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Retired cops, neighbors helping one of their own after burglary

Staff photo

The house damaged by vandals is owned by Paul and Amiee Moon, who moved to Fort Riley, Kan., during the summer.

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By TONY HOLT | Hernando Today

Published: November 19, 2009

SPRING HILL - Retiring from a career in law enforcement isn't easy, but forgetting the value of the job is impossible, said Nick Cristiano.

"Preserving life and property is still flowing through our veins," he said Thursday afternoon after he finished loading debris and scraps onto the bed of a pickup truck.

A group of more than 20 retired New York City police officers showed up at 13371 Linden Drive to fortify a house that was ransacked and vandalized by a group of teenage burglars two days earlier.

They also picked up the broken glass and cleaned the landscaping.

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office arrested three boys — 14, 14 and 13 — and charged them with burglary of a dwelling.

Deputies estimated they did $40,000 in damage to the vacant house, which is up for sale.

They broke mirrors, smashed fixtures, ripped tile and put holes in the walls, authorities said.

Fran Greifenberger is a former police officer with the NYPD. She caught the teens in the act Tuesday afternoon and held them at gunpoint until deputies arrived to arrest them, she said.

Afterward, she contacted several of her fellow members of Hernando 10-13, a club made up of retired New York police officers.

The house is owned by Paul and Amiee Moon, who moved to Fort Riley, Kan., during the summer.

Paul Moon was in construction, but the slumping housing market meant his cash flow ran dry, his wife said. He changed careers and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He signed on with the military police and he will be deployed to Iraq next year.

Chief Mike Mauer of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office was among those who responded to the house Tuesday after the boys were arrested.

"There are no such things as good crimes, but there are some things that are just reprehensible," Mauer said. "I just felt bad for their situation."

Cristiano is a member of Hernando 10-13. So is Lenny Letizia.

He shrugged off a question about whether they were helping because Greifenberger was one of their own or because the homeowner is an enlisted MP.

"I'd do it for anybody," Letizia said. "It doesn't matter if it's my neighbor or anybody else. These days, you've got to watch out and help your neighbors."

The house was days away from being sold, Greifenberger said. Someone was prepared to pay cash for it. Whether the paperwork gets signed is still a question.

Lowe's donated the plywood, screws and light fixtures. The sheriff's office provided a pickup truck. A trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol helped during his off time.

One of the 10-13 members is an electrician and he is expected to do some work inside the house, Greifenberger said.

All of the glass in the sliding door in the back was gone. It lay in piles on the floor. Several windows also were smashed.

The volunteers nailed and screwed the plywood against the exposed areas of the house to protect it from the rain.

They also hauled away piles of shrubs and old branches in addition to the glass shards and debris.

Carla Teitel was recruiting people to paint the walls, although they plan to hold off on any serious interior work until the insurance company estimates the damage, she said.

"We watch each other's houses now. Thank God she was here," she said as she gestured toward Greifenberger. "I want her as a neighbor."

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