WHITE PLAINS, NY — Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced Raymond Beckley of Valhalla was arrested and arraigned today on charges of Leaving the Scene of an Incident without Reporting (Personal Injury/Serious Physical Injury) and two counts of Tampering with Physical Evidence, all class E felonies, stemming from a hit-and-run during which two pedestrians were seriously injured Nov. 13, 2016, in White Plains.
Beckley appeared in White Plains City Court. He was released on $5,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in City Court again Aug. 17, 2018.
Beckley is a former police officer. He had resigned his position as a New Rochelle Police Officer earlier on the day of the crash, and then, just hours after the crash, on Nov. 14, 2016, Beckley began work as a Police Officer in the Town of New Castle. Beckley resigned from the New Castle Police Department in January 2017.
The felony complaint alleges that around 10:30 p.m. Nov. 13, 2016, Beckley was driving his Ford F350 pickup truck on Hale Avenue in White Plains when he hit a man and a woman who were walking along the street. Knowing what he had done, Beckley did not stay to help the two victims, but instead, he quickly fled the scene and did not report the incident. Minutes later, the White Plains Police Department was called to the scene where officers found the two victims on the street bleeding and suffering from serious physical injuries including trauma to the head and broken bones. Both victims were immediately taken to local hospitals.
Beckley is also charged with tampering with evidence and trying to conceal his involvement after the hit-and-run by having his damaged pickup truck repaired and then moving the truck out of state. Specifically, it is alleged that, in the week following, while City of White Plains Detectives were actively investigating the Hale Avenue hit-and-run, and attempting to locate Beckley’s Ford F350 pickup truck, Beckley had the Ford’s front end repaired, concealing the damage caused by the hit-and-run, and then drove his repaired pickup truck out of New York State, concealing the truck itself from investigators.
The investigation that led to today’s arrest and charges was a collaborative effort between the White Plains Police Department and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Investigations Division Public Integrity Bureau.
“Upholding public integrity and prosecuting those who flaunt it is a high priority for this Office,” Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. said. “We commend the White Plains Police Department for their investigation into this crime along with our Investigations Division Public Integrity Bureau. A police officer in any jurisdiction needs to be held to the high standards for which he is sworn to uphold. Those who were injured deserve justice.”
