Tags Posts tagged with "Cops"

Cops

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A mugshot of Arieta Gouvakis. Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Police arrested a female dental assistant Feb. 8 for allegedly stealing jewelry from patients at a dental office in Rocky Point.

Arieta Gouvakis, a dental assistant to Dr. Elliot Koschitzki at Long Island Implant and Cosmetic Dentistry, located at 31 Fairway Drive in Rocky Point, allegedly removed jewelry from two patients who were being treated at the office under her care Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Neither patient realized their jewelry was missing until after they left the office, police said.

The Suffolk County Police Property Recovery Squad recovered the stolen jewelry from local pawn shops. The dental office cooperated fully with the investigation once they were notified of the allegation against their employee.

Gouvakis, 38, was arrested at her home, located at 270 Weeks Avenue in Manorville, at approximately 12:30 a.m, police said. She was charged with two counts of grand larceny and two counts of criminal possession of stolen property. She was held overnight at the Fourth Precinct and was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip the morning of Feb 8. She is set to appear in court Feb. 11 at Suffolk First District Court in Central Islip.

Anyone with information or other patients who think they have had items stolen in the Rocky Point office were asked to contact the 7th police squad at 631-852-8752.

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Suffolk County Police 6th squad detectives are investigating a single-vehicle crash that killed a Selden woman the morning of Feb. 8.

Nancy Neumann, 60, of 16 Strauss Road in Selden was driving a 2006 Saturn northbound on Nicolls Road at around 11:23 a.m. when she lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the roadway and rolled onto its side, according to police.

Neumann was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The Saturn was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on this crash is asked to call the 6th Squad at 631-854-8652.

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Picture of man who allegedly stole from a Speedway in December 2018. Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police 6th Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole merchandise from a Miller Place gas station in December, 2018.

A man allegedly stole approximately $600 worth of cigarettes from Speedway, located at 370 Route 25A, on three occasions between Dec. 5 and Dec. 7, 2018.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 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, texting “SCPD” and your message to “CRIMES” (274637) or by email at www.tipsubmit.com.

All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

Stony Brook University students grab a cup of coffee with campus police officers during Coffee with a Cop Oct. 4. Photo by Kevin Redding

By Kevin Redding

Instead of handing out tickets, officers at Stony Brook University were handing out free food.

Stony Brook University police officers and students mingled over pastries and coffee on campus Oct. 4 as part of a nationwide effort to better connect officers with the citizens they serve.

Half a dozen members of the university’s police department spoke with passing students as well as faculty outside the Student Activities Center on a number of topics, from current events to police training to food, during the college’s second “Coffee with a Cop,” an initiative that began in 2011 in Hawthorne, California and was adopted by local districts last year.

Community relations team Officer Joseph Bica answers a student’s questions. Photo by Kevin Redding

“This is a great way for students to get to know a police officer as an individual,” Eric Olsen, assistant chief of police at Stony Brook University said. “The media largely groups cops as one thing and it sort of dehumanizes them. We think this is a great concept.”

Community relations Officer Jared King, a former patrol officer who regularly pulled people over and made arrests, said he was excited to show off a more down-to-earth side to the police force.

“Nobody really knows the nice side of police work, which is interacting positively with people during the day, walking the beat, meeting and talking with people,” King said. “Here, we get to meet everyone during the day and talk about what’s going on on campus, address their questions, whatever they bring to the table.”

Jhinelle Walker, an anthropology major in her second year, made the rounds to each officer and asked several questions, even asking about their uniform colors. She commended the event for “bridging a gap.”

A student and Stony Brook University campus officer have a discussion during Coffee with a Cop. Photo by Kevin Redding

“I think this is a wonderful idea because often there’s a miscommunication that comes between people in the community and police officers,” Walker said. “We have to understand they’re regular people with lives. Here, students get to know who they are, what they do and can clear up misconceptions.”

A mechanical engineering major, Sagardeep Singh, said, “It’s good to get to know the cops better. They’re just trying to do their job and want to get familiarized with us students.”

Patrick Bazemore, another officer, fielded questions about recent national events and how he became an officer.

“I love dealing with people,” Bazemore said. “Everything is about communication and interaction. That’s how you move forward in life.”

This event is far from the department’s only outreach to the campus community,Olsen said. Officers regularly take part in a game night with the students and hold a one-credit citizen’s police academy, a course designed to provide insight into the daily functions and responsibilities of law enforcement personnel.

“It’s great to know how the students think of our cops,” Olsen said. “We always need to get input from people to know if we need to improve or change. And it’s a pleasure to do this style of policing.”

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The online version of this story was updated on July 7 at 12:30 p.m.

Suffolk County Police have arrested two men in connection with a shooting outside of a bar on Main Street in Smithtown on Friday, June 3 that left one man injured.

Police said one man grabbed and hung onto a water pipe inside of Hypnosis 8.0 at 43 East Main St. around 1:15 a.m., causing the bar patrons to evacuate and a crowd to form outside the bar. Soon after, police said at least two people fired shots following an altercation, leading to a 29-year-old man from Central Islip to be shot in the leg.

The victim, who was shot, but not identified, was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Suffolk County cops said Friday.

Following an investigation by Fourth Squad detectives, Joell Nieves surrendered to police on June 24 and Dashaun Odister was arrested by members of the Suffolk County Police Firearms Suppression Team on Montauk Highway in Bellport on July 6.

Nieves, 22, of Bay Shore, was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Odister, 21, of East Patchogue, was charged with, first-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and an active warrant for military desertion.

Odister will be held overnight at the Fourth Precinct and will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on July 7. Nieves has already been arraigned.

Additional reporting contributed by Victoria Espinoza

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Suffolk County police officers arrested three 16-year-old boys who were riding dirt bikes and an ATV in an allegedly reckless manner in Huntington on Sunday.

Police officer James Garside, of the Suffolk County Police Department’s 2nd Precinct, observed two dirt bikes and an ATV driving recklessly south on Park Avenue at approximately 4:50 p.m. The SCPD said Garside followed the suspects to Berkeley Jackson County Park in Huntington, where they abandoned the vehicles and fled on foot into the woods.

Sgt. Steven Surian established a perimeter and notified the canine section, police said. Officer Paul O’Brien and his dog Argo entered the woods, located all three teens and took them into custody.

Police did not identify the youths.

The three teenagers, all from Huntington Station, were charged with reckless driving and were released on bail to their parents.

The vehicles have been impounded and the teens are scheduled to appear in First District Court in Central Islip on Aug. 1.

File photo from Margo Arceri

Story last updated 4.11.2016, 1:30 p.m.

Police have identified the body found near a beach off Setauket Harbor on Monday morning, linking him back to an emergency crash-landing that happened nearby in February, Suffolk County cops said.

Gerson Salmon-Negron, 23, was last seen shortly after 11 p.m. on Feb. 20 when the Piper Archer four-seated airplane he was in went down in the waters of Setauket Harbor with three others on board. His body was finally found on Monday morning after a 911 call told dispatchers about a body spotted on the beach near Brewster Lane in Setauket around 9:10 a.m., the Suffolk County Police Department said.

The three other men, student pilot Austricio Ramirez, 25, Nelson Gomez, 36, and Wady Perez, 25, were rescued by nearby neighbors and officers soon after the crash. The small plane had taken off from Fitchburg, Mass., en route to Republic Airport in Farmingale, but went down near the vicinity of 108 Van Brunt Manor Road in Poquott. The incident spurred residents living on the Strongs Neck side of the water to jump into action as soon as they noticed emergency vehicles making their way into the small North Shore community.

Related: Small plane crash-lands in Setauket Harbor

As the incident unfolded, residents living along the shoreline started offering up their personal kayaks for rescuers to use to lift the survivors out to safety.

“Where this occurred, there are only a few homes, but instantly, the neighbors pulled together,” resident Margo Arceri said in a previous interview after the crash occurred. “They say, ‘it takes a village,’ and these neighbors showed a real sense of community. We all pulled together immediately. I just wish it had a happier ending.”

In a report released in March, the National Transportation Safety Board said that aircraft reported low amounts of fuel and had been operated for about five hours since its tank was last filled. The report said the plane’s engine “sputtered” as it approached the Port Jefferson area, spurring the flight instructor to turn on the electric fuel pump and instructing his student pilot to switch the fuel selector to the plane’s left fuel tank as it flew at around 2,000 feet. The sputtering stopped, but started up again about three minutes later, the NTSB said, and then lost power.

That was when the pilot instructor took control of the plane and tried heading to the shoreline, where he believed the plane could safely land, the NTSB report said. But the pilot was unable to see the shoreline due to the darkness and could only guess where the shoreline began by the lights inside of nearby houses, the report said.

He held the plane off of the water for as long as he could before touching down and instructing everyone to grab a life vest and exit the plane, the NTSB said. Neither the student pilot nor the passengers, however, were wearing life vests when they exited the plane, the report said. Emergency personnel were on the scene within minutes and rescued three of the four men.

The airplane floated in the water for about five minutes before sinking nose-first to the bottom of the harbor, the NTSB said.

Divers with the Suffolk County Police Department pursue the aircraft as the missing person search continues. Photo from Margo Arceri
Divers with the Suffolk County Police Department search for Gerson Salmon-Negron’s body shortly after the plane crash-landed. File photo from Margo Arceri

Wined and wanted

Suffolk County police and Crime Stoppers are offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information about a man who stole a bottle of alcohol from Hamlet Wines & Liquors in Setauket. Police said the man stole a nearly $1,700 bottle of Chateau Petrus wine on Sept. 12 around 5:35 p.m. Cops said the man took the bottle of wine and hid it in his pants before he fled the store on foot. The police seek the public’s help to identify and locate the man. If you have any information regarding the theft,call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. To see the video of the incident, visit www.youtube.com/scpdtv.

A gem of a thief

A 20-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station was arrested at his home on Concord Circle for grand larceny. Police arrested the man on Sept. 20 at 11:00 a.m. and said the man stole more than $50,000 in jewelry and cash on the evening of Aug. 15.

Out of line

Police pulled over a 20-year-old man from Stony Brook and charged him with driving while ability impaired. Cops said the man was under the influence of drugs while he drove a 1989 Ford southbound on Route 112 in Port Jefferson. Police arrested him at the scene on Sept. 18 around 1:20 a.m. after he failed to maintain his lane.

Late library stroll

On Sept. 18, at 11:15 p.m., police arrested a 26-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station and charged him with burglary. Police said on June 24 at 5:25 p.m., the man entered a staff-only room in Comsewogue Public Library in Port Jefferson Station and stole a laptop.

Risky Rav4 ride

A 24-year-old girl from Miller Place was arrested at her home on Sept. 19 at 9:15 a.m. and charged her with operating a vehicle without permission. Police said the woman was operating a 2015 Rav4 without permission. Police didn’t disclose who the car belonged to.

A healthy heist

Around 9:10 a.m. on Sept. 19, at the 6th Precinct, police arrested a 43-year-old man from Lake Ronkonkoma and charged him with petit larceny. Cops said the man stole vitamins and dietary supplements from the CVS on Horseblock Road in Farmingville on July 5 at 12:30 p.m.

Gone with the grill

On Sept. 20, around 3:50 p.m., police arrested a 48-year-old man from Holtsville and charged him with petit larceny. The man was arrested at the 6th Precinct, for stealing a gas grill on June 14 around 1:00 a.m. from the Kmart on North Ocean Road in Farmingville.

Gimme some gas

Police charged a 28-year-old man from Centereach for driving while ability impaired on Sept. 17 at 1:20 a.m. Officers initially stopped the man for speeding down Nicolls Road in Stony Brook in a 2008 Nissan and discovered he was intoxicated.

DWAI disaster

A 48-year-old woman from Rocky Point was arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired. Police said on Sept. 18, the woman was driving under the influence of drugs when she got into a car crash with her 2014 Chevy Camaro on Route 25A in Port Jefferson. Police arrested the woman at around 10:08 p.m. at the scene.

Breaking and not entering

Police said between 2:00 and 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 17, an unknown person broke into the front driver’s side of a 2004 Honda Accord. The incident happened on Chestnut Street in Mount Sinai. Police said nothing was stolen from the car.

Handy house visit

Police said an unidentified person entered a residence on Radio Avenue in Miller Place through the backyard and stole a Bosch demolition hammer sometime between Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. and Sept. 19 at 9:30 a.m.

Cash register raider

On Sept. 20, around 8:48 p.m., an unknown person entered the Carvel on Route 25A in Port Jefferson and reached over the cashier counter before taking money from the cash register. Police didn’t disclose the amount of money that was stolen.

A serious workout

Police said an assault took place outside the Planet Fitness on Route 25A in Rocky Point. On Sept. 18, around 12:47 a.m., a man told police he was punched and kicked several times by another man before the complainant fled the scene. Police said the complainant was taken to John T. Mather Memorial Hospital to have his injuries tended to.

Partners in crime

Suffolk County police said a man and a woman stole cosmetics and clothes from the Walmart on Nesconset Highway in Setauket on Sept. 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Shattered glass

Between Sept. 16 at 10:00 a.m. and Sept. 17 at 7:00 a.m., an unknown person broke the glass door of How How Kitchen, a Chinese restaurant on Nesconset Highway in Setauket. According to police, nothing was stolen.

Lexus lost change

On Sept. 19 at 12:48 a.m. on Cheryl Drive in East Shoreham, a man reported that an unidentified person entered his 2015 Lexus and stole cash from the car. Police didn’t say if the individual broke into the car or if the car was unlocked.

A daring steal

Police said on Sept. 16 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. an unknown person broke into a 2001 Ford and stole a driver’s license and Social Security card. The incident took place on Dare Road in Selden.

Walgreens wake-up

Around 1:00 a.m. on Sept. 20, an unidentified person stole cosmetics and razors from the Walgreens on Middle Country Road in Selden. The individual fled the store in a dark blue van.

A rocky night

On Sept. 19 around 7:05 p.m., someone threw a rock at a 2015 BMW near Route 347 in Stony Brook. Police said the rear passenger door was damaged.

Listening to the blues

A 35-year-old man from Bayshore was arrested for third degree criminal mischief on Sept. 20. He stole an Eclipse Pro 180 mp3 video player from Walmart in Smithtown according to police around 2 p.m. and was arrested at the store.

Not Ksmart at Kmart

On Sept. 18 a 40-year-old woman from Wyandanch and a 27-year-old woman from Medford stole assorted clothing from a Kmart in Commack according to police at 6:30 p.m. They were arrested on site and charged for petit larceny.

Sleepy in a Mitsubishi

A 24-year-old man from Nesconset was found passed out behind the wheel on Smithtown Blvd. at 1:10 a.m. on Sept. 16. He was inside a 2011 Mitsubishi and was transported to the 4th Precinct. He was charged with driving while ability impaired.

Pot bust

On Sept. 16 a 29-year-old woman from Selden was arrested for fifth degree criminal possession of marijuana. In the rear parking lot of 7-Eleven in Nesconset at 5:45 p.m., she was found in a 2007 Lincoln with marijuana and was arrested at the scene.

Why have one drug when you can have two drugs?

A 22-year-old man from Brentwood was arrested on Sept. 18 at the 2nd Precinct. He was found on the corner of Jericho Turnpike and Commack Road at 1:25 p.m. with marijuana and cocaine in his possession. He was charged with criminal possession of marijuana and third degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug.

Sandman take the wheel

Police arrested a 19-year-old woman from Commack on Sept. 17 after they observed her sleeping behind the wheel of a 2013 Honda Civic when her vehicle rolled forward into an unmarked unit car at 5:45 a.m. She was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated.

Wild times on Wildwood Lane

A man reported that another man punched him in the face on Wildwood Lane in Smithtown at 9:45 p.m. on Sept. 19.

U-turn turns U-crazy

While making a U-turn on Sept. 19 due to construction, the driver was approached by a man who started yelling and calling him names, and then stuck his hand inside the car and threatened to punch the driver at Bowers Court in Smithtown at 2:40 p.m.

Raise the roof

Suffolk County police said a 41-year-old man and a 16-year-old man, both from Huntington, were arrested on Sept. 19 at 3:30 p.m. for opening the protective safety cover to the roof and gaining access at Walt Whitman mall in Huntington. They were both charged with third-degree criminal trespassing in an enclosed property.

Schoolyard blues

On Sept. 18, a 17-year-old man from East Northport was arrested at the 2nd Precinct and charged with petit larceny. Police said on Sept. 16 at 12:45 p.m., he stole cash out of someone’s purse at Northport High School.

Rocky car ride

A man told police that on Sept. 18 at 11:10 a.m. while making a right turn on Broadway in Huntington, he began to yell at a passerby on the street. The passerby then threw a rock at the man’s car and shattered the vehicle’s rear break light.

Bed theft and beyond

A 43-year-old woman from St. James was arrested at the 2nd Precinct on Sept. 18 for fourth-degree grand larceny. Police said on Aug. 16 at 3:30 p.m., she took a Bank of America credit card from someone’s purse at Bocu Salon in Commack and then used it to buy items at a Bed Bath and Beyond in Lake Grove.

Burglary and a buzz

A resident on Makamah Beach Road in Northport told police that someone broke into his or her house at 8 p.m. on Sept. 16 and stole a sound system, two PlayStation devices, four remotes and many bottles of wine and beer.

Can’t af-Ford anymore problems

A 47-year-old man from Huntington was arrested on Sept. 18 at 6:01 p.m. on Oakwood Road in Huntington Station and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .08. He was stopped after police said witnesses said they saw him using a non-hands-free mobile device while driving a 1997 Ford. When police stopped him, they also found that he was driving without an interlock device in the car that he was required to be driving with due to previous DWI arrests. They also discovered he was driving while under the influence.

Ring the alarm

On Sept. 17, a 17-year-old woman from Huntington Station was arrested and charged with first-degree falsely reporting an incident after police said she pulled the fire alarm at Walt Whitman High School at 11 a.m.

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A holiday weekend sobriety checkpoint netted nine arrests in Port Jefferson Station, Suffolk County police said.

Cops teamed up with officers from the state Police Department and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to set up the overnight checkpoint on Route 25A between 11:15 p.m. and 3:15 a.m. on July 3 into July 4 and arrested residents from several different communities, police said. A total of 761 vehicles made it through the checkpoint and nine were arrested on various charges, including driving while intoxicated and driving while ability impaired, cops said.

Four residents were charged with driving while intoxicated, including Lisa Strickland, 27, of Port Jefferson, John Jakob, 22, of Selden, Ibidapo Kayode, 21, of the Bronx and David Morgan, 29, of Riverhead, police said.

Two suspects were arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired, including Oscar Quiles Jr., 29, of Bellport and Catherine Frenkel, 30, of Chappaqua, cops said.

Two others were charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, including Robert Smith, 49, of Blue Point and Charles Leo, 18, of Miller Place, the Suffolk County Police Department said.

Arnold Roundtree, 30, of Shirley, was also arrested and charged with driving without an ignition interlock device and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, the police said.

The operation was conducted for the sake of preventing injuries and fatalities associated with driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs during the holiday weekend, police said.

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A Middle Island man was arrested over the weekend and charged in connection with an armed robbery in Kings Park that left one victim with a bullet wound to the leg, the Suffolk County Police Department said.

Gaven Benson is being charged with assault, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon after an incident in Kings Park on July 1. Photo from SCPD
Gaven Benson is being charged in connection with an armed robbery in Kings Park on July 1. Photo from SCPD

Gaven Benson, 16, was a guest in Amal Cummings’ home on Old Dock Road in Kings Park to help her move on July 1 when police said he pointed a gun and demanded money from both Cummings and her friend, 29-year-old Brentwood man Henry Wrobel, to which Cummings complied. The teen then shot Wrobel once in the leg and fled around 11:15 p.m., cops said.

Wrobel was treated at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown and later released, Suffolk County police said.

Benson was arrested on Northbridge Drive in Coram at about 4:45 p.m. on July 3 after a police investigation and charged with assault, robbery, attempted robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.

His attorney could not be reached.