Shoplifter Busted
A 50-year-old man was arrested for robbery Aug. 19 at the 125 E. 86th St. and Lexington Avenue Duane Reade. At 1:36 p.m., an employee noticed Keith Hembrick trying to steal a $4 can of Red Bull energy drink and a $4 cake. Hembrick tried to leave and the employee tried to stop him. The arresting officers found Hembrick wrestling with the 25-year-old Duane Reade employee. The employee got a laceration on his right arm and a swollen lip.
Close Shave
A man stole hundreds of dollars in razor blades right in front of a Duane Reade employee June 30 at 7:50 a.m. Police said the man walked up to the cashier with 10 Gillette Fusion razors and 10 Gillette razor cartridges costing $502. He started asking the cashier questions about the product, and then suddenly ran out of the store, located on 1749 First Ave. and East 91st Street.
Sign Regulation Bad for Business
To the Editor:
“City Makes Move Against Marquee Sign” (April 1), concerning Duane Reade’s East 86th Street store marquee sign, sounded more like a bad April Fool’s joke on taxpayers. Add the Department of Buildings to the Municipal Art Society and politicians such as Borough President Scott Stringer, all of whom want to increase outdoor advertising regulations. This is sad to those who cherish free speech. Perhaps all have forgotten about the Bill of Rights and First Amendment. Read more
City Makes Move Against Marquee Sign
The Department of Buildings is stepping up efforts to remove an illegal marquee being used by the Duane Reade at 125 E. 86th St. and Lexington Avenue.
City regulations only allow marquees for theaters, churches or religious groups and department stores, according to Ryan Fitzgibbon, a department spokesperson. Duane Reade does not fit into any of those categories, and the city revoked its permit for the sign in June 2009. Read more
Slick Getaway
A man and a woman swiped several hundred dollars worth of beauty cream from a Duane Reade Feb. 20. The pair walked into the drug store, at 1231 Madison Ave. and East 89th Street, at 6:53 a.m. and swiped 17 bottles of Olay’s facial cream, according to reports. Cops said the merchandise was worth $388.83.
Busted in Rx Scam
A man was arrested for stealing prescription slips from a Harlem doctor and using them in the Duane Reade at 1279 Third Ave., between East 73rd and 74th streets. Police said that on July 28 Odalls Mena, 21, used a stolen proscription pad to obtain controlled substances from the drugstore’s pharmacy. When authorities contacted the Harlem doctor, she said the name on the prescription was not a patient and that she did not sign the bottom of the prescription slip. Mena was charged with forgery.
LIGHTS OUT FOR 86TH ST. DUANE READE
At the request of Council Member Dan Garodnick, the Department of Buildings issued a violation to the Duane Reade at 125 E. 86th St. for its illuminated marquee.
The marquee is a leftover from the days the building was home to a movie theater. The illuminated sign was considered illegal but was not caught because it fell under a self-certification policy.
Garodnick wanted the sign removed because illuminated signage creates an unfair competitive advantage for other businesses and clutters the streetscape, he argued. In May, Garodnick and fellow East Side Council Member Jessica Lappin allocated $215,000 to the East 86th Street Merchants & Residents Association for “beautification” of the East 86th Street corridor.
“The 86th Street corridor is a valuable part of the East Side, but it is in need of a facelift,” Garodnick said in a statement. “Implementing more demure signage that meets the city’s requirements will improve the appearance of this area and make it even more attractive for shoppers.”
Caught Stealing, Twice
A man was arrested after a Duane Reade store detective spotted him stealing from two separate locations. Terrance Pringle, 27, was observed placing items in a blue book bag at a store at 1463 Third Ave., near East 83rd Street. When Pringle left the store and headed toward another location, he was followed by the store detective. Pringle then put more items in his bag, cops said. At that point, the detective stopped Pringle and charged him with robbery.
