Police & Fire

Leslie Mroz

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Jan. 27 that Leslie Mroz, 39, of Selden, was sentenced to two to six years in prison for allegedly embezzling more than $340,000 from her employer over the course of approximately three years.

“This defendant wasted no time abusing the trust that her employer placed in her by stealing from her employer,” said District Attorney Tierney. “She will now face justice and serve prison time for her greed.”

An investigation conducted by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the Suffolk County Police Department revealed that from February 2016 to February 2019, Mroz was employed by a Medford company where she handled payroll as part of her responsibilities as the Human Resources manager. The position gave her the ability to manipulate her salary and the benefits she received. At the time her theft was discovered, Mroz was paying herself more than double the salary that her employer had authorized. A review of company records also revealed that Mroz was also making unauthorized contributions to her retirement fund and health insurance.

The owner of the small family-run Medford business where Mroz worked, who asked not to be named for privacy concerns, stated that Mroz’s theft of over $340,000 had the potential to ruin her company. However, she said what hurt her the most was that Mroz was considered a trusted employee and had been accepted as part of her family.

On October 5, 2022, Mroz pleaded guilty to one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Timothy P. Mazzei. She was sentenced on January 23 to two to six years in prison.

                                         Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments.                                              Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.

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File photo

Suffolk County Police arrested eight people on Jan. 24 for allegedly selling marijuana products, vapes and e-cigarettes to minors in the Second Precinct. In response to numerous community complaints, Second Precinct Crime Section officers along with Community Support Unit officers conducted an investigation into the sale of marijuana products, vapes and e-cigarettes during which 20 businesses were checked for compliance with the law.

During the investigation, eight businesses were found to be selling marijuana products, vapes or ecigarettes to minors. Two of the businesses, Smoke Bazaar Smoke Shop N’ Vape, located at 526 Walt Whitman Road in Melville, and Smokeez Smoke Shop, located at 324 Larkfield Road in East Northport, had employees cited for selling vapes and e-cigarettes in 2022.

The following people were charged with Criminal Sale of Cannabis 3rd Degree, a misdemeanor:

 Ak Serhat, 28, of Huntington, an employee of Smoke Bazaar Smoke Shop N’ Vape, located at 526 Walt Whitman Road in Melville.

 Jefrey Mejia-Villeda, 23, of Jamaica, Queens, an employee of Smokeez Smoke Shop, located at 324 Larkfield Road in East Northport.

The following people were charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child 2nd Degree, a misdemeanor:

 Sajjad Hussain, 52, of Huntington, an employee of RK Cigar and Smoke, located at 824 East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station.

 Somesh Dhawan, 35, of Hauppauge, an employee of Evolve Smoke Shop, located at 2066 Jericho Turnpike in East Northport.

 Deepak Mehta, 43, of Bethpage, an employee of 76 Gas, located at 1714 New York Ave. in Huntington Station.

 Arvindbhai Patel, 37, of Flushing, Queens, an employee of Jericho Beer & Smoke Convenience, located at 1058 East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington.

 Charles Spinella, 20, of Kings Park, an employee of Legacy Smoke Shop, located at 39 Larkfield Road in East Northport.

 A 17-year-old female employee of Nirvana Vape Smoke, located at 1153A East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington

All arrestees will appear in court on a later date. Compliance checks were conducted at 12 other businesses in the Second Precinct with no violations found. Five of those 12 businesses had been cited for violations in 2022.

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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Photo from SCPD
Photo from SCPD

Just released! Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole a car from a Centereach parking lot in October. 

A man allegedly stole a 2017 Dodge Ram truck from the parking lot of 7-Eleven, located at 1740 Route 25,  at approximately midnight on October 8. The keys to the truck were left inside the vehicle. 

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD
Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole items from an East Northport store this month. A man stole merchandise from CVS, located at 2000 Jericho Turnpike, on January 14 at approximately 12:30 p.m. 

 Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that seriously
injured a pedestrian in Coram on Jan. 22.

Jose Franco was standing in the eastbound lane of Middle Country Road, near Country Club Drive,
when he was struck by a 2004 Toyota Camry being operated by Kevin Williams at 5:33 p.m. The driver
of a 2007 Toyota Camry that was driving behind Williams, Freya Syeda Siddiqua, attempted to swerve
out of the way but also struck Franco.

Franco, 28, of Middle Island, was transported via Coram Fire Department Ambulance to Stony Brook
University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Neither of the drivers involved, Williams, 64, of Coram, and Siddiqua, 23, of Wading River, were injured. Both Toyota vehicles were impounded for safety checks.
Anyone with information on this crash is asked to contact the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole from a Commack store in November.

A man allegedly stole appliances and groceries from Target, located at 98 Veterans Memorial Highway, at 7:58 p.m. on November 18. The merchandise was valued at approximately $900.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD
Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Riverhead Town Police are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole merchandise from a Riverhead store.

A man allegedly stole approximately $1200 worth of merchandise from Michael Kors, located in the Tanger Outlets, on January 1 at approximately 4:30 p.m. The man fled the parking lot in a red Mazda. S

uffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD
Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole merchandise from an Islandia store in December.

A man acting in concert with another, allegedly stole six pairs of assorted men’s shoes from Famous Footwear, located at 1770 Veterans Memorial Highway, on December 17. The shoes were valued at approximately $550. The man fled in a black Honda sedan.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

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Suffolk County police car. File photo

Suffolk County Police arrested a man on Jan. 21 in connection to 11 felonies, 10 of which occurred in Ronkonkoma during December 2022.

Fifth Precinct Patrol officers responded to a 911 report of a man slashing tires in the parking lot of the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, located at 3845 Veterans Memorial Highway, yesterday at approximately 10:45 a.m. After canvassing the area, officers located and arrested Teshawn Farris at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Highway and Lakeland Avenue at 11:03 a.m.

Following an investigation by Fifth Squad detectives and Crime Section officers it was determined that Farris was also allegedly responsible for the following:

  • Slashing the tires of six vehicles at the same hotel on December 24, 2022
  • Falsely reporting two fires at the same hotel and then damaging the fire alarm on December 24, 2022
  • Menacing an employee of the hotel with a knife on December 24, 2022
  • Causing $3850 in damage to a 2022 Tesla in the parking lot of the Ronkonkoma LIRR station of December 2, 2022    

Farris, 26, of 100 North 16th St., Wheatley Heights was charged with nine counts of Criminal Mischief 3rd Degree, two counts of Falsely Reporting an Incident 2nd Degree and one count of Menacing 2nd Degree.  He is being held overnight and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip later today. 

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD
Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole from two liquor stores in December.

A man allegedly stole a bottle of Hennessy from Liquor Plaza located at 133 Walt Whitman Rd, Huntington Station, on December 15 at approximately 5 p.m. A short time later, the man stole a bottle of Hennessy from Barrels and Stills, located at 685 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, at 5:40 p.m. 

  Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.