Unfit for trial
Kouadi Kouassi, charged on Dec. 29 with trying to steal the $76 million Soho Grand Hotel on W. Broadway and Grand St. by filing a phony deed to the property, was declared on Feb. 6 to be psychologically unfit to stand trial.
Two doctors who testified at the hearing recommended psychiatric hospitalization.
Kouassi submitted documents on Nov. 22 to the New York County Clerk’s Office and the Department of Finance purporting to certify that the Hartz Group had transferred ownership of the hotel to him. The documents proved to be false and Hartz said they never heard of Kouassi.
Construction site theft
The manager of a residential construction site at 40 Mercer St. at Grand St. told police on Mon. Feb. 12 that thieves had come in over the weekend and took kitchen appliances, including a gas stovetop, a wine cooler and an oven with a total value of $71,000.
Gone from stroller
A Brooklyn Heights woman told police on Mon. Feb. 12 that while she was shopping at the Scholastic Book retail shop at 557 Broadway with her child, a thief made off with her bag, which she had left for a moment on the stroller. She cancelled her credit cards but discovered that unauthorized charges of $3,033 had been made at Soho Computer Exchange and $3,145 had been made at a Best Buy store. In addition to credit cards, the victim lost the bag, her wallet and $460 in cash. The incident happened on Jan. 6 but was not reported to police until Feb. 12.
Assault on E.M.T.
A female paramedic in an Emergency Medical Unit that went to 41 River Terrace in Battery Park City at 7:30 p.m. Sun. Feb. 11 in response to a call about a drunk man out of control sustained an arm injury when the man began swinging wildly and struck her, police said. Dmitri Guerriero, 46, was charged with misdemeanor assault.
Tribeca burglary
A thief entered an office at 205 Hudson St., just south of Canal St. sometime between Thur. Feb. 7 and Mon. Feb. 12 and made off with a digital camera, two lenses, a memory card and a laptop computer, police said.
Parking spot beating
A dispute over a curbside parking spot at Lafayette and Walker Sts. at about 4 p.m. Tues. Feb. 6 ended with one man knocked out and taken to Bellevue Hospital with facial injuries, police said. Lembenskie Payne, 42, was arrested a short time later and charged with assault. He was freed on $1,500 bail pending an April 19 court date.
School fight
Benjamin Reid, 19, a G.E.D. student at the Tenzer Learning Center, 198 Forsyth St. at Stanton St., was charged with assault on Feb. 7 for punching an 18-year-old classmate in the nose in a hallway at noon on Tues. Feb. 6, police said.
Drug bust
Police arrested Michael Orly, a city Emergency Medical Technician, at 7:38 p.m. Thur. Feb. 9 in the Vladeck Houses at 354 Madison St. for possession of drugs.
Correction
The burglary of an apartment at 204 Spring St. on Jan. 24 was done while the family was at work and the self-locking door to the apartment had been closed securely. Downtown Express incorrectly reported last week that the victim told police that the door may have been left unlocked.
— Albert Amateau
