Cash and checks stolen from Smithtown town offices
The Town of Smithtown has been the victim of several after-hours thefts at town hall in the clerk’s office, tax receiver’s office and at the senior center located on Middle Country Road.
Money and/or personal belongings were stolen after all offices were locked, Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) said.
Suffolk County Police Department officials said they are investigating two incidents: an envelope with cash and checks reported stolen on July 9 from the Smithtown Senior Center and checks stolen from Town Hall that were reported missing on July 23.
Six blank checks and 200 electronically deposited checks were reportedly stolen. The town considers the items non-negotiable.
“The way we process tax payments ensures residents are not penalized for something they have no control over,” said press officer Nicole Garguilo.
A police official said they don’t release the value of stolen property, and the town spokesperson could not elaborate on other details because the investigation is ongoing.
No arrests have been made for what is considered after-hour robberies. The town has taken action against potential alleged culprits.
“Upon reports to the board, we notified public safety immediately to take statements and involve the Suffolk County Police Department,” Wehrheim stated. “We retrieved all keys from the cleaning service and notified the owner of the immediate termination of the contract.”
The town had used OneService Commercial Building Maintenance, located in Bohemia. The company’s website states it’s a trusted, local, family-owned and operated business. No details on the name of owners are listed on the website or on New York State’s business registry. The registry states that the business was founded in 2014 and based in North Babylon. The company did not respond to messages left on its answering machine. Messages sent to its published email address were returned stating that the email address does not exist.
The town has hired a new cleaning team.
“We are currently looking at our security measures and reviewing policies to ensure this never happens again,” Wehrheim stated.
Detectives have instructed the town to keep its updated security measures confidential.
