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Three Village mourns death of seventh-grader

by Phil Corso - April 11, 2016

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Gelinas-Junior-High_Glowatzw — P.J. Gelinas Junior High School. File photo

The Three Village School District is leaning on its counseling staff this week as it mourns a seventh-grader who collapsed in school last week and died, officials said.

Schools Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich took to the district’s website this week to commemorate student Gabriella Beals-Reid, who died at P..J. Gelinas Junior High School last Monday afternoon. Suffolk County police said they responded to calls from the school around 2 p.m. about a student in need of medical assistance.

Beals-Reid was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital soon after, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

In a statement, Pedisich said the district immediately implemented its crisis intervention plan and grief counselors to assist students and staff throughout the Three Village schools community.

“We are extremely saddened by this heartbreaking news,” she said. “A young person’s death is always tragic and a sudden loss like this can have a profound effect on the entire school community.”

In a letter penned to parents, students and staff throughout the Gelinas community, Pedisich and Principal William Bernhard described the seventh-grader as an aspiring writer and musician who exemplified hard work and dedication.

“Gabriella was a talented and avid creative writer, whose passion for the craft was inspiring to her classmates and teachers,” the letter said. “She was also a gifted musician who played the French horn with style and talent. A well-rounded young adult, Gabriella was respected among students and staff members alike and will be greatly missed.”

Upon Beals-Reid’s family’s approval, Bernhard said the district would keep the community updated with funeral arrangements and memorial services.

Body found off Setauket Harbor identified as missing man: SCPD

by Phil Corso - April 11, 2016

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SetauketPlaneCrash20160221_MargoArceri_04 — 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.

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

Four arrested in drug bust across from middle school

by Elana Glowatz - April 7, 2016

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Terrill-Simmonsw — Terrill Simmons mugshot from SCPD

By Elana Glowatz

A heroin task force has just busted four people living across the street from the John F. Kennedy Middle School in Port Jefferson Station, including one who was found trying to flush drugs down the toilet, authorities said Thursday.

Agencies within the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Heroin Task Force executed a search warrant at the two-story Jayne Boulevard home on Monday, the DA’s office said in a press release, seizing raw heroin, 100 grams of crack cocaine, 50 grams of powdered cocaine, scales, wax packets and other supplies.

Authorities arrested one of the suspects at the scene, 38-year-old Terrill E. Simmons, charging him with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of marijuana, criminal use of drug paraphernalia, endangering the welfare of a child and tampering with evidence, after he allegedly was found flushing heroin down the toilet as detectives entered the house.

Police have also charged a father-son pair, 48-year-old Daniel Dumas and 27-year-old Daryl Dumas, with criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of drug paraphernalia. The son also faces charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal sale on or near school grounds.

A fourth suspect, 38-year-old Moneke Alexander, listed as a legal resident of Rhode Island, was charged with criminal possession, use of drug paraphernalia and endangering the welfare of a child.

A previous attorney for Daryl Dumas, Patchogue-based Daniel Henthorne, said he had not yet taken the defendant’s case, but “if we take the case then we’ll know more information.” Other attorney information for Dumas was not available. Alexander’s attorney, Riverhead-based Annette Totten, did not return a call seeking comment, while Simmons and the elder Dumas are both listed as representing themselves on the state court system’s online database and could not be reached for comment.

According to the DA’s office, each defendant pleaded not guilty to their respective charges in court on Wednesday.

The child endangerment charges stem from the alleged location of the drugs in the house: District Attorney Tom Spota said most of the heroin, crack and cocaine was found in boxes next to a 2-year-old’s bed — they were allegedly in the bedroom of Alexander’s son.

According to the DA’s office, Suffolk County Child Protective Services is caring for the child.

“Dealing drugs across the street from a school and the storage of these dangerous narcotics within feet of a child’s bed tell you all you need to know about these defendants’ disregard for everything other than getting and selling heroin and other drugs,” Spota said in a statement. “The shutdown of this operation is good news for the community.”

The heroin task force, which is made up of investigators from the DA’s office, county sheriff’s office and police department, had been investigating heroin trafficking within Brookhaven Town for several months at the time of the bust.

Bail was set at $15,000 cash or $30,000 bond for Alexander; $35,000 cash or $70,000 bond for Daniel Dumas; $75,000 cash or $150,000 bond for Daryl Dumas; and $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond for Simmons.

Five fire departments work together to battle blaze at home

by Victoria Espinoza - April 7, 2016

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Lloyd-Harbor-fire_01w — The Lloyd Harbor house still stands after the fire. Photo from Steve Silverman

Five Huntington area fire departments worked together on Wednesday night to fight a fire that caused extensive damage to a home in Lloyd Harbor.

Fire fighters work to put out the flames of a Lloyd Harbor house fire. Photo from Steve Silverman

The Huntington Fire Department responded to a call at 8 p.m. for a residential structure fire on Seacrest Drive in the Lloyd Neck neighborhood of Lloyd Harbor that involved the house’s attached garage and second floor. The Halesite, Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington Manor, Centerport and Greenlawn fire departments assisted the Huntington department About 85 firefighters used ten trucks to get the fire under control in two hours, under the command of Chief Jesse Cukro, supported by Assistant Chiefs Rob Conroy, Brian Keane and Scott Dodge.

Firefighters were able to stop the blaze and contain the damage to the center portion of the home. No residents were home at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Lloyd Harbor Police Department and Suffolk Police Arson Squad.

Police blotter: Suffolk County incidents and arrests through April 4

by TBR Staff - April 7, 2016

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Cocaine sellers stopped

A 26-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman both from Huntington were arrested at about 6:30 a.m. on April 1 on Depew Street in Huntington for possessing cocaine, police said. They were each charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell.

Unlicensed Lincoln

On March 31 at about 11 a.m., police pulled over a 32-year-old man from Huntington Station driving a 2000 Lincoln on Park Avenue in Huntington. He did not have a license, according to police. He was charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Driving on drugs

On Spring Road in Huntington at about 7:30 p.m. on March 30, a 21-year-old man from Brooklyn driving a 2012 BMW was speeding and ran a stop sign, according to police. When pulled over by police they said drugs impaired the driver. He was arrested and charged with first-degree operation of a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

Not quite international waters

A 19-year-old woman from Huntington Station was in possession of marijuana at the Soundview boat ramp in Northport at about 5:30 p.m. on March 30, according to police. She was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

He was thirsty

On April 1 at 7-Eleven on East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station, a 24-year-old man stole a beverage, police said. He was arrested and charged with petit larceny.

Trees

At about 6:30 p.m. on April 2, a 24-year-old woman from Melville had marijuana at Arboretum Park in Dix Hills, police said. She was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. A 25-year-old woman from Dix Hills was arrested at the same time and place for possessing marijuana and a medication without a prescription, according to police. She was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Cocaine, marijuana, Xanax and cash

Police said a 22-year-old man from Huntington Station was driving a 2011 Lexus on Homecrest Avenue near East 23rd Street at about 11 a.m. on April 1 without a license. When he was pulled over, police said he had cocaine, marijuana and Xanex without a prescription, along with money stolen from 7-Eleven on East Jericho Turnpike on March 22. He was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana, fifth-degree criminal possession of cocaine, petit larceny and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Stabbing suspect caught

On Aug. 18, 2015, in front of a home on West 10th Street in Huntington Station, a 20-year-old man from Huntington Station stabbed another man with a knife, police said. The victim was taken to Huntington Hospital. The suspect was arrested on East 2nd Street near New York Avenue on March 31 and charged with assault with the intent to cause physical injury with a weapon.

Saks Seventh-Degree Avenue

On March 30 at about 8 p.m. a 20-year-old man from Commack stole clothing from Saks Fifth Avenue on Walt Whitman Road in South Huntington, police said. When he was arrested police said he had heroin on him as well. He was charged with petit larceny and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

No license, with pot

A 30-year-old man from Huntington Station was driving a 2004 Mazda on Mckay Road near Railroad Street at about 10 p.m. on March 30 when he was pulled over by police, who said they discovered he was driving with a suspended license and had marijuana. He was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Manor Field Park attack

Police said three unknown men attacked a man who was seated in a parked car at Manor Field Park in Huntington Station at about 5:30 p.m. on April 3. The driver drove away and the suspects fled on foot. The passenger was treated for minor injuries at Huntington Hospital, police said.

Retro Fitness mischief

The window of a 2014 Nissan was broken and credit cards were stolen from the car while it was parked at Retro Fitness on East Jericho Turnpike in Elwood at about 1:30 p.m. on April 1, according to police.

Woman revived by police

Police responded to a call at a home on Oak Street in Central Islip at about 7 a.m. on April 2. When they arrived they found an unresponsive 65-year-old woman being administered CPR by a family member. Members of the Suffolk County Medical Crisis Action Team gave the woman multiple shocks from an automatic external defibrillator and an injection of cardiac medication, which restored the woman’s breathing and pulse, police said. She was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore.

Pants walk out of Macy’s

On April 2 at about 4 p.m., a 38-year-old woman from Islandia stole two pairs of pants from Macy’s at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, police said. When she was arrested at 5:30 p.m. she was found to be in possession of heroin. She was charged with petit larceny and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Serial stealer stopped

A 27-year-old man from Dix Hills was arrested on March 31 and charged with three counts of petit larceny. On March 7, he stole earbuds from Kohl’s in Commack, and on March 4 and 5 he stole two pairs of metal shear tools from Home Depot in Commack, police said.

Police crack down

At about 10 a.m. on April 1, a 34-year-old man from South Setauket driving a 2006 Hyundai on Moriches Road in Lake Grove was pulled over by police, who said they discovered cocaine in the car. He was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

License and registration, please

On March 31, a 31-year-old man from Kings Park was pulled over by police on Old Dock Road in Kings Park while driving a 2011 Chevy. During the traffic stop, police said they discovered that he didn’t have a license. He was arrested and charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Split Cedar sale

On March 31 at about 6 a.m., a 23-year-old man from Riverhead was arrested on Split Cedar Drive in Islandia when police said they found crack cocaine on him. He was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with the intention to sell.

Crack/cocaine possession

On March 31, police said a 46-year-old man from Selden in the driver’s seat of a parked 1997 Nissan near the intersection of Pine Avenue and Expressway Drive North in Ronkonkoma was in possession of crack cocaine. He was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

ATV drives off

An all-terrain vehicle was stolen from the driveway of a home on Rose Street in Smithtown at about 10:30 p.m. on April 4, police said.

Guns go missing

Police said an unknown person stole a safe containing guns and jewelry from a home on Lawrence Avenue in Smithtown at about 6 p.m. on March 27.

Bait and switch

A Kings Park resident transferred money to a person on Craigslist in exchange for a boat with a trailer at about 3 p.m. on April 1, police said. After the money was transferred, the Kings Park resident could not get in touch with the seller.

Slashed tires

The tires of a 2011 Mazda were slashed while the car was parked at a home on Old Commack Road in Kings Park at about 9 p.m. on March 29, police said.

Three minutes

A 24-year-old man from Coram was arrested for criminal possession of stolen property, fleeing from an officer in a car, criminal trespassing and resisting arrest on April 1. According to police, the man was driving a stolen 2013 BMW and when police tried to pull him over, he fled in the car from Walnut Street to Mead Avenue in Mount Sinai. The man abandoned the car and jumped the fence of a nearby residence, then took a fighting stance and charged at the officers before he was arrested on Osborne Avenue. The entire incident happened in a period of about three minutes, police said.

Tank it

On March 29 at 1:15 p.m., police arrested a man from Centereach for criminal mischief, seven counts of criminal possession of stolen property and three counts of unlicensed operation of a car. Police said the 31-year-old man stole assorted tools and a propane tank from a residence on Richmond Boulevard in Ronkonkoma, then damaged the lawn when he drove across the grass with a 2002 Dodge Ram with a suspended license. While fleeing the scene, the propane tank fell out of the back of the truck and hit a parked car. Police later arrested the man at his home.

Operation denied

A 25-year-old Sound Beach man was arrested on March 30 for unlicensed operation of a car. He had been driving a 2006 Honda Accord on Rocky Point Landing Road when police caught him.

Munchies mishap

On April 3, police arrested an 18-year-old man for criminal possession of marijuana. According to police, the Shirley resident was in the driver’s seat of a car parked in the ShopRite parking lot at College Plaza in Selden when police discovered the teen had the drug.

Bad drivers

On March 31 at 10 p.m., police arrested a 47-year-old woman for driving while ability impaired in a 2002 Honda Pilot. Police said she was going north on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station when she failed to maintain her lane.

Police arrested a man from Setauket on March 27 for driving while ability impaired after the 21-year-old was speeding on Route 112 in Port Jefferson in a 2007 BMW. According to police, he also failed to maintain his lane.

Police arrested a 21-year-old Sound Beach woman on April 2 for driving while ability impaired after she got into a car crash while going south on Halesite Drive in a 2012 Subaru. Police didn’t specify what she hit.

Police arrested a 21-year-old man from Mount Sinai for driving while ability impaired after he drove a 1987 Toyota on Strathmore Village Drive and crashed into a parked 2015 Jeep. Police said the man fled the scene but was caught and arrested around 9 a.m. on March 27.

Call me

On March 29 around 2:10 p.m., someone stole two phones from a display case in the Verizon store on Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station.

Door needs a bandage

Police said someone damaged the door of Fresenius Medical Care on Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station. The incident happened between 2:30 a.m. on April 2 and 8 a.m. the following day.

Lynbroken

Someone damaged the door of a residence on Lynbrook Drive in Sound Beach around 3 a.m. on April 2.

Ring the alarm

On March 31 around 1 p.m., a woman said someone stole her diamond engagement ring after she left it in a tanning room of Sky Tan on Middle Country Road in Selden.

Broadway bandit

On March 27, someone stole a jacket off a chair in the Rocky Point Ale House on Broadway around 10:17 p.m. Police said a wallet was in the jacket pocket.

Open for business

Between 11 p.m. on March 31 and 4 a.m. the following day, an unknown person stole a 2015 Ford Explorer from the Hope House Ministries property on North Country Road in Port Jefferson. Police said the car was unlocked and the keys were inside.

Someone stole multiple sunglasses and money from an unlocked 2015 Mercedes and an unlocked 2014 Jeep. The cars were parked near a residence on Locust Drive in Miller Place. Police said the incidents happened on March 30 around 3:50 a.m.

Making moves

According to police, on April 3 around 2 p.m. someone stole a GPS and its charger, cables, an agility ladder and assorted fitness equipment from a 2013 Mazda. Police said the car was parked in the Marshalls parking lot in Stony Brook.

Cemented steal

On March 29 around 6:30 p.m., someone stole a cement mixer from a 2015 Dodge Ram that was parked on Valley Drive in Sound Beach.

Man killed on Nesconset Highway

by Elana Glowatz - April 7, 2016

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A pedestrian was killed on Nesconset Highway on Wednesday night while trying to cross the busy roadway.

The Suffolk County Police Department said the man was crossing from the median to the north side of Route 347 at the intersection with Browns Road in Nesconset at the time of the crash. A 2000 Jeep Cherokee, which had been going west on the road, crashed into the pedestrian shortly after 9 p.m.

Police did not identify the man, who was pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Hospital, pending notification of his family.

The Jeep’s driver, a 23-year-old Bay Shore man, was not hurt, police said. That vehicle was impounded for a safety check.

St. James man pleads guilty to illegal dumping charges

by Phil Corso - April 6, 2016

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Datre,-Thomas-Jrw — Thomas Datre Jr. photo from SCPD

The St. James man accused of illegally dumping tens of thousands of tons of contaminated construction debris in Suffolk County pleaded guilty to felony charges of endangering the environment this week, Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota said.

Thomas Datre Jr., 42, has been on trial since Feb. 23 for the alleged incident, which dated back to 2013 and 2014. He stood on trial with his father Thomas Datre Sr. and four family-operated companies charged with dumping thousands of tons of contaminated construction debris at four locations in western Suffolk County, and pleaded guilty March 30 to four felony charges of endangering the public health, safety or the environment in the third degree. He will be sentenced to up to three years in an upstate prison and must also cleanup the damaged land, Spota said.

According to the terms of the plea, Datre Jr. is responsible for the restoration of Roberto Clemente Town Park in Brentwood to an active playground, soccer field and recreational facility for Brentwood residents, the district attorney said. Datre Jr. is also financially and otherwise responsible for the cleanup and remediation of the environmentally fragile wetlands area on the Islip-Babylon town border in Deer Park and a lot at the corner of Sage Street and Islip Avenue in Central Islip, Spota said.

Datre Jr.’s attorney could not be reached for comment.

Dangerous toxins, including dieldrin, asbestos and other contaminants classified as “acutely hazardous” or “hazardous” were detected in the dumped debris. Spota said the dumping investigation, which began in April of 2014, uncovered a scheme “based in greed that left Suffolk County with an environmental catastrophe.”

“Before the defendant is sentenced, he will clean up at his expense the properties he dumped debris on,” Spota said. “Mr. Datre will report on his progress with the cleanup to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the court and the district attorney’s office.”

Datre Jr. also pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges of operating a solid waste management facility without a permit. The sentences on those convictions will be served concurrently, the DA said.

The charges in the indictment against Datre Sr. were dismissed in satisfaction of the plea of Datre Jr. In addition to Datre Jr.’s guilty plea the family-run business, 5 Brothers Farming Corp., pleaded guilty to four counts of endangering the environment in the third degree, one felony plea per each of four sites where New York City building rubble was dumped in Suffolk.

Datre Jr.’s co-defendant, Christopher Grabe of Islandia Recycling, also pleaded guilty to two felony charges of endangering the environment and two misdemeanor charges of operating a solid waste management facility without a permit.

Spota said Grabe, for his role in the dumping of debris at Clemente Town Park in Brentwood and at the Route 111 site in Central Islip will be sentenced to up to six months in jail and five years’ probation.

Grabe also pleaded guilty to a tax fraud felony filed by the district attorney’s Tax Crimes Unit in March of last year. Grabe, 38, “from 2011 through 2013 failed to report about $885,000 of income to New York State, resulting in evasion of approximately $57,000 in income taxes, “ Spota said.

That defendant is now required to pay the unpaid taxes.

In a separate investigation and indictment, Datre Sr. and Clara Datre, representing Daytree at Cortland Square Inc. before Justice Fernando Camacho, acknowledged the firm’s failure to pay prevailing wages to its workers performing tree and stump removal for the Town of Islip. For the plea to the misdemeanor charge failure to pay the prevailing wage, 13 workers employed by Daytree at Cortland Square Inc. will be paid by the company approximately $90,000 in wages that they did not receive while working on the town contract.

Woman escapes car before it goes up in flames

by Victoria Espinoza - April 5, 2016

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Commack-car-fire-2016_02w — The Hyundai Elantra after firefighters put out the flames. Photo by Steve Silverman and Matt Schwier

A 19-year-old woman was able to break free from her Hyundai Elantra before it was fully engulfed in flames just after noon on Saturday, April 2, in Commack.

The Hyundai Elantra engulfed in fire. Photo by Steve Silverman and Matt Schwier

The woman struck a tree while driving on Verleye Avenue, causing the car to overturn and eventually catch fire.

Emergency responders from the Commack Fire Department, Commack Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and Suffolk County Police Department responded to the crash near Lefferts Avenue. The Commack Fire Department responded with three engines and a heavy rescue truck.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames and used foam to cover the spilled gasoline.

The Commack Volunteer Ambulance Corps transported the teenager to Huntington Hospital.

Hotline goes live to help fight addiction

by Elana Glowatz - April 4, 2016

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By Elana Glowatz

A 24-hour substance abuse hotline went live on April 1, providing Suffolk County residents with a new resource to help with battling addiction.

The Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence is operating the new hotline — 631-979-1700 — and will help callers get screenings, referrals and follow-ups, directing them to local resources that will help them or loved ones overcome addiction.

A flyer advertises a new substance abuse hotline. Image from the Suffolk County health department

Officials announced the initiative at the end of February, calling it a partnership between the county, Stony Brook Medicine and the state’s health department, as well as private and public community partners in the substance abuse field. Those officials said having a single phone number for all those resources is key.

“This initiative will provide [the] opportunity for addicts to reach out during their time of need and access treatment and support options easily,” Suffolk County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport) said in a previous statement. “Often, there is a critical and brief period of time when a person sees clarity and makes the decision to seek help. This hotline can be fertile ground for change and recovery as it can quickly link residents to crucial health care services.”

LICADD itself noted in a recent statement about the hotline that “the time to seek treatment is ‘now’” and that sometimes the “now” is late at night, early in the morning or on weekends or holidays. The agency also said that the period in which an addict is willing to get treatment could close without immediate help, due to “the pathology of denial, obsession and fear which often defines substance use disorders.”

Community leaders have ramped up efforts to fight opioid addiction in recent years while seeing an increase in heroin and prescription painkiller abuse and overdoses across Suffolk County. Those efforts have included more directed police enforcement and informational meetings. Police officers have also started carrying the medication Narcan, which can temporarily stop opioid overdoses and has been used hundreds of times in Suffolk.

Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket), who authored the law that put Narcan into officers’ hands, said about the new hotline, “Every second counts to a mother whose son or daughter was found and saved from overdosing. And every hour and every day that slips by trying to find quality, affordable, accessible treatment is critical.”

For 24/7 substance abuse help, call 631-979-1700.

To report drug activity to the police, call 631-852-NARC.

The county health department will provide oversight and analyze data to monitor the hotline’s effectiveness, and identify trends and emerging issues in the community.

At the same time the drug abuse hotline went live, the Suffolk County Police Department announced another phone number, this one a 24-hour tip line for residents to report drug activity in their neighborhoods.

“We are asking the public’s help to fight this scourge, and with the public’s help, we can make a real difference,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tim Sini said in a statement.

Residents can call 631-852-NARC anonymously to report information about local drug dealers, and authorities will investigate the tips. Even anonymous callers can receive cash rewards for tips that lead to arrests.

“If you see something, say something and Suffolk County police will do something about it,” Sini said.

Police: Man covered up red light cameras

by Elana Glowatz - April 4, 2016

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A man was arrested on two counts of criminal tampering on Friday after he allegedly placed plastic bags over red light cameras at a busy Smithtown intersection.

The bags went on cameras at the signal at Main Street and Landing Avenue around 5:30 p.m. that day, the Suffolk County Police Department said, and a passing motorist called 911 to report the man who was covering them.

The cameras, set up through a county program, take pictures of vehicles that run through red lights or don’t stop completely before turning right on red, and the license plate numbers captured in the photos are used to generate traffic tickets.

Police used the suspect’s description from the 911 caller on Friday and later located St. James resident Bryan Valentine nearby. The 26-year-old was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal tampering.

Attorney information for Valentine was not immediately available Monday.

The suspect is not the first police have arrested for allegedly tampering with red light cameras. In August, police collared Centereach resident Stephen Ruth, after authorities said he used a pole to reach several red light cameras in Ronkonkoma and turn their lenses away from the road and toward the sky. He was charged with criminal tampering and obstructing governmental administration.

In interviews Ruth has stood behind his actions, and he has received praise from people who oppose the county’s red light camera program and say it is simply a money grab, as the county receives much revenue from the tickets generated.

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