By LINDA KELLETT

C-S-E News Staff

ST. JOHNSVILLE — St. Johnsville Police are reminding village residents to secure their homes and vehicles when they’re not there; and they’re also being asked to report suspicious activities they might observe in their neighborhoods.

Police Chief Diana Callen Tuesday night told St. Johnsville village trustees that there have been three instances over the last couple of weeks in which unknown individuals have reportedly attempted to make entry to residences.

Two of those incidents occurred during the day; the third took place later in the evening.

The entry attempts were reported to have taken place on North Division, Cottage and William streets, she said. On two occasions, people were at home when the situations took place. One of the incidents involved an elderly female.

It appears that different individuals are involved. In one situation, police were able to make an arrest, she said.

Callen said during one of the daytime incidents, an individual was returning home, “and [the suspect] was there.”

She said the resident did not know the individual who allegedly was attempting to enter his/her home.

The suspect, who was not from St. Johnsville, has been charged with trespass, a violation.

Callen said, “He was at the door. The homeowner indicated that the door looked like it had been tampered with.”

St. Johnsville Police made the arrest with the assistance of Little Falls Police, who were able to pick up the suspect, she said.

In conjunction with Callen’s report, Mayor Bernie Barnes said there have been several complaints at one location in the village about cats that are making messes on other people’s property. Additionally, there is concern that the felines, who appear sickly, might bite or scratch area children who are coming and going to school.

Code Enforcement Officer Wayne Horender said the cat owners can be cited under the village code for their alleged “defamation of someone else’s property.”

“It’s something they can definitely be issued a ticket for,” he said.

Barnes said the matter is being taken seriously and will be dealt with by the codes officer. Additionally, the police department and board of health are involved.

Callen noted there have also been complaints about dogs — “that people aren’t cleaning up after them as they should,” she said.

Barnes said, “It’s getting to be a nuisance to the homeowners who want to keep their properties respectful to the community. If it takes a matter of citing them, it will be up to the codes officer, the chief and the board of health will be working on it.”

He continued, “We started working on it last week and will follow up this week. Some people have been notified that the board of health is involved. We killed two birds with one stone.”

In other business, Barnes noted that despite rumors to the contrary, no stop-work order was issued for work on Mr. Linney’s property.

• Two quotes for clutch repairs for a 1989 International dump truck were received. With a difference of only $30 between the two prices, Barnes recommended village officials accept the estimate of the higher bidder, who goes out of his way to help the village, Barnes said.

Trustees approved the $1,617.91 bid of John Scanlon.

• A proclamation was unanimously approved recognizing October as Bullying Awareness Month in the village of St. Johnsville.

• Finally, Barnes noted that he was contacted by the county Department of Social Services to see if there was interest on the part of the village to have adult individuals receiving some public assistance to perform supervised tasks.

“If they don’t show up, it’s our obligation to contact the department,” he said, noting the individuals’ benefits could potentially be affected.

Barnes was expected to meet with a department representative in order to get more information about the program on Wednesday.

• The next meeting of the St. Johnsville Village Board will be held on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m.