NEW HARTFORD, NY — Police arrested a man accused of stealing a gold necklace from a vehicle occupied by a person with special needs in a shopping plaza parking lot.
Officers responded to a report of a larceny from a vehicle at approximately 12:23 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Consumer Square on Commercial Drive.
A man told police he had briefly left his adult son, who has mobility impairments and uses a wheelchair, inside a parked vehicle while he entered a nearby business.
Upon returning, the father learned that an unknown man had approached the vehicle and reached through an open window, removing a gold chain necklace from the center console before fleeing on foot.
The complainant provided a description of the suspect and told officers the man had arrived with a female companion and a young child and might still be in the area.
Officers conducted a search of the surrounding areas and located an individual matching the description inside a nearby retail store.
The man attempted to hide from officers when they approached, police said.
Police charged Gino Placanica, 29, of Utica, with petit larceny, a Class A misdemeanor, and endangering the welfare of a physically disabled person, a Class E felony.
While processing Placanica, officers discovered he is currently under supervision of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Division of State Parole.
State parole officials issued a parole revocation warrant for Placanica due to the incident.
Placanica was held at the Oneida County Jail on the parole warrant.
He is on parole stemming from a criminal possession of a controlled substance conviction.
