Holster your weapon and step away from the donut.
A Queens cop is accused of treating a Rockaways Dunkin Donuts' as his personal pastry shop, leaping ninja-style over the counter to stuff his mouth with crullers and prepare sandwiches to his delight, the shop's manager told the New York Post.
All Sgt. Eric Turetsky left behind after his feeding frenzies was "a dollar or two" as a tip and, perhaps, a trail of crumbs.
He "never paid once for anything" griped the manager of the Beach 129th Street store in Belle Harbor.
Police say the department is investigating the mooching allegations against Turetsky, who, strangely enough, held the position of No. 2 integrity control officer at his precinct -- a role in which he gained credibility for busting cops in high-profile cases of misconduct.
In 1997, Turetsky blew the whistle on the Abner Louima cop-torture case by naming two of the officers involved, according to the Post. One of the implicated cops was Justin Volpe, who sexually assaulted the Haitian immigrant with a stick in a Brooklyn bathroom.
While city officials lauded Turetsky for outing his colleagues in the scandal, other officers looked at him like a Benedict Arnold – an impression that was cemented when he was relocated to the Internal Affairs Bureau and promoted to detective, the Post reported.
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Now the 38-year-old Turetsky works as a sergeant from 4 p.m.-midnight at the 100th Precinct in the Rockaways. A law-enforcement official told the Post that he has already been questioned in connection with his alleged pastry theft, but when asked for a comment on the probe, Turetsky told the paper he wasn't aware of an investigation.
Witnesses say Turetsky's late-night pastry prowls began months ago – that he situated himself in the store as if he owned it and helped himself to grub while chatting up the teenage cashier, according to the Post.
"He acted very unprofessional," the manager, who requested anonymity, told the paper. "The girls here couldn't stand them. He was rude toward them. He was not professional at all."
Even though Turetsky would throw cash down at times, the manager said it was never enough to cover what he was taking. The management reported him to cops a few months ago and Internal Affairs put an eye out on Turetsky. They saw him go into the eatery at least seven different times and, each time, hop behind the counter to help himself to whatever he wanted, authorities told the Post.
Cops aren't permitted to get discounts or freebies on goods, according to NYPD rules. Offending officers caught disobeying those regulations could face punishments ranging from a formal reprimand to a loss of 30 days vacation time, according to the Post.
