Valley Cottage Man Arrested after Incidents at Several Homes

A Valley Cottage man is being held in the Rockland county jail on $20,000 bail in connection with an apparent break-in attempt and two other incidents at homes nearby in Valley Cottage, according to Clarkstown police.

Michael Welch, 35, was arrested Saturday after a rash of incidents that began about 6 p.m. Welch is charged with second-degree attempted burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, third-degree trespassing and trespassing.

Police said they received a report from a homeowner about a suspicious person running through a back yard on Fulle Drive. Just prior to seeing that person, the homeowner said he heard loud, banging noises coming from his neighbor's home.

An investigation found damage at the neighbor's home. A glass door leading from a deck to the kitchen was shattered and a basement screen door had been damaged.

A few minutes later, a homeowner on Melanie Lane reported hearing someone on his deck. Police said the homeowner spotted a man walking off the deck, with that person matching the description of a man seen during the earlier incident.

At about 7 p.m., police said they received another call about a suspicious man, this time on Branchville Road, with the description of that man being similar to the earlier incidents. Police said they found Welch in the area and he was identified by witnesses.

Welch was arraigned in Clarkstown Town Court in New City and was ordered held in the Rockland County Correctional Facility in New City pending a hearing on Wednesday.