59°
YORKTOWN, N.Y. -- Yorktown residents in need of ice cream cupped their hands around their eyes and peered into what was once a favorite ice-cream shop in town Wednesday.
Richies Ice Cream Shop and Bakery closed suddenly to the surprise of several locals, who reported that the ice cream store had been open just the night before.
The owner of the shop, Richie Scarchilli was arrested last month and charged with one count of promoting a sexual performance by a child and one count of possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child. Scarchilli faces up to seven years in state prison if he is found guilty of the charges, both felonies. He is due in County Court on September 27.
Within a span of 15 minutes, five different individuals tried to open the doors to the ice cream store. Some walked right up, and tried to pull the door open, not realizing that the lights were out and that posters were peeling from the walls. The would-be customers simply walked away surprised and shook their heads when they realized it was closed.
Other residents just walked right up to the glass windows and pressed their faces against the glass to peer inside the shop. A customer who still got ice cream from Richies after the storeowner's arrest, said he hadnt seen Scarchilli in the shop since the charges were made public, but says it had still remained open through Wednesday.
The chairs that customers had inhabited just the night before were now marked with yellow tags. The tags marked items Scarchilli is auctioning off in the store Thursday at 1 p.m. Those items on include ice cream machines, freezers, mixers, tables as well as miscellaneous racks from the ice cream shop.
Were you surprised by the closing of Richie's Ice Cream Shop and Bakery?
Click here to follow Daily Voice Yorktown and receive free news updates.
