Police & Fire

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File photo

Suffolk County Police arrested six people on Feb. 6 for 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 10 businesses were checked for
compliance with the law and violations were found at six.

The following people were charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child:
• Alexis Granades, 22, of Huntington Station, an employee of Its Lit Smoke Shop, located at 341 New York Ave., Huntington
• Brandon Ireland, 20, of Melville, an employee of Huntington Village Vapes, located at 4 Elm St., Huntington
• Aman Aman, 23, of South Ozone Park, an employee of Oneway Smoke Shop, located at 233A Broadway, Greenlawn
• Arfat Esaa, 34, of Queens Village, an employee of Greenleaf Smoke Shop, located at 247 Broadway, Greenlawn
• Rajendrakumar Patel, 55, of Fresh Meadows, an employee of East Northport Vapes, located at 250B Larkfield Road, East Northport
• Zobair Mahamud, 27, of Ronkonkoma, an employee of Barcode Smoke Shop, located at 396A Larkfield Road, East Northport

All six people were released with tickets and are scheduled to appear in First District Court in Central
Islip on a later date.

Kevin Galloway

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Feb. 6 that Kevin Galloway, 53, of Holtsville, was sentenced to two to six years in prison after pleading guilty in November 2023 to Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, following a crash in Huntington Station that killed 48-year-old Natividad Interiano, of Huntington, in August 2023.

“This defendant knew he struck a pedestrian with his car, but instead of stopping to help the victim, Galloway stopped at a gas station to check for damage to the front of his vehicle.” said District Attorney Tierney. “I want to thank the prosecutors for their commitment to securing this conviction, and I hope this sentence provides Interiano’s family and friends with some measure of comfort knowing the man who took their loved one is paying for the crime he committed.”

According to court documents and the defendant’s statements during his plea allocution, on August 27, 2023, at approximately 9:12 p.m., nearby video footage captured Galloway traveling eastbound in his black 2003 Chevrolet Suburban and striking Interiano as he was crossing the intersection on East Pulaski Road in Huntington Station. Interiano, who had been walking with a cane, was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of the crash.

After the incident, Galloway fled the scene where another video surveillance camera captured him entering a BP Gas Station on Park Avenue in Huntington Station. The video footage depicted Galloway pulling into the gas station, inspecting the front end of his vehicle, and pushing the left headlight back into the vehicle before driving away.

On August 28, 2023, in an attempt to evade law enforcement, Galloway replaced the hood, front grill, and rims of his vehicle. The next day, Galloway took the damaged parts of the vehicle to a recycling center in Medford where they were scrapped for cash. Galloway was subsequently arrested on September 1, 2023, when he admitted to driving the vehicle at the time of the collision.

On November 6, 2023, Galloway pleaded guilty to Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a Class D felony before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Timothy P. Mazzei.

On February 6, 2024, Justice Mazzei sentenced Galloway to two to six years in prison and his license was revoked. He was represented by Eric Besso, Esq.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys James McCormack and Raymond Varuolo of the Vehicular Crime Bureau with investigative assistance from Detective Joseph Bianco of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit.

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

A man allegedly stole merchandise from Barcode Hookah & Smoke Shop, located at 2402 Ocean Ave., on November 19, 2023 at approximately 9 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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Just released! Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the men who allegedly stole from a Huntington Station store in November.

Two men allegedly stole electronic devices valued at $1,500 from Best Buy, located at 148 Walt Whitman Road, on November 28, 2023 at approximately 3:30 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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Laniya Gaymon

Suffolk County Police Third Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to locate a Central Islip
teenager who was reported missing.

Laniya Gaymon was reported missing by a family member on January 23 after she failed to return to her
home, located at 38 Coventry Lane, following school that day.

Gaymon, 15, is Black, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 220 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes and was
last seen wearing a gray sweater, black t-shirt and light colored sweatpants. She has a nose ring. Gaymon, who has left home before, is possibly in the Wyandanch or Manhattan areas.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on her location to call 911 or the Third Squad at 631-
854-8352.

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

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

A man allegedly stole merchandise valued at $999 from Target, located at 98 Veterans Memorial Hwy., on January 3 at approximately 10 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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Jarnail Singh

Suffolk County Police arrested a Queens man on Feb. 1 for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from two elderly people during a computer scam.

A 77-year-old Amityville man received an email, purportedly from the Geek Squad, reporting a charge
of $399. The victim called the phone number provided in the email to dispute the charge. The person
who answered the call directed the victim to log into his bank account from his computer so the funds
could be returned. Once the man logged on, the suspect gained access to the man’s bank accounts and
transferred $40,000 from one of the man’s accounts to the other, without the victim realizing what had
been done.

The representative on the phone convinced the man that the additional funds were transferred
in error and the victim was to provide him with the cash. The suspect picked up $20,000 in cash at the
victim’s home on January 29. The following day, the victim provided $5,000 in gift cards by phone. On
January 31, an additional $20,000 was withdrawn from the victim’s account.

A 74-year-old Bay Shore woman was a victim of the same scam on January 31. She met the suspect in a
parking lot and she gave $13,000. The following day, she was contacted again and told to withdraw an
additional $20,000. Bank officials became concerned during the second withdrawal and contacted
police.

Financial Crimes detectives, Third Precinct officers and Canine Section officers responded to the pickup
location, a parking lot on East Main Street in East Islip, and Jarnail Singh was arrested. The $20,000 was
intercepted by police.

Singh, 21, of South Ozone Park, was charged with Grand Larceny 3rd Degree and Attempted Grand Larceny 3rd Degree. He will be arraigned today at First District Court in Central Islip.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone who believes they are a victim of this scam should contact Financial Crimes at 631-852-6821 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-220-TIPS.

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Terence Wolffe

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Feb. 2 that Terence Wolffe, 42, of Mastic, pleaded guilty to Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree and related charges for intentionally damaging parkland in the undeveloped wilderness of Walter S. Commerdinger Jr. County Park in Nesconset. He is now mandated to contribute socially, physically, and financially towards the county’s efforts to improve the environment.

“This is the perfect balance of what we believe is the future of combatting environmental crimes. Not only will this defendant have to pay for the damage he has done, but he is also mandated to be a part of the solution or face jail time,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Beyond simple remediation, this court-mandated comprehensive plan develops, cleans and adds stewards of environmental care in Suffolk County.”

According to court documents and the defendant’s statements during his plea allocution, Wolffe damaged county parkland within the confines of Walter S. Commerdinger Jr. County Park. Beginning in April 2023, Wolffe travelled to an off-trail area in the interior of the park to clear and excavate a personal “hang-out” spot in the woods. Using machetes, axes, and shovels, Wolffe chopped down native trees, removed native vegetation, and dug up ground-brush, thatch, soil, dirt and earth from an area approximately 1,150 square feet in dimension.

Wolffe then piled the displaced brush, soil, and tree limbs upon adjacent park land (smothering other native vegetation). While some trees around the periphery were left standing, Wolffe had allegedly hacked and sectioned their roots, causing severe and fatal damage that, in turn, jeopardized those on trails from falling timber. The depth of Wolffe’s excavation caused the adjacent wetland to flood into the pit.

Wolffe’s conduct was detected in November 2023 by Suffolk County Park Rangers. He was confronted at the scene and ultimately arrested on December 5, 2023, after a full site investigation was completed. He was also cited for having a machete on county parklands.

In December, District Attorney Tierney announced his “Evergreen Initiative,” a broad-based enforcement, awareness, and legislative plan to counter-act destruction of Suffolk’s natural environment. A component of this initiative is the DA’s commitment to incorporate environmental stewardship into plea agreements. As an illustration of this plan in action, the conditions of Wolffe’s plea require him to accumulate a total of 100 “Green Points.”

Wolffe is mandated, under terms of his plea, to accumulate his points through a combination of Green Point types, rather than focus purely on just one avenue.

Wolffe must achieve at least 50 Green Points within seven months of his entering a guilty plea. Wolffe then must acquire any outstanding points within six months of his sentencing. Any unearned points will convert to jail-time.

Additionally, Wolffe will also have to file monthly reports to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office on his progress and submit a personal statement describing, at a minimum, his experiences in undertaking the activities, a review of the organizations he came into contact with, ideas for future environmental endeavors and lessons learned from his experiences

On February 2, 2024, Wolffe pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Richard Ambro to Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor, and eight counts of Suffolk County Parks violations. He is being represented by Steven M. Politi, Esq. His next court date is September 3, 2024.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jed L. Painter of the District Attorney’s Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team (BEAST) with investigative assistance from the Suffolk County Parks Department.

 

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Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the woman who allegedly stole from a Lake Grove store last month.

A woman allegedly stole merchandise valued at $401 from Dicks, located at 620 Smith Haven Mall, on January 19 at approximately 3:20 p.m. She fled the store in a white pickup truck.

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 Crime Stoppers and Southampton Town Police are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the person or people who damaged a sign and stole another in Flanders.

The Welcome to Flanders sign, located at the corner of Pleasure Drive and County Road 104, was damaged and the Pleasure Drive street sign was stolen. The incidents were reported to police on January 23.

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.