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Times of Middle Country

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File photo
Rashelle Mann mugshot from SCPD
Rashelle Mann mugshot from SCPD

Police allege a woman was driving drunk and without a license when she got into a crash at a busy intersection near the mall, all with her toddler in the back seat.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, the suspect was driving east on Middle Country Road in a 2006 Nissan Altima on Sunday evening when she made a left turn in front of a 2014 Toyota Rav4, which had been heading west on the same road. The two vehicles collided at the Moriches Road intersection, near Smith Haven Mall.

A 2-year-old boy was in the Nissan at the time of the crash, driver Rashelle Mann’s son, police said. He was evaluated at Stony Brook University Hospital but did not appear injured, according to police. The Toyota’s driver, 20-year-old Hauppauge resident Cindy Tran, was treated at the same hospital for minor injuries.

The mother, a 26-year-old Ronkonkoma resident, was charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child passenger 15 years or younger, a charge commonly referred to as Leandra’s Law. She was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

Attorney information for Mann was not immediately available.

According to police, her son was released to a relative.

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The town’s Prom Boutique is open from March 7 to June 17. File photo

Brookhaven Town wants to make prom special even for teenagers who cannot afford it.

The Prom Boutique will open at Brookhaven Town Hall in March “so young ladies who qualify for assistance can be dressed from head to toe, helping to make their prom dreams come true,” according to a press release from the town.

There will be a free selection of gently used gowns, handbags and costume jewelry, as well as makeup and fragrances, between March 7 and June 17. The hours of the second-floor boutique will be Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be special evening hours on March 10, April 7, April 21, May 26 and June 9, which will run from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Appointments must be made by calling 631-451-8011, and all clients’ identities will be kept confidential.

If anyone is interested in donating clothes and accessories to the initiative, which is an effort of the Department of Housing and Human Services’ Youth Bureau, they can be dropped off at the boutique on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. All clothing must be dry cleaned and pressed before it can be accepted.

Visit www.brookhaven.org for more information.

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More than 1,000 visitors came out to enjoy the exhibits at last year’s Home & Garden Show. Photo by Heidi Sutton

Highway Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro recently announced the return of the annual Brookhaven Town Home & Garden Show to be held at the Holtsville Ecology Site, 249 Buckley Road, Holtsville, on Saturdays, March 12 and 19 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays, March 13 and 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event will feature vendor exhibits including flowers, gazebos, landscaping, decking, fencing, stonework, sheds, hot tubs, siding, windows, gutters, garden centers and more. In addition, with paid admission, visitors can participate in free educational workshops and hands-on classes for children. Seminar topics include garden design, native plantings, interior design, gardening with kids, recycling and composting. While classes and workshops are subject to change, a comprehensive schedule of seminars will be available at www.brookhaven.org as the event nears.

“After a long winter, residents are always eager to learn some unique and innovative ways to beautify their properties this spring,” Losquadro said. “Building on the success of last year’s show, we expanded this year’s event to two weekends to accommodate more people. I hope visitors will bring the whole family to come out and view the wide array of home improvement ideas our local vendors will have on display — from building outdoor fireplaces and getting more creative with landscaping design to replacing walkways or even putting in a hot tub.”

“All proceeds from this event will be used to benefit the Holtsville Ecology Site, one of our Town’s hidden gems,” Losquadro continued. “Over the years, so many families have enjoyed and appreciated all the Ecology Site has to offer. Investing the proceeds from this event directly back into the Ecology Site will help to ensure there is adequate funding to support its continued operations.”

Cost of admission is $6 for adults; children 16 and under are free. Parking is free, as is the opportunity to walk through the animal preserve, which is home to more than 100 injured or non-releasable wild and farm animals and will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For further information, call  631-758-9664, ext. 18.

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Get out
A 47-year-old man from Laughlin, Nevada, was arrested on Feb. 21 for entering a home on Otsego Place in Commack just before midnight, police said. He was charged with criminal trespassing.

Unlicensed driver
On Feb. 20 at about 9:30 p.m., a 32-year-old man from Medford was driving a 2015 GMC on Middle Country Road in Nesconset without a license, police said. He was charged with second degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

Dude, where’s my car?
Between Jan. 2 and Feb. 20, a 28-year-old woman from Sound Beach drove a 2015 GMC despite being 50 days beyond the return date set by the car’s owner, police said. She also ignored notices by certified mail to return the car, according to police. She was arrested on Feb. 20 in Nesconset and charged with operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent.

Drugs in the park
A 22-year-old man from Bohemia had heroin and marijuana on him in the parking lot of Lakeland County Park in Islandia at about 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 17, according to police. He was charged with two counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Traffic stop yields pot
Just before 8 p.m. on Feb. 17, a 29-year old woman from Smithtown was stopped for a traffic violation in Smithtown, and was found to have marijuana on her, police said. She was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Egghead, cannon arm
An unknown person threw eggs at a 2016 Subaru and a 2005 Acura, both parked in the driveway of a home on New Highway in Commack, at around midnight on Feb. 21, police said. The eggs caused scratches, dents and some discoloration to the two cars, according to police.

Shades swiped
Police said an unknown person stole 17 pairs of sunglasses from Macy’s at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove at about 5 p.m. on Feb. 20.

Off-road escape
A snow blower and two all-terrain vehicles were stolen from a shed outside a home on Wood Road in Centereach around midnight on Jan. 25, police said.

Broken window
An unknown person damaged the rear window of a home on Havemeyer Lane in Commack at about 3 p.m. on Feb. 18, according to police.

Wallet walks off in the night
A wallet with cash was stolen from an unlocked 1999 Toyota that was parked in front of a home on New Highway in Commack at about 3 a.m. on Feb. 18, police said.

Subway smash and grab
At about 11 p.m. on Feb. 19, an unknown person smashed the window of Subway restaurant on Hawkins Avenue in Lake Grove and stole a cash register containing money, according to police.

Not the key to success
Police said an unknown person keyed the passenger side and hood of a 2008 Pontiac Solstice in the parking lot of New York Sports Club in Huntington on Feb. 19 at 7 a.m.

Missing looking glass
An unknown person stole a telescope from a garage on Darrow Lane in Elwood on Feb. 20 at 1:40 p.m.

High times
On Feb. 19, a 29-year-old woman from Central Islip was arrested for having marijuana and prescription pills in her possession, according to police. She was arrested on Larkfield Road in Elwood and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of marijuana.

Not quite Accura-te
A 29-year-old man from Huntington was arrested on Feb. 20 after police said he crashed into a 1998 Acura while driving south on Route 110 in Melville in a 2004 Honda Accord. He was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Don’t take the call
A 44-year-old man from Kings Park was arrested on Feb. 19 at 7:15 a.m. on Larkfield Road in East Northport after police said he called a woman and harassed her on Dec. 22. He was charged with second-degree aggravated harassment.

Getting saked at Saks
Police said a 28-year-old man from Springfield Gardens was using fake identification to open a new credit card on Feb. 19 at Saks Fifth Avenue in Huntington. According to police, he had a fake driver’s license and credit card, which he used to apply for a Saks Fifth Avenue credit card and then buy $3,500 worth of merchandise. He was charged with second-degree possession of a forged instrument.

Catching up
Police busted a 20-year-old man from Holtsville for grand larceny, more than three months after he allegedly stole cash and credit cards from a 2000 Toyota Corolla parked near Middle Country Road in Selden on Nov. 2. Police arrested him on Feb. 20 around 7:45 p.m. at the 6th Precinct.

Formulaic thief
Between 8 and 8:40 p.m. on Feb. 15, someone stole baby formula from a store on Route 25A in Sound Beach.

You’re suspended!
A Port Jefferson Station man was arrested on Feb. 17 for unlicensed operation of a car. Police said he was driving a 2011 Ford Fusion when he was pulled over on the corner of Canal Road and Shenandoah Boulevard. Officials discovered he was driving with a suspended license and arrested him at the scene. It was not clear why the man was pulled over.

Teens in trouble
On Feb. 15, a 19-year-old Rocky Point man was arrested for driving while ability impaired in a 2002 Mercedes, after he was going west on Route 25A in Miller Place and was involved in a car crash. Police discovered the teen was intoxicated and arrested.
A 19-year-old man from West Babylon was arrested on Feb. 18 for driving while ability impaired on Route 25A in Miller Place, after an officer pulled over the teen for speeding in a 2012 Volkswagen. Police arrested him at the scene around 1:31 a.m.

Old enough to know better
On Feb. 17, police arrested a 60-year-old man from Mount Sinai for driving while ability impaired in a 2002 Hyundai on North Country Road, after he was in a car crash.

Another one?
Police arrested a Miller Place resident on Feb. 18 at 3:15 a.m. for driving while ability impaired. Authorities said the 41-year-old man was pulled over for speeding west on Route 25A in a 2005 BMW.

Why do so many drivers do this?
A 27-year-old man was arrested for allegedly driving while ability impaired on Feb. 18. Police pulled over the Mastic resident after he failed to maintain his lane while driving a 1998 Audi on Stony Brook Road in Centereach. He was arrested at the corner of Stony Brook Road and Westcliff Lane.

Prescription for handcuffs
Police arrested a 27-year-old woman from Rocky Point on Feb. 18 for criminal possession of cocaine and prescription pills without a prescription. It was not clear why officials first approached the woman, but she was arrested on Twilight Road.

Picking apart pickups
On Feb. 17, someone stole four chrome wheels from two different Dodge Ram 1500 pickups. The incidents occurred on Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station.

Going postal
According to police, on Feb. 19 around 2:10 a.m., someone used an incendiary device to damage a mailbox on Jefferson Landing Circle in Port Jefferson.

Fountain of money
Someone stole a wallet with credit cards and identification from an unlocked Honda Pilot. The incident happened between 10 p.m. on Feb. 15 and 10:21 a.m. the following day, near Fountain Road in Rocky Point.

Smash and cash
An unknown person broke the front glass door of a store on Mark Tree Road in Centereach and stole the cash register. Police said the incident occurred on Feb. 17 around 10:30 p.m.

Stony broken
On Feb. 18 around 10 p.m., an unknown person broke a window on a 2015 Porsche parked at AMC Loews theater in Stony Brook. The person stole a camera, Chanel bag, backpack and a car key to a different car.

Dodge this
According to police, an unidentified individual threw an object that dented and scratched a moving 2014 Dodge Ram on Feb. 17, on Henry Avenue in Selden.

Hungry bandit
On Feb. 20 around 7: 50 p.m., someone stole a bag of food from Wild by Nature on Route 25A in East Setauket.

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Adrienne Esposito speaks against a plan to dump dredge spoils in the Sound as county Legislators Sarah Anker, Kara Hahn and Al Krupski look on. Photo by Giselle Barkley

It’s been about six months and North Shore leaders are still fighting against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposal to continue dumping dredge spoils into the Long Island Sound.

Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) stood alongside fellow county Legislators Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue) and Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) on Tuesday at the William H. Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge to voice their opposition to the plan and ask Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and New York Secretary of State Cesar Perales to reject the proposal. George Hoffman of the Setauket Harbor Task Force and Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, were also among the leaders who voiced their opposition to the plan.

The Army Corps has dumped dredge spoils into waterways leading to the Sound for decades. Its final proposal, known as the Long Island Sound Dredged Material Management Plan, was completed on Jan. 11 and suggested dumping 30 to 50 million cubic yards of dredge material cleared out from Connecticut waterways over the course of another 30 years.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has supported the Army Corps’ proposal. Stephen Perkins, a member of the EPA’s dredging team, said the spoils are tested before being dumped to ensure they meet certain safety standards.

But critics say the state can reject the plan under the federal Clean Water Act.

Dredge dumping has caused toxic chemicals to be dispersed throughout the Sound over the years, affecting the ecosystem and many water-dwelling species, including fish and lobsters.

“If this was private industry doing this, I don’t think they’d go very far,” Krupski said. “They’d probably end up in jail.”

Over the past 11 years, the local government has spent $7 million to address environmental issues in the Sound, a fragile body of water, according to Anker. Some of that went toward creating a Long Island Sound study.

According to Esposito, New York State rejected a similar plan that the Army Corps proposed in 2005, and ordered that group and the EPA to slowly reduce the amount of dredge spoils being dumped into the Sound. She called for the plan to go back to the drawing board.

“We’ve committed so much resources, money, time and energy to protecting this water body,” Hahn said. “And then to just dump potential harmful and toxic waste spoils into our waters is a darn shame.”

Anker agreed, saying that the Sound creates upward of $36 billion of economic value on the Island.

Instead of dumping dredge spoils into the Long Island Sound, Esposito suggested using it to restore wetlands, rebuild beaches and cap landfills, among other methods of disposal.

“The Sound is dying and what they’re trying to do now is bury it in dredge spoil,” Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) said at the press conference.

The local leaders also criticized the EPA for supporting the Army Corps.

“On one hand, they are advancing a nitrogen-reduction plan,” Esposito said. “And on the other, they’re turning a blind eye to the disposal of the large quantities of dredge materials which cause significant nitrogen loading into the Sound.”

A public hearing on the dredging plan will be held on Tuesday, March 1, at the Port Jefferson Free Library, at the corner of Thompson and East Main streets. That event runs from 5 to 7 p.m., with registration for public speakers starting at 4:30 p.m.

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Left to right, state Assemblyman Steve Englebright, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Sen. John Flanagan discuss the plan. Photo from Cuomo’s office

Keeping the state’s drinking water clean and safe is a subject anyone can get behind, and New York lawmakers across both major parties did just that.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo introduced a series of aggressive water quality initiatives last week in the company of elected officials representing the North Shore in an attempt to better protect public health and the environment. His proposals received great praise from both Democrats and Republicans as a common-sense way to keep New York’s water clean.

“Every New Yorker has a fundamental right to clean and safe drinking water,” Cuomo said. “Water is a priceless resource that requires the highest levels of protection, and I am proud to continue this administration’s legacy of standing up for the environment. We are taking aggressive and proactive steps to ensure clean and healthy communities throughout the state — both for current residents and for generations to come.”

Joining Cuomo at a Stony Brook University discussion on the state’s newest water initiatives were Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D), state Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport), state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) and more. At that discussion, Cuomo pitched his statewide water quality rapid response team, which he said would work to identify and develop plans to address critical drinking water contamination concerns as well as groundwater and surface water contamination problems.

“It’s imperative that we all work together at the local, state and federal levels to protect the public health,” Bellone said. “The actions that Governor Cuomo has announced today are demonstrating unequivocally that New York is taking proactive measures to not just meet that standard, but to really raise the bar on the protection of water quality.”

Cuomo said the rapid response team would be working to develop a comprehensive action plan to immediately address water quality issues raised by municipalities and concerned citizens, taking on matters ranging from currently regulated contaminants like lead, to emerging contaminants, like perfluorooctanoic acid. It was a plan that his fellow lawmakers said was easy to get behind.

“We are blessed in New York State and on Long Island to have the availability of high-quality drinking water, but we also have a responsibility to protect it,” Flanagan said. “At the end of the day, nothing is more important to New Yorkers and their families than the air they breathe and the water they drink.”

The team will also review and incorporate the best available science and may include new review standards for currently unregulated contaminants, enhanced testing and oversight of drinking water systems, including private wells, and state-of-the-art drinking water treatment options.

“Creating an agenda to safeguard the quality of Long Island’s water source is great news — not only for the health of New Yorkers — but for the environment as well,” Englebright said. “Governor Cuomo’s work to ensure that every New Yorker has access to safe, clean drinking water is a testament to his commitment to statewide public health. The implementation of a water quality rapid response team is a proactive way to protect the environment from harmful water contamination and keep New Yorkers’ drinking water clean and safe.”

The discussion over drinking water came in the weeks following a horrific drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where officials have been scrambling to combat unsafe and potentially life-threatening water contaminations.

The governor also proposed regulations to be imposed on mulch-processing facilities to safeguard natural resources. Cuomo said the Department of Environmental Conservation would propose for public comment draft regulations for mulch facilities to increase oversight and provide enhanced safeguards. The proposed regulations would require facilities to establish water runoff management plans to protect groundwater and place restrictions on pile size and storage to reduce the risk of fires, odor and dust.

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Kathy Horan mugshot from SCPD

Update, 2.29.16: Police have reported that Lynn May, the 58-year-old Lake Grove resident who was standing by her parked car during the hit-and-run, has died of her injuries sustained in the crash.

Police said a woman drove away after fatally striking one man with her car and seriously injuring three others on Friday night.

The 61-year-old Medford resident, Kathy Horan, was allegedly driving east on Granny Road at about 8:20 p.m. and, shortly down the road from Brookhaven Town Hall, hit Peter Quoma, a 28-year-old from Selden who had gotten out of his own car because he had hit a parked vehicle.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, the hit from Horan’s 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe was fatal for Quoma, and also injured the two passengers still inside his 1997 Nissan Maxima as well as the owner of the parked car, who was standing next to it.

Quoma was pronounced dead at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue, police said, while the two passengers, one male and one female, were treated for minor injuries at Stony Brook University Hospital. Police said the parked car’s owner, 58-year-old Lynn May from Lake Grove, was being treated for serious injuries at Brookhaven Memorial.

Horan, who was not hurt, was charged with leaving the scene of an incident involving a fatality and with leaving the scene of one involving physical injury. She was arraigned on Saturday.

Attorney information for the suspect was not immediately available.

Anyone with information is asked to call the SCPD’s Vehicular Crime Unit at 631-852-6555.

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By Alex Petroski

“The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley,” directed by Kristen Digilio, began a nine-show run in early February at the Noel S. Ruiz Theatre at CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, starring Luke Rosario as Stanley.

Above, Luke Rosario stars in ‘The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley.’ Photo by Kristen Digilio
Above, Luke Rosario stars in ‘The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley.’ Photo by Kristen Digilio

For those who are unfamiliar with the series, Flat Stanley celebrated his 50th anniversary in 2014. The hero of children’s books was created in 1964 by author Jeff Brown and is now the subject of an exchange program that allows children to mail paper cutouts of Flat Stanley to other participants around the world. The cast and crew of the live action show for kids bring the two-dimensional fan favorite to colorful, musical and three-dimensional light.

In the Flat Stanley books, Stanley Lambchop becomes flat when a large bulletin board falls on him in his sleep. In the musical, Stanley and his younger brother Arthur Lambchop, played by Matthew Surico, dream of doing something amazing that the world has never seen before as they sit in bed prior to falling asleep. During the first act the two sing “I Wish I Were,” a song about aspiring to be great like Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter. Dreaming big and reaching for the stars is the constant theme of the musical, though others are introduced along the way as well.

The show features 13 musical numbers, performed by the cast of just five. Katie Ferretti, Ronald R. Green III and Jessica Ader-Ferretti fill out the small cast. Only Rosario is restricted to just one role. Costume changes along with strategic wigs and stick-on facial hair allows the other four cast members to introduce additional characters. The group displays an undeniable chemistry with dance steps and song lyrics meant to dole out life lessons to the young theatergoers. 

Ferretti plays Mrs. Lambchop, Arthur and Stanley’s bright red-haired mother. Green, who plays Mr. Lambchop, joins her to perform “The Funny Sunny Side,” a song about embracing the things that make someone unique, a message directed at Stanley when he is faced with the reality of going to school as flat as a piece of paper.

To make Rosario appear flat, he wears an orange-topped, purple-bottomed prop over the front of his clothes that resembles a yoga mat. Green was also the costume designer. He did as fine a job as Mr. Lambchop as he did designing Flat Stanley’s appearance and delivering his diagnosis as Dr. Dan, the mustache-clad pediatrician who sadly has no answers for the Lambchops about unflattening their son.

Eventually Stanley embraces being flat, and at the end of Act One he is convinced by mail carrier Mrs. Cartero, played by Ader-Ferretti, that he could travel the world by mail for just the price of postage. When Act Two begins, Stanley has arrived in Hollywood where he is met by a talent agent who sees potential in the flat kid.

Also played by Surico, the talent agent convinces Stanley to do some more traveling and gain life experiences before he pursues a career in show business. Surico, Ferretti and Ader-Ferretti team up for an impressive number called “Talent,” where they show off vocal range and choreographed tap dance steps to convince Stanley that Hollywood is for him.

Encouraged by his friend Samantha, who lives in California, Stanley travels to the Louvre in Paris, France, where he helps thwart an art thief. After that, Stanley travels, again by mail, to Honolulu, Hawaii, for his movie debut as a surfboard. Despite his success, Stanley realizes that he is homesick, and traveling the world and doing amazing things isn’t quite as special without family and friends around to share it.

Rosario’s performance carries the show. His singing ability and enthusiasm draws eyes like a magnet, though he is definitely not alone. Green and Ferretti serve as perfect compliments to Surico during the musical numbers. Surico is at his best delivering one-liners as Stanley’s talent agent. Ader-Ferretti is the “glue” to the production and shows versatility in filling a handful of different roles.

The show is a feel-good hour with a brief intermission between the two acts. Music, dancing and smiles make the delivery of important messages for kids of all ages very easy to absorb. The young minds in attendance are instructed to step out of their comfort zone to achieve fulfillment and reach potential, while remembering what success is all about: enjoying it with loved ones and taking pride in being unique. 

The Noel S. Ruiz Theatre at the CM Performing Arts Center, 931 Montauk Highway, Oakdale, will present “The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley” through March 5. Tickets are $12. To order, call 631-218-2810 or visit www.cmpac.com.

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Unfair fight
On Feb. 9 police arrested a woman from Port Jefferson for assault after they said the 40-year-old attempted to enter her victim’s bedroom at the Fairfield Falls apartment complex on President’s Drive. The victim tried to prevent the suspect from entering the room and was holding a steak knife to protect herself. During the struggle to open the bedroom door, the suspect allegedly took the knife and cut the victim. Police arrested the woman at the scene at 9:37 a.m.

Not so bright
A 40-year-old woman from Miller Place was arrested for driving while ability impaired in a 2012 Hyundai Tuscon on Feb. 8 after crashing into a light pole near the corner of Route 25A and Miller Place Road. Police arrested her at the scene.

Underage and over the limit
Police arrested a 16-year-old boy for driving while ability impaired on Feb. 8. The Selden teen was driving a gray 2005 Acura west on Jericho Turnpike when he failed to maintain his lane. Police arrested him at the corner of Dawn Drive in Centereach around 2 p.m.

On the road again
On Feb. 14, a 21-year-old man from Coram was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident, after police said he crashed his 2004 Mercedes-Benz into a parked 2015 Jeep Wrangler on Barone Drive on Feb. 5 and fled the scene.

Cruisin’ over the rules
Police arrested a man from Smithtown on Feb. 10 for driving with a suspended license and false impersonation. According to police, the 29-year-old had been driving a Nissan Altima on Norwood Avenue in Port Jefferson Station and when pulled over had allegedly given police a different person’s name.

Caught at knifepoint
On Feb. 10, a Rocky Point resident was arrested for assault. Police said the 43-year-old man cut someone with a knife at a residence on Teepee Road. The victim was taken to John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson.

Suspect was uber upset
An unknown person punched and broke a window of the Islandwide taxi on Main Street in Port Jefferson. Police said the incident happened on Feb. 11 around 9:56 p.m.

I spy an iPhone
Between 3 and 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 13, someone stole an iPhone from another person at Junior’s Spycoast bar on Main Street in Port Jefferson.

Roll out
According to police, on Feb. 13 between 1 and 9:30 a.m., an unidentified person stole an all-terrain vehicle from a residence on Tyler Avenue in Miller Place.

Big larceny
On Feb. 9, someone stole a wallet from a locked office in Big Lots at the Centereach Mall.

Going on Holiday
Someone stole a 1996 Acura from a residence on Holiday Park Drive in Centereach on Feb. 12 around 1 a.m.

Morning mischief
Between midnight and 9:40 a.m. on Feb. 14, an unknown person stole money and a key from an unlocked Jeep parked on Cedarhurst Avenue in Selden.

Pocketed
On Feb. 12 around 2:30 a.m., an unidentified person stole a pocketbook from a residence on Krispin Lane in Setauket-East Setauket. The pocketbook contained a wallet, credit cards and a phone. Police didn’t say how the suspect entered the home.

Copping some pipes
Police said an unidentified person entered a residence on Annandale Road in Stony Brook through an unlocked garage door and stole copper piping on Feb. 11.

Hibachi heist
A 50-year-old woman from Kings Park was arrested on Feb. 14 for stealing money from someone’s wallet at K60 Japanese Steakhouse in Lake Grove on Jan. 15, police said. She was charged with grand larceny.

Matinee street fight
On Feb. 13, at about 1 p.m., a 21-year-old man from Port Jefferson was arrested for punching another man in the face following an argument at a location near the Islandia Shopping Center, police said. The victim was treated for injuries at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, according to police. The man was charged with third-degree assault.

Fight night
At a home on Elder Drive in Smithtown just before 9 p.m. on Feb. 13, an 18-year-old woman from Commack was arrested for pulling a woman out of a car and shoving her into the side of the car following an argument, police said. The victim was taken to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown and treated for minor injuries. The suspect was charged with third-degree assault.

Rush hour road rage
At the intersection of the Northern State Parkway and Commack Road, a 62-year-old man from Commack drove his 1998 Nissan Pathfinder into a 2014 Volkswagen GTI just after 5 p.m. on Feb. 12, police said. He was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment.

Miller’s marijuana house
A 22-year-old man from Dix Hills was arrested for smoking marijuana in the parking lot of Miller’s Ale House on Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack at about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, police said. He was in the driver’s seat of a 2014 Honda. He was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

Bagged with stolen goods
Sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 11, a 27-year-old man from Babylon stole jewelry, DVDs and an Amazon Kindle from a home on Arjay Lane in Commack, police said. He was arrested while trying to sell the jewelry at Best Auto Express Inc. in Selden, according to police. He was charged with possession of a hypodermic needle, criminal possession of stolen property and third-degree burglary.

Blackjack bust
On Middle Country Road in Smithtown on Feb. 11, a 26-year-old man from East Northport seated in a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee was found to have a blackjack, which is a small, easy to conceal club-type weapon, police said. He was charged with fourth-degree possession of a weapon.

Interlocked
A 29-year-old man from Patchogue was pulled over by police near exit 59 heading west on the Long Island Expressway at about 7 p.m. on Feb. 11. He was found to be driving his 2006 Ford Explorer without an interlock device, police said. He was charged with use of a vehicle without interlock.

Sonata spree
At a home on Calvert Avenue in Ronkonkoma at about 11 p.m. on Feb. 13, an unknown person caused damage to tires on a 2011 Hyundai Sonata and a 2005 Hyundai Sonata, police said.

Storm door smashed
At about 2 p.m. on Feb. 13, an unknown person damaged the storm door of a home on Lake Shore Road in Lake Ronkonkoma, according to police.

That stinks
A 27-year-old man from Commack was arrested on Feb. 14 after police said he stole cologne from Saks Fifth Avenue on Walt Whitman Road in Huntington at 10:15 a.m. He was charged with petit larceny.

Why did the chickens cross the road
On Feb. 14, a 25-year-old woman from Wheatley Heights was arrested for stealing 34 packs of chicken breasts from Stop&Shop on Wall Street in Huntington on Jan. 3 at about 1:15 p.m., according to police. She was charged with petit larceny.

Lots of drugs
Police said a 22-year-old man from Huntington Station had marijuana and Xanax in his possession on East Pulaski Road in Huntington Station on Feb. 14 at 2:30 p.m. He was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Crash into me
Police said a 24-year-old woman from Greenlawn failed to maintain her lane while driving a 2007 Chevy on Feb. 13 at 3:45 a.m., and crashed into a 2015 Honda parked on Oakwood Road in Huntington. She was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Weed on waterside
On Feb. 12 a 21-year-old man from Selden was arrested after police said he had marijuana on him during a traffic stop on Waterside Avenue in East Northport at noon. He was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

Oh Lord! (& Taylors)
A 28-year-old man from Port Washington was arrested on Feb. 12 at 7:45 p.m. after police said he tried to return eight shirts to Lord & Taylor in Huntington that he had stolen. He was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

Fleeing footwear
Police said an unknown person stole three pairs of shoes from Famous Footwear on New York Avenue in Huntington Station just after noon on Feb. 13.

Tree takes the hit
On Feb. 14, a 37-year-old woman from Glen Cove was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. According to police, she drove a 2003 Honda into a tree on 25A and North Lawrence Hill Road in Cold Spring Harbor at 12:30 a.m.

Interview gone wrong
A 22-year-old woman from Hauppauge was arrested on Feb. 14 on Kendrick Lane in Huntington at 11 p.m. after police said she became belligerent while a police officer was interviewing her and pushed the officer. She was charged with second-degree harassment with physical contact.

No gloves no love
A 27-year-old man from Bay Shore was arrested on Feb. 12 at 5:40 p.m. after police said he stole three pairs of gloves and multiple scarves from Bloomingdales on Walt Whitman Road in Huntington. He was charged with petit larceny.

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By Elana Glowatz

Suffolk County is entering obscure territory this year as some sex offenders drop off the state registry and others have lost restrictions on where they can live.

Laura Ahearn has advocated for local governments to have the power to regulate where registered sex offenders live. File photo
Laura Ahearn has advocated for local governments to have the power to regulate where registered sex offenders live. File photo

It was exactly one year ago that the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that local laws restricting where sex offenders could live were invalid, following a lawsuit from a registered offender from Nassau County who challenged his own government’s rule that prohibited him from living within 1,000 feet from a school. Judge Eugene Pigott Jr. wrote in his decision that “a local government’s police power is not absolute” and is pre-empted by state law.

State regulations already prohibit certain sex offenders who are on parole or probation from living within 1,000 feet of a school or other child care facility, according to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, but the local laws went further. In Suffolk County, Chapter 745 made it illegal for all registered sex offenders — not just those on parole or probation — to live within a quarter mile of schools, day care centers, playgrounds or their victims. But following Pigott’s decision, that law, while still technically on the books, is no longer enforceable.

To make matters more complicated, Jan. 1 marked the beginning of the end for some of the lowest level sex offenders on the state registry.

Offenders are grouped into one of three levels based on their perceived risk of committing another sex crime. On the lowest rung, Level 1 offenders who have not received special designations for being violent, being repeat offenders or having a “mental abnormality or personality disorder” that makes the person “likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses,” according to the Division of Criminal Justice Services, are only included on the registry for 20 years from their conviction. The New York State correction law enacting that system has just turned 20 years old, meaning the earliest offenders added to the registry are beginning to drop off.

The Sex Offender Registration Act obligates Level 2 and Level 3 offenders, as well as those with the additional designations, to remain on the registry for life, although there is a provision under which certain Level 2 offenders can appeal to be removed after a period of 30 years.

At a recent civic association meeting in Port Jefferson Station, Laura Ahearn from the advocacy group Parents for Megan’s Law — which raises awareness about sex crime issues and monitors offenders — gave examples of offenders set to come off the registry this year, including a man who raped a 4-year-old girl, and another who raped and sodomized a woman.

But it doesn’t stop there.

“It is thousands over time that are going to drop off,” Ahearn said.

A database search of Level 1 offenders along the North Shore of Suffolk County turned up many offenders who had been convicted of statutory rape or possession of child pornography, and who had served little to no time in jail. However, there were more serious offenses as well.

“You know when an adult man or an adult woman rapes a 4-year-old, that is just shocking. That [should be] a lifetime registration.”
— Laura Ahearn

Some of the undesignated Level 1 offenders who were convicted shortly after the Sex Offender Registration Act was created include a Smithtown man, now 43, convicted of first-degree sexual abuse against a 19-year-old; a 61-year-old Rocky Point man who sexually abused a 12-year-old girl more than once; a Huntington man, now 40, who sexually abused an 11-year-old; and a Rocky Point man convicted of incest with a 17-year-old.

Ahearn’s group has argued that sex offenders are more likely to reoffend as time goes on. According to Parents for Megan’s Law, recidivism rates are estimated to be 14 percent after five years and 27 percent after 20 years.

One midnight in January, Suffolk County police arrested a 48-year-old man, later discovered to be a registered Level 1 sex offender, in Fort Salonga after the suspect was allegedly caught undressed inside a vehicle with a 14-year-old boy. Police reported at the time that the two arranged the meeting over a cellphone application and there had been sexual contact.

The man had been convicted of sexual misconduct with a 16-year-old girl in 2003 and was sentenced to six years of probation. His new charges included criminal sex act and endangering the welfare of a child.

“So it makes no sense logically” to let Level 1 offenders drop off the registry after 20 years, Ahearn said in Port Jefferson Station. She has advocated for the terms to be extended or to have offenders appeal to be removed from the registry, like Level 2 offenders can after 30 years, so it can be decided on a case-by-case basis.

It’s a “you-know-it-when-you-see-it kind of thing, because you know when an adult man or an adult woman rapes a 4-year-old, that is just shocking,” she said. “That [should be] a lifetime registration.”

Even if the offenders remain on the registry, the court ruling that struck down restrictions on where most offenders can live has made matters trickier.

Ahearn said the fact that multiple layers of local government had enacted restrictions contributed to the situation.

“What happened is it got out of control,” she said.

County and town laws previously restricted sex offenders from living near schools and playgrounds. File photo
County and town laws previously restricted sex offenders from living near schools and playgrounds. File photo

Below the Suffolk County level, for example, the Town of Brookhaven had its own restrictions that prohibited offenders from living within a quarter mile of schools, playgrounds or parks.

There are bills floating around the state government that would tighten restrictions on where certain sex offenders could live, but the only one that has gained traction is a bill state Sen. Michael Venditto (R-Massapequa) sponsored, along with state Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport), that would return to local governments the power to regulate where offenders can reside.

“Local laws designed to protect children against registered sex offenders are enacted in response to unique conditions and concerns of specific communities and should act in complement with existing state law,” the bill’s summary read.

Although the bill passed the Senate last year, it died in the Assembly. But Venditto reintroduced his proposal this year.

For more information about sex offender laws or to search for sex offenders in a specific neighborhood, visit the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services at www.criminaljustice.ny.gov or the Parents for Megan’s Law group at www.parentsformeganslaw.org.

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