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Yearly Archives: 2024

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Trustees work session on Jan. 10. Snapshot from the trustee's website

On Wednesday, Jan. 10, The Village of Port Jefferson Board of Trustees held its first work session of 2024. 

The Education & Arts Conservancy 

At the request of Mayor Lauren Sheprow, Lisa Perry, president of the Port Jefferson Harbor Education & Arts Conservancy, kicked off the three-hour work session to discuss the conservancy’s relationship with the village.  

Perry explained to board members that the conservancy is a non-profit working on behalf of the Port Jefferson Village Center and the Jeanne Garant Harborfront Park. The conservancy was established almost two decades ago to help fundraise for village center activities and projects.                                                                                      

“We’ve probably donated over $300,000 either in kind or money over the years,” she said. 

Perry reviewed the many fundraising projects the group has undertaken recently, including grants to purchase the Zamboni for the skating rink, funds for the beautification of the harbor front, and the restoration of Rocketship Park. The group is discussing a possible fundraiser to obtain a bandshell for the harbor front. Perry tells the board that the group is in the process of revamping its mission statement and is hoping to attract new members. 

A discussion ensued about the current written agreement between the conservancy and the village and to establish regular meetings with village representatives.

“The village can’t solicit donations from the conservancy,” village treasurer Stephen Gaffga said. 

Instead, the village and the conservancy can keep an open dialogue and collaborate on projects. 

Village attorney David Moran wrapped up the discussion by informing the board that he had reviewed the agreement stating,“It is fine as is.” 

“I don’t want to over-lawyer a very good agreement and add confusion,” he said.

Revamping tech security

Village clerk Sylvia Pirillo put forth a resolution to accept the proposal by Island Tech Services to enhance the security of the village servers and emails. Emails will be mitigated to ‘.gov’ addresses, and Microsoft SharePoint will be installed for interoffice communications and document reviews.

“This has been a long time coming. We’re looking forward to this very needed change,” she said. 

Pirillo also informed the board that the village received about 60 proposals from vendors to revitalize the village’s website and calls for a resolution to accept a proposal from CivicPlus web designer. 

“We are confident in the choice of CivicPlus and are very excited to move forward,” she said. 

Bluff storm erosion

Sheprow updated the board on storm damage placing emphasis on  the Port Jefferson Country Club bluff. Sheprow reports that two sections of the east side of the bluff were damaged by recent storms, and additional damage occurred on the west side of the bluff from the storm overnight.   

Pirillo put forth a resolution to accept the proposal from GIT Consulting to move forward with aerial drone surveillance of the bluff to help surveyors follow topological changes in the bluff over time. 

“We need to proceed with these sooner rather than later, especially given recent [storm] events,” Pirillo said. 

Code enforcement

A draft letter to be sent to all Port Jefferson business owners from the building and planning department’s new director, Andrew Freleng, was also discussed. The letter encourages owners to comply voluntarily with the village’s building and zoning laws. 

“This is a first letter, is putting everyone on notice,” says Moran.

The draft letter suggests business owners check in with the building and planning department with questions and concerns. The letter can be found in the appendix of the meeting agenda for this work session.  

Ethics guidelines

Attorney Steven Leventhal, ethics counsel to the village, continues the ongoing discussion about new ethics guidelines and the process for forming an ethics review board.

Leventhal describes a four-part process to developing a robust ethics program for the village:

  • Adopt the ethics code.
  • Produce educational materials.
  • Have the board of ethics implement the code.
  • Have a presence on the website for submitting inquiries, accessing the code, and accessing the educational materials.

The Mayor will nominate the members, and the board will appoint them. Community members are welcome to put forward their names or someone else for consideration.

Leventhal further comments that there is an “epidemic of ignorance in ethics out there. It takes a real commitment of understanding [by ethics committee members].”  

Comments from the public about the new ethics guidelines are open until the next board of trustees meeting, scheduled for Jan. 31. Comments can be sent to the village clerk at [email protected]

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD
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 Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly assaulted a woman in Islandia in December.

A man allegedly assaulted a woman in the woods behind Walmart, located at 1850 Veterans Highway, on December 20 at approximately 8 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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Helen Harrison. Photo by Durell Godfrey

This acclaimed art historian transformed the former home of artists Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner into a thriving national landmark and developed the affiliated Study Center for modern American art at Stony Brook Southampton.

Helen Harrison, director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center at Stony Brook University, is retiring after 34 years of service to the university. Credited with having the Pollock-Krasner House designated as a National Historic Landmark, securing an endowment for the property, establishing the Study Center and more, Harrison leaves behind a new university-endowed fellowship for studies in abstract expressionism.

“This fellowship will help bring more scholars in to use our resources and the resources that are available in this area,” she says, referring to the bustling artists’ community of eastern Long Island. “This is very important, because the first generation of scholars is dying out, and we need to keep this as an active field of study.”

So far, the House and Study Center have contributed five specialists, four conferences and a publication to the field. Harrison’s fellowship, an annual three-month program, will consistently attract new scholars eager to make a contribution of their own. Harrison hopes the Study Center will continue to expand its archive and offerings accordingly.

Prior to her tenure at Stony Brook, Harrison served as a curator at Guild Hall Museum, guest curator at The Queens Museum, and Executive Director of the Public Art Preservation Committee. She has also worked as an exhibition organizer and an art columnist, commentator, critic and feature writer for several news outlets including the New York Times.

Her multifaceted career has earned Harrison dozens of accolades, including multiple awards from the Press Club of Long Island and a 2021 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. Her love for art and writing inspired her to write a series of murder mystery novels, one of which won a 2019 Benjamin Franklin Gold Award presented by the Independent Book Publishers Association. Harrison looks forward to publishing more in her retirement and remains a resource for the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center should her expertise be needed, she says.

“Helen Harrison’s undertakings for Stony Brook University and the Department of Art have gone far beyond her duties as Director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center,” says former Interim Chair and Professor, Affiliated Faculty for Art, Margaret Schedel. “She has served the department in every facet of its entity, and at the highest level. As she ends her service to the University I would like to honor her years of dedication to our mission.”

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Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Laura Bee, 59, of Lake Grove, formerly the manager of Ever Love Jewelry in Huntington Village, pleaded guilty to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree after stealing over $137,000 worth of jewelry from her customers.

“Over almost three years, this defendant used her position as the manager of a jewelry store to scam her friends and unsuspecting customers,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This defendant took advantage of her position for personal gain, and my office will continue to prosecute professionals who steal from their customers.”

According to the investigation and the defendant’s admissions during her guilty plea allocution, from September 27, 2019, to June 26, 2022, Bee agreed to take possession of various jewelry items, valued at approximately $31,000 for the purpose of selling on behalf of her friends. Bee kept these items despite numerous demands for the proceeds of the sale or the return of the items.

Between October 7, 2020, and August 19, 2022, Bee sold various diamond engagement rings to customers who thought they were buying rings with natural diamonds.

When customers later had their rings appraised, they discovered that the stones were lab grown diamonds, worth significantly less than the natural diamonds they paid for. Using this scheme, the investigation revealed that Bee stole approximately $47,000 from unsuspecting couples.

On December 10, 2021, Bee agreed to repair a broken diamond engagement ring for a friend. She was entrusted with the engagement ring valued at approximately $15,000. When Bee returned the ring to her friend, the natural diamond had been replaced with a lab grown diamond, worth approximately $2,000.

In addition, from June 22, 2022, to December 7, 2022, Bee stole almost $50,000 from other jewelers who sold her jewelry. Throughout this time, Bee issued six bad checks from the Ever Love Jewelry bank account, knowing the funds in the account would not cover the checks.

On January 16, 2024, Bee pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Karen Kerr, to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony. As part of the plea agreement, Bee is expected to make full restitution.

Bee is due back in court on March 25, 2024, and she is being represented by Matthew Tuohy, Esq.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Lynch of the Major Crime Bureau with investigative assistance from Suffolk County Police Department Detective Christopher Anskat of the Second Precinct.

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File photo

Suffolk County Police today arrested three people on Jan. 17 for allegedly selling vape products to minors at Huntington Town businesses.

In response to community complaints, Second Precinct Crime Section officers conducted an investigation into the sale of vape products to minors during which 11 businesses were checked for compliance with the law and violations were found at three.

The following people were charged with alleged Unlawfully Dealing with a Child:

  • Ryan Lembeck, 29, of Huntington, an employee of Huntington Village Vapes, located at 4 Elm Street, Huntington.
  • Zakir Raees, 30, of New Hyde Park, an employee of Rollie’s Smoke Shop IV, located at 278 East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station.
  • Syed Syedwahab, 27, of Hicksville, an employee of Nirvana Vape Shop, located at 1153A East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington

    All three men were released on Field Appearance Tickets and are scheduled to appear in First District Court in Central Islip on a later date.

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

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate two people who allegedly stole items from a Medford store last month.

A man and woman allegedly stole merchandise from Target, located at 2975 Horseblock Road, on December 15.

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

Just released! Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Hate Crimes Unit detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a person who vandalized a sign at an East Setauket church last year.

An unknown person vandalized a political sign outside of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook, located at 380 Northbound Nicolls Road in East Setauket, on October 27 at approximately 4:50 a.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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By Daniel Dunaief

For the first time since May 2023, Brookhaven National Laboratory required masks on site at its facility starting on Jan. 8, as the rate of hospital admissions for the virus that caused the pandemic climbed.

Following the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, BNL, which is a Department of Energy-sponsored site, reinstituted the mask policy once Covid admissions climbed above 20 per 100,000 people in the county, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

The CDC level rose to 24.8 on the evening of Jan. 5 and the lab re-implemented its mask requirement on the following Monday. Area doctors said they’ve seen an increase in illnesses tied to Covid, particularly after people traveled during the December holidays.

“We’ve seen a lot more Covid,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. 

Dr. Nachman said people who are talking to friends and neighbors are hearing regularly about those who are sick with Covid.

Stony Brook University Hospital is not requiring masking at all times. The hospital is recommending that people consider wearing masks. Medical staff entering patient rooms are wearing them.

People walking into the hospital will see “more people wearing masks” in general, she added. In addition to Covid, hospitals in the area are also seeing a “huge amount of flu,” Dr. Nachman said.

 

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Pictured with Legislator Rob Trotta (right) are Rick and Carolyn Caruso of St. James who donated many coats, hats, scarves and blankets.

For several years, Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta has been working with Smithtown based SMM Advertising and the Retired Senior Volunteer Programs (RSVP) to conduct a winter coat drive to benefit the residents of Suffolk County who are in need of warm winter clothing.

Sue Harrison donated numerous hand knitted hats for the winter outerwear drive.

“The response was phenomenal. We received numerous donations from so many residents, as well as the Kings Park High School, Fort Salonga Elementary School, St. Catherine’s of Siena, and the Utility Workers Union of America,” said Legislator Trotta. “A special thank you to Paul who wants to remain anonymous who gave us 25 brand new coats. In addition, for the second year in a row, Sue Harrison knitted hats for the children and adults,” added Trotta.

Maryflorence Brennan, Executive Director of RSVP said, “The Friends of the Retired and Senior Volunteer program is overwhelmed by the response of our RSVP volunteers and our community members to take this opportunity to care for our community. The number of blankets and coats that they provided was incredible and so often the donation came with a willingness to continue to help. We are grateful to be working with Legislator Trotta and SMM Advertising.”

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Carlos Lauro

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Jan. 18 that Carlos Lauro, 76, of Riverhead, pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a German Shepherd with a rifle and was sentenced to one year in jail and a 20-year ban on owning or possessing animals.

“Our Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team, the Suffolk County Police Department, and the Riverhead Police Department put together a solid case, and the defendant’s only recourse was to plead guilty,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This kind of cruelty will not be tolerated by my office, nor the people of Suffolk County, and the swift sentence of one year in jail demonstrates that. Let this serve as a warning to anyone seeking to injure animals.”

“Thanks to the swift action of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and its Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team, animal abuser Carlos Lauro will spend the rest of 2024 in jail and won’t be allowed to own another companion animal until he is nearly 100 years old,” said John Di Leonardo, anthrozoologist and Executive Director of Humane Long Island. “Humane Long Island has removed nearly 100 animals, including three cows, 10 freezing piglets, a dozen waterfowl, and dozens of sick and injured chickens, sheep, goats, and a bunny from Carlos Lauro’s slaughterhouse and an adjacent property, but the public can save twice as many animals annually simply by going vegan. Learn more at HumaneLongIsland.org.”

The investigation was launched on January 10, 2024, when a one-year-old German Shepherd was taken to the VCA Veterinary Hospital in Westbury and found to be paralyzed from a gunshot wound to the head. According to a witness, the dog, named “Blitzkrieg,” was allegedly found shot at about 5:30 p.m., laying in a pen on Lauro’s property next to a dead goat. When detectives with the SCDA’s Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team (BEAST) arrived at Lauro’s home, they learned that approximately one month prior, Lauro had shot and killed another German Shepherd, a six-month old puppy named “Cranky.” Lauro shot Cranky in the back, and when another resident of the house took the dog back inside the home in an attempt to console and treat his wounds, Lauro dragged the dog back outside and shot Cranky in the head, killing her.

At Lauro’s home, BEAST detectives found five surviving Belgian Malinois/Dutch Shepherd mix dogs, a Border Collie dog, two German Shepherd dogs, and numerous other animals including a multitude of goats, pigs, cows, chickens, and geese. Multiple other deceased farm animals, including a baby goat and pig, were observed at the scene.

On January 11, 2024, BEAST detectives with the assistance from the the Riverhead Police Department, executed a search warrant against the premises and arrested Lauro.

On January 18, 2024, Lauro pleaded guilty before Riverhead Town Justice, the Honorable Lori M. Hulse, to the unjustified killing of an animal, a Class “A” misdemeanor. Lauro also pleaded guilty to Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the Third Degree, an Unclassified misdemeanor, stemming from an unrelated case. As conditions of his plea, Lauro was sentenced to one year in jail, was issued a 20-year ban on owning or possessing animals, and all the surviving animals owned by Lauro were surrendered. Lauro was represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County for both cases.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Brooke Salvatore of BEAST, with investigative assistance from Suffolk County Police Department BEAST Detective Joanna Westrack.

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