperson said.
Chelsea Market burglaries
A burglar broke a front window at 443 W. 15th St. in the Chelsea Market complex sometime between 9:30 p.m. Sat., Feb. 27, and 9 a.m. the next day, entered Sarabeth’s Bakery and made off with $1,000, police said.
At the same time, a burglar broke into Buon Italia in the 75 Ninth Ave. side of Chelsea Market and damaged some flowerpots, but apparently did not take anything. Police are investigating the two incidents, which are likely related.
Punched and bitten
The resident of a fifth-floor apartment at 256 W. 15th St. called police at 4:15 a.m. Sat., Feb. 27, and said an acquaintance who was arguing with him in the apartment had punched him in the face and bit him on the arm. Mark Bonanno, 29, was charged with misdemeanor assault.
Noir caper
An employee of Café Noir, 32 Grand St., was closing the place at 3:15 a.m. Mon., Feb. 22, when she discovered that an automatic teller machine was broken and $1,680 had been taken, police said. The employee told the owner and police that she had heard a bang about 10 minutes before she closed the cafe. The owner told police that he had received a text message at 2:09 a.m. saying, “Safe door is open.”
Albert Amateau
