Police & Fire

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Shatia Parker. Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Police arrested a former aide on Nov. 12 for allegedly fraudulently using an elderly client’s EBT card in Smithtown more than a dozen times in 2020. Shatia Parker, an aide who advertised on Care.com, used an elderly client’s EBT card to make 17 unauthorized purchases at a grocery store in Smithtown between October 2020 and December 2020.

The unauthorized transactions ranged between $37 and $193. A family member contacted police after noticing a discrepancy on receipts. Following an investigation by Fourth Precinct Crime Section, Parker, 30, of Riverhead, was arrested and charged with 17 counts of Petit Larceny. She will arraigned on a later date.

Anyone who believes they could be a victim, is asked to call Fourth Precinct Crime Section at 631- 854-8455.

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Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. Photo from Tierney's office
Defendant Noah Green faces multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced today the Grand Jury Indictment of Noah Green, that formally accuses him of two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, one count of Criminal Possession of a Firearm, as well as counts of Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Resisting Arrest.

“In Suffolk County, we investigate every time that a gun is illegally fired, and we pursue charges on those perpetrating violence in our community,” said DA Tierney. “Here, thanks to the amazing work of the investigators from my office and Suffolk County Police Department detectives, the gun used in the shooting in front of Congressman Zeldin’s house was allegedly recovered from the pocket of this defendant. Moreover, the Suffolk County Crime lab was able to link this gun to a bullet from the shooting near Congressman Zeldin’s residence, as well as shell casings located in the stolen car believed to have been used in the shooting. This indictment should send a message that in Suffolk County we will not tolerate violence. The investigation in this case is not over.”

On October 31, members of law enforcement were conducting surveillance pursuant to the ongoing investigation into the October 9,  non-fatal shooting outside the residence of United States Congressman Lee Zeldin. At approximately 1 p.m., members of law enforcement allegedly observed Green, 18, exiting his residence in Shirley and enter the driver’s seat of a stolen black 2022 HondaCRV.

At that time, members of law enforcement approached the defendant who immediately exited the stolen vehicle and attempted to evade apprehension by jumping onto the hood and roof of a law enforcement vehicle. In his efforts to flee, Green caused damage to both the hood and roof of that vehicle. The defendant continuously refused to comply with the officers’ commands and began reaching for his pants pocket where the loaded Taurus 9 mm pistol was ultimately recovered.

The gun was found to contain a loaded, high-capacity magazine. A microscopic analysis of the gun allegedly recovered from the defendant’s pocket showed that the firearm was used in the non- fatal shooting that occurred in front of the Zeldin residence on October 9. Additionally, two 9 mm shell casings were recovered from the cowl (i.e., the space between the hood and the windshield) of the stolen car, believed to have been used in the October 9 shooting. The October 9 shooting is still under active investigation and defendant Green is not charged with that crime at this time.

As part of the investigation, members of law enforcement have observed social media accounts allegedly belonging to the defendant and observed the following picture, which depicts Green and another individual with a firearm, posted to the defendant’s Snapchat account on Friday October 28, 2022:

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In addition to the image above, other images and videos posted to this account revealed that the defendant was an occupant of a vehicle which appears consistent with the stolen Honda CRV from which he fled immediately prior to his arrest on October 31.

Green is charged with two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a class C violent felony); Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (a class D violent felony); Criminal Possession of a Firearm, (an E non-violent felony); Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle in the Third Degree (a class A misdemeanor), Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree (a class A misdemeanor) and Resisting Arrest (a class A misdemeanor). If convicted as charged, Green can be sentenced to a determinate period of incarceration of between three and one half (3 1⁄2) years imprisonment and 15 years imprisonment.

At his arraignment on the indictment this morning, the Honorable Karen M. Wilutis ordered Green held on $1 million cash, $2 million bond or $10 million partially secured bond.

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

Just released! 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 Lake Grove store in September.

A man allegedly stole $700 worth of merchandise from Old Navy, located at 2089 Smith Haven Plaza, at approximately 6:30 p.m. on September 30.

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.

Commack HIgh School. Photo from Google Maps

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, the Commack School District experienced a network outage,  according to a press release from the district.

It was determined by the district’s network engineers that this service disruption is a result of a ransomware virus.

“At this time, we have contacted federal, state and local authorities, including Homeland Security, and we are working closely with our cyber Insurance carrier.,” the statement read. “Ransomware such as this is a criminal act, and an investigation is currently underway.  There is no evidence at this time that any student or staff information has been accessed.”

The district will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and its team to resolve the issue.

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Do you recognize this woman? 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 to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole from a Commack store in October.

A man allegedly stole $680 worth of clothing from Target, located at 98 Veterans Memorial Highway, at 11:45 a.m. on October 30. He left the scene in a blue Toyota Camry.

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 Second Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a motorcyclist in West Hills on Nov. 6. Michael Bonsera was operating a 2017 Harley-Davidson southbound on Round Swamp Road when the motorcycle crossed over the double yellow lines into the northbound lanes and collided with 2016 Chevrolet Traverse being driven by Kathryn Cammarata at 1:23 p.m.

Bonsera, 48, of East Norwich, was transported via ambulance to Northwell Health Plainview Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Cammarata, 67, of Huntington, was transported to Huntington Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks. Anyone with information on this crash is asked to call the Second Squad at 631-854-8252.

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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 Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole merchandise from a Commack store in July. A man allegedly stole Pokémon cards from Target, located at 98 Veterans Memorial Highway, at 6:11 p.m. on July 31. The merchandise was valued at approximately $430.

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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 person who threw a pumpkin into the windshield of a 2009 Ford Fusion traveling westbound on Town Line Road, near Macarthur Boulevard, in Hauppauge on Oct. 30 at approximately 2:50 p.m. The pumpkin was thrown by an occupant of a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction

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.

 

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Do you recognize these women? 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 the women who allegedly stole merchandise from Spirit Halloween, located at 2110 Nesconset Highway in Stony Brook, on Oct. 28, at approximately 9:30 p.m. They fled in a white Jeep Renegade with New York plates KNS 6519. Both suspects are believed to have stolen from other Spirit Halloween stores .

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.

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Photo from Suffolk County DA's office
Anthony Santiesteban was allegedly caught on video immediately before and after the killing which occurred in a Coram parking lot

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the indictment of defendant Anthony Santiesteban, 30, of Centereach, who is accused of Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in connection to the death of Martina Thompson.

“This defendant allegedly killed the victim in a brazen and thoughtless manner. Thankfully, he was caught with the murder weapon in his hand on high-definition video,” said DA Tierney. “Violent crime, particularly gun violence, will not be tolerated in Suffolk County. These cases are a priority, and we will do everything in our power to put a stop to the violence.”

Photo from Suffolk County DA’s office

As set forth in the People’s bail application, on October 29, after engaging in a lengthy conversation with the victim, which was captured on video surveillance, Santiesteban was then seen following Thompson, 33, of East Patchogue, into a desolate fenced area located in the rear parking lot of a strip mall where he allegedly shot her once in the face. Immediately afterwards, Santiesteban was captured on video walking out of the fenced area with what appears to be the murder weapon, a semi-automatic handgun, in his hand.

Santiesteban was not masked and was wearing distinctive clothing. On November 2, the murder weapon – a loaded and defaced 9 mm handgun – was recovered from Santiesteban’s bedroom in Centereach pursuant to a search warrant.

Santiesteban is charged with Murder in the Second Degree, a class A violent felony; two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, C violent felonies; and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D violent felony. He faces a minimum sentence of 25 years to life if convicted on the top count and a consecutive sentence up to 15 years imprisonment on the weapons charges.

At his arraignment on the indictment earlier today, the Honorable Steven Pilewski of the Suffolk County Court, remanded Santiesteban without bail. Santiesteban is being represented by John Manley, Esq. His next court is scheduled for December 13.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Elena Tomaro of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau.