Lindenhurst man reports walker stolen, offers of help pour in

Two women were charged Wednesday in connection with the theft of a walker belonging to a 75-year-old Navy veteran that was outside a Lindenhurst bakery, Suffolk police said.

Monica Newcombe, 22, and Heather Lauro, 42, both of Lindenhurst, were charged with petit larceny. They received desk appearance tickets and are scheduled to appear at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.

Richard Dixon, 75, of Lindenhurst, said he left his walker outside the Black Forest Bakery on Wednesday morning in Lindenhurst while he went inside to eat breakfast. It was missing when he went outside about 45 minutes later, he said.

Dixon said he was “bent out of shape” when he realized what had happened. “It was pretty low to do this.”

Bakery owner Thomas Lorch checked the surveillance footage from his security cameras, which shows two women taking the walker out of view of the camera, and later walking back past the bakery without it.

Lorch, who said Dixon eats at the bakery daily, said he turned the footage over to Suffolk police and posted images and details of the incident on his Facebook page.

Within a few hours, the post was shared more than 4,000 times.

The walker was eventually returned, police said.

But early Wednesday afternoon, Lorch said he started receiving calls from community members who wanted to donate a walker. He was expecting 12 walkers to be donated by the end of the day and already had a handful at the bakery.

Lorch also purchased a walker for Dixon at H & J Medical Supplies in Lindenhurst about 20 minutes after the incident occurred, he said.

“Everybody loves him,” Lorch said of Dixon. “People are donating walkers all over the place.”

Lorch said he’s considering donating the extra walkers to a veterans home. Dixon said he was “very grateful for the donations.”

Police arrested Newcombe at a residence on Bristol Street Wednesday while Lauro turned herself into the First Precinct.

Newcombe took the walker for her handicapped mother, said a woman who answered the phone at Lauro’s home and identified herself as Lauro’s mother, Kathy Lauro. Newcombe and Heather Lauro are friends.

“This whole thing just snowballed,” said Kathy Lauro. “I can’t believe this.”

Efforts to reach Newcombe Wednesday were not successful.

With Robert Brodsky