Man Caught Breaking Into Dormont Cars

The following information was supplied by Dormont Police. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Residents’ reports led to a man who was trying to break into cars last week.

Police responded to the 1200 block of Mississippi Avenue just after 4 p.m. on July 5 after receiving reports of a man breaking into vehicles. Callers told police the man had been seen riding a bicycle down Sidney Alley toward Annex Avenue.

According to the police report, Sgt. Michael Bisignani found the man—identified as a juvenile from Brookline—near a pavilion in , where he appeared to be trying to hide the bike in some trees.

Witnesses identified him as the person they’d seen attempting to break into vehicles. While on scene, officers received another call that the juvenile also had hit and damaged a car while riding the bike toward the park, but had not stopped at the scene.

The boy was charged with criminal attempt and accident involving damage to a vehicle.

Also in the blotter:

June 30

• Dormont police responded to the 1400 block of Potomac Avenue at 8:40 p.m. for a report of a man sleeping on the sidewalk. According to the police report, the man—identified as Ronald Pfister, 50, of Beechview, smelled of alcohol and spoke with slurred speech after he was awakened by officers. Pfister was arrested and charged with public intoxication. He was lodged at the Dormont Police Station until he was sober.
• Officers responded to the 1100 block of Tennessee Avenue at 9:30 p.m. for a report that a man was standing outside an apartment building screaming. When police arrived, they found Kenneth Carlson, 61, of Dormont, sitting in front of the building. According to the police report, Carlson is a tenant of the building, but did not have keys or identification with him when police arrived. He was also unable to tell police who owned the building, or who any of the other tenants were. Carlson was unable to stand on his own, according to the report. He was taken into custody and charged with public intoxication.
• An officer on patrol in the 1300 block of Illinois Avenue at 11:35 p.m. stopped a man after he saw the man light what appeared to be a marijuana cigarette and walk down Illinois Avenue with it. According to the police report, as the officer approached the man—identified as Rocco Malerbo, 57, of Dormont—the man jumped, threw the cigarette onto the ground and asked the officer, “Where did you come from?” Malerbo then reportedly told the officer that he wouldn’t have walked past if he’d known an officer was sitting on the street. According to the police report, Malerbo admitted to having marijuana with him. The officer found two more marijuana cigarettes in his possession. Malerbo was cited for disorderly conduct.

July 3

• Police received a report of a stolen iPod Touch around 4:40 p.m. Officers traced the iPod to in Dormont, where surveillance cameras showed a woman selling the item at the counter. The woman was identified as Melaine Lopresti, 39, of Dormont. Lopresti was charged with receiving stolen property. She identified Jason Gratton, 31, of Dormont, as the person who gave her the iPod and asked her to sell it, according to the report. Gratton was charged with with theft from a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property.

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