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Police

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Costly joyride
A 28-year-old Commack man was arrested in Smithtown on May 21 and charged with second-degree grand larceny of property valued over $50,000. Police said that on May 20 the man entered a fenced yard on West Jericho Turnpike in Smithtown and stole a Ford F250 pickup truck and trailer, loading it with a type of equipment. The man was also charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of marijuana, third-degree burglary and unlawful growing of cannabis at his Scarlett Drive residence.

Bowled over
A 31-year-old Melville man was arrested on May 21 and charged with petit larceny. Police said that on April 28 at about 9 p.m., the man took cash from a bowling bag.

Assaulter apprehended
A 22-year-old man from Oakdale was arrested on May 21 and charged with two counts of assault, one charge in third degree. Police said that the man kicked a female victim who was lying on the ground at about 2 am at a location on Ocean Avenue in Ronkonkoma. Around the same time he struck a male victim with a baseball bat at the same location.

Senior struck
Police arrested an 18-year-old man from Smithtown on May 23 and charged him with second-degree
assault, injuring a victim 65 years or older. Police said the young man punched a male victim at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove at about 4:45 p.m. numerous times, causing him head and face injuries. The assailant was arrested at his home on Hofstra Drive in Smithtown later that day.

Smash ’n dash
An unknown person smashed the rear window of a 2005 Honda Pilot on Nesconset Highway in Smithtown and stole a backpack and laptop. The incident occurred between 9:30 and 10:15 p.m. on May 21.

Porsche problems
Someone stole Tiffany sunglasses and a child’s pocketbook out of a 2015 Porsche parked at a movie theater in on Route 347 in Stony Brook on May 21. The incident happened sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Helmet heist
A male complainant told police someone stole his Rangers hockey helmet while he was at Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub on East Main Street, Smithtown on May 20. The incident occurred sometime between midnight and 2 a.m.

Mailbox mischief
Someone pulled a mailbox off its post and damaged it on 1st Avenue in Kings Park on May 23 at 1:30 a.m. There are no arrests.

Drug bust
A 19-year-old woman from Lake Grove and a 17-year-old man from Stony Brook were arrested on May 20 at about 6:40 p.m. in Stony Brook on drug-related charges. Police said the Lake Grove woman was charged with loitering and unlawful use of a controlled substance after being observed in a car on the corner of Shelbourne Lane and Sycamore Circle in Stony Brook with the man, purchasing prescription pills from him without a prescription. Police said the man, who is from Shelbourne Lane, was charged with three counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell and fourth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

Car theft
An unknown person scratched the driver side of a 2012 Kia at the beach on Christian Avenue, entered the car and stole cash from a pocketbook inside. The incident occurred between 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. on May 24.

Not so bright
A glass sunroof on a 2007 Hummer parked on Woodfield Road in Stony Brook was smashed with a large rock, sometime between 11 p.m. on May 22 and 3 p.m. on May 23.

iSad
Someone broke the driver side window of a 2014 Nissan Sentra parked on Nesconset Highway and stole an iPad mini sometime between 7 and 9:30 p.m. on May 21.

Vehicle damaged
An unknown person damaged a 2007 Subaru parked on Cinderella Lane in Setauket-East Setauket sometime between 10 a.m. on May 23 and 10 p.m. on May 25.

Phone jacked
An unknown male went into a female complainant’s pocketbook and took her white iPhone sometime at 2 p.m. on May 20 at Stop&Shop on Route 25A in East Setauket.

Tire trouble
Someone punctured the front passenger side tire of a 2009 Honda Civic parked in a lot on Main Street in Setauket-East Setauket on May 22.

Wallet woes
An unknown person removed a Stop&Shop shopper’s wallet containing cash and gift cards on Route 25A in Setauket-East Setauket sometime between 2:15 and 2:30 p.m. on May 20.

Department store dash
Someone entered Kohl’s on Nesconset Highway and fled with assorted items without paying for them at about 4:50 p.m. on May 21 in Setauket-East Setauket.

Caught with drugs
Police arrested a 26-year-old East Setauket man at about 11 p.m. on May 21 and charged him with second-degree criminal contempt and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Police said the man was arrested on Ringneck Lane for violating an order of protection and was found in possession of heroin.

ID, please
A High Street homeowner in Port Jefferson reported that his employee identification card was stolen out of his 2006 Subaru in the afternoon on May 23.

Unlocked
An unknown person stole items from an unlocked 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee parked inside an open garage on Nadia Court in Port Jefferson. According to police, the person stole a GPS device, a purse, a phone charger and a debit card on May 20.
An unknown person stole men’s sunglasses from an unlocked Dodge Durango parked outside an East Broadway residence in Port Jefferson on May 20.

Double trouble
Two vehicles, a 2003 Ford and a 2014 BMW, were keyed and scratched on May 20 on Old Post Road in Port Jefferson.

First-class crime
A Shore Road resident in Mount Sinai reported on May 22 that their metal mailbox had been damaged.

Look through my window
A Helme Avenue resident in Miller Place reported that a window screen located in the back of their home had been damaged on May 21.

Not playing around
An unknown person pushed an air-conditioning unit into a home on Bayville Drive in Sound Beach in order to gain entrance on May 22 and stole one PlayStation and one Nintendo console.

Uprooted
A Robin Road homeowner in Rocky Point reported on May 24 that someone had removed pots and planters and tossed them throughout the backyard. The resident also noticed a rear gate at the home was open.

Stylish thief
Police arrested and charged an 18-year-old Miller Place woman with petit larceny on May 22 after she concealed various shirts and costume jewelry at the Rocky Point Kohl’s and went to leave without paying for the merchandise.

Taking sides
An unknown person threw rocks at an Oxhead Road home in Centereach and damaged the siding of the residence on May 24.

Getting smashed
A North Coleman Road man in Centereach reported that he found the rear window of his 2004 Chevy smashed by a stone when he got up and went to his car on May 25.

Sliced
An unknown person damaged a garden hose — possibly with a knife — at a Norwalk Lane residence in Selden on May 24.

Dollar dollar bills
Police arrested a 26-year-old Medford woman in Selden on May 23 for stealing assorted goods and personal care products from a Selden dollar store.

Shout!
A Middle Country Road gas station employee reported that a man came into the station’s convenience store and started shouting on May 20. The suspect then got into his car and rammed one of the gas station vacuums, causing damage.

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Dr. Mitchel Fagin faces federal indictment, charges saying he distributed oxycodone, meth and more

Stock photo

A doctor from Smithtown faces federal charges accusing him of doling out drugs illegally, the U.S. Department of Justice said this week.

Dr. Mitchel Fagin was indicted Friday morning on charges that he illegally distributed oxycodone, methodone and alprazolam, highly addictive prescription pain medications, said Kelly T. Currie, acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Currie and Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt of the Drug Enforcement Administration announced the charges on Friday.

“At the trial the government anticipates calling as witnesses several women who confirmed that Fagin accepted sexual favors in exchange for controlled substance prescriptions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Gatz stated in court records.

Fagin, 63, was arraigned over the weekend before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert at the United States Courthouse located in Central Islip, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges. He surrendered Friday to the Long Island District Office Tactical Diversion Squad, which is comprised of federal agents and officers of the Nassau County, Rockville Centre, and Port Washington police departments.

His attorney could not be reached for comment.

The 12-count indictment and public filings alleged that between May 2010 and September 2014, Fagin, a pain management doctor, issued multiple controlled substance prescriptions without a legitimate medical purpose to individuals he knew were addicts. Fagin is also alleged to have issued controlled substance prescriptions in exchange for sexual favors from female patients.

“Dr. Fagin allegedly used his prescription-writing privileges not to heal, as was his duty, but to victimize vulnerable patients,” Currie said. “Doctors who issue prescriptions without a legitimate medical need are violating the law and will be held accountable.”

The doctor was previously investigated by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct resulting in at least one suspension of his medical license.

If convicted of the current charges, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a $1 million fine.

“As detailed in the indictment, Dr. Fagin’s house was a medicine chest for opioid addicts to fuel their addiction. Dr. Fagin allegedly abused his position as a medical practitioner and prescribed medications for non-medical needs,” Hunt said in a statement over the weekend. “I commend the Long Island District Office Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, for their diligent work throughout this investigation.”

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File photo

Police believe an air conditioner released carbon monoxide into a Hauppauge business Wednesday afternoon, sending 17 employees to the hospital.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, a female employee at Liqui-Mark on Davids Drive had complained of a headache and nausea. Officers from the 4th Precinct, the Hauppauge Fire Department, the Smithtown fire marshal and local ambulance personnel responded to the scene. When carbon monoxide detectors showed high levels of the gas, the HFD tested about 30 employees for exposure — 17 of whom tested positive.

The woman who first reported feeling ill was treated for non-life-threatening conditions at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, police said. The other 16 exposed employees, who felt no symptoms, were treated at Good Samaritan, Bay Shore’s Southside Hospital and St. Catherine of Sienna Medical Center in Smithtown.

Officials said an air conditioning unit is believed to have caused the high levels of carbon monoxide at the business, which will be closed until that unit is repaired. Police said additional carbon monoxide detectors are being installed at the building.

The fire marshal is still investigating.

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Stock photo

Thanks to legislation introduced by Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma), the county could be the next municipality in the nation to create safe spots — public locations where residents can exchange goods and conduct private sales.

Similar safe havens have been created throughout the United States — in Georgia, Missouri and Connecticut, for example — in response to crimes committed against people using websites like Craigslist to buy and sell goods. While the majority of Craigslist transactions occur without incident, there is always the chance of someone taking advantage of the situation, whether it be robbing the other person in the transaction or physically harming them in some way.

We applaud Muratore, a former Suffolk County police officer, for looking into this simple solution to deter unscrupulous individuals from harming others.

But if the county does move forward with this idea, we hope the locations will be in active places; be monitored by surveillance; be heavily signed, notifying visitors that it is a safe spot and is being monitored; and provide residents with safety tips for engaging in such exchanges in an effort to be even more proactive than reactive.

As Muratore said, “Technology is changing the way people are doing business,” and we have to change with it.

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Nicholas Arettines mugshot from SCPD

Suffolk County Police arrested a Brentwood man and charged him with robbing a Hauppauge bank on Tuesday.

Police said Nicholas Arettines, 31, entered Bank of America on Motor Parkway and approached a teller at about 3:55 p.m., displaying a note demanding cash. The teller complied with the demands, and Arettines fled the scene, possibly to a waiting vehicle.

After speaking to multiple witnesses, responding officers were able to determine that Arettines fled southbound to the vicinity of Brentwood State Park, where he was found.

Arettines was charged with third-degree robbery. He was scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on May 27.

As of Wednesday, there was no attorney information on file for Arettines, according to an online court records database.

The investigation is ongoing. Police are asking anyone with information on the robbery to call Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS (8477). All calls will remain confidential.

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Suffolk County Police Department to examine feasibility

Legislator Tom Muratore, center. File photo by Rachel Shapiro

Following in the footsteps of municipalities across the nation, the Suffolk County Legislature has agreed to explore creating safe spots where residents could conduct private sales transactions like those from websites like Craigslist.

County Legislator Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) introduced legislation that would direct the Suffolk County Police Department to study the feasibility of creating the safe spots. The Legislature adopted the bill on May 12, and the findings will be reported to the Legislature within 120 days.

“Technology is changing the way people are doing business,” Muratore said in a phone interview.

The former Suffolk County police officer said he drafted the resolution after hearing about a number of violent crimes committed against people who posted or responded to advertisements on Craigslist.

In January, police charged a man who allegedly killed a Georgia couple looking to buy a vintage car, news reports said. In March, a Colorado woman allegedly stabbed and removed the fetus of a woman who was seven months pregnant and had gone to the suspect’s home in response to an ad.

While the national incidents referenced in the legislation are particularly vicious, there are some cases of misconduct closer to home.

Nearly two months ago, Suffolk County police arrested and charged a 24-year-old Medford man with fourth-degree grand larceny after he allegedly stole a quad from a Centereach resident who had posted the vehicle for sale on Craigslist. Police said the suspect responded to the ad and drove off with quad.

Suffolk County wouldn’t be the first to create such spots. The safe havens — sometimes at police departments or in monitored precinct parking lots — have been set up in Columbia, Mo., Hartford, Conn., and in numerous Georgia towns, to name a few.

“If they can do it, why can’t a major police department do something like that,” Muratore said.

The legislator said precinct parking lots, which could be monitored by closed-circuit cameras, would be good locations for the spots, as there are seven precincts spread across the county, plus the department’s headquarters in Yaphank. The study will also examine any equipment and personnel costs associated with establishing the locations, he said.

According to Craigslist’s website, the majority of users are “trustworthy” and “well-intentioned” and the incidence of violent crimes is “extremely low.”

Craigslist offers some guidelines when meeting someone for the first time. The site said meetings should take place in a public place as opposed to a private home; users should take precautions when selling expensive items; tell someone where they are going; and consider having someone accompany them. In addition, it encourages people to make high-value exchanges at a local police station.

SCPD Deputy Chief Kevin Fallon said Tuesday that the department could not comment at this point, but would communicate findings once a report is complete.

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Ryan Frische mugshot from SCPD

Police arrested a man at a local motel after he allegedly stole prescription medication and cash from a Port Jefferson Station pharmacy on Tuesday morning.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, Ryan Frische, an East Northport resident, first bought hypodermic needles at the pharmacy counter of the Rite Aid in Jefferson Plaza. He then allegedly made verbal demands and gave the clerk a note that demanded cash as well as “oxy.”

With three bottles of Oxycontin pills and cash, the suspect fled the store on foot, police said.

Officers interviewed witnesses and tracked Frische, 27, to the Americas Best Value Inn on Route 112, arresting him shortly after the incident.

The Elwood Road resident was charged with third-degree robbery and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Attorney information for the defendant was not immediately available. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

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Jeffrey Krieger mugshot from SCPD

Police arrested a relative of a man involved in a serious car crash on Sunday morning, after the man allegedly interfered with an investigation.

The Suffolk County Police Department said motorcyclist Ricardo Rivas, 53, was seriously injured in the crash, after a pickup truck turned into him at 9:25 a.m. Rivas had been riding a 2002 BMW south on Oakwood Road in Huntington Station when the pickup, a 2013 Chevrolet that had been traveling north on the same road, attempted to turn left onto West 22nd Street and struck him. Police identified the Chevrolet’s driver as 49-year-old Huntington resident Michael Fiordalisi.

About an hour later, police arrested a bystander at the scene, who is Fiordalisi’s family member, and charged him with second-degree obstruction of governmental administration. The SCPD said the suspect, 48-year-old Melville resident Jeffrey Krieger, repeatedly crossed police tape while trying to take photographs of the crash scene.

Rivas, a Huntington Station resident, was treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries at Stony Brook University Hospital while Fiordalisi was treated at Huntington Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Krieger, police said, was released on bail and was scheduled to be arraigned in July.

Attorney information for the defendant was not immediately available.

Police impounded both the BMW and the Chevrolet for safety checks.

Detectives from the SCPD’s 2nd Squad are investigating the incident. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call them at 631-854-8252.

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Police Officer Lance Prager with his son Joshua. Photo from Lance Prager

Suffolk County Police Officer Lance Prager, who also serves in the Army National Guard, will be hosting a charity event Saturday, where 93 percent of the proceeds go towards helping veterans.

Prager, 49, a father of three, is a retired chief warrant officer for the United States Marine Corps and has served three tours in Iraq. The current Suffolk County SWAT officer has a love for his country and the people who serve it, and is holding the event to help those in need.

The event will take place May 23 at the Checkmate Inn in East Setauket from noon to 5 p.m. There is a $20 donation at the door that includes two free beers, a free barbecue and a live band. There will also be 50/50 raffles and other prizes.

The money raised will go to the Semper Fi Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit set up to provide immediate financial support to post-Sept. 11 injured and critically ill members of the United States armed forces and their families. The group provides relief for financial needs that arise during hospitalization and recovery as well as assistance for those with perpetual needs.

“I’m so proud and honored to be associated with them,” Prager said.

The fund provides support for service members and their families, specialized and adaptive equipment, adaptive housing, transportation, education assistance, posttraumatic stress support and more. Since the fund began in 2003, it has raised millions of dollars to help thousands of wounded service members.

Veterans hold a special place in Prager’s heart. He took numerous leaves of absences from the police department to serve his country during the Iraq war.

In addition to the event he hosts annually, the service member also runs marathons to help raise money for the cause. This year he will run his sixth Marine Corps Marathon along with his 16-year-old son Joshua, who is running his first.

To learn more or to donate to the fund, visit www.Semperfifund.org.

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File photo

The Kings Park woman charged with driving while intoxicated after a fatal Smithtown crash killed an Island Park man in March pleaded not guilty to a 12-count indictment on Wednesday, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Natalia Simons, 36, was driving her Nissan Rogue north on Route 25A when she crossed over into the southbound lane around 12:05 a.m. on March 13, colliding with 59-year-old Larry Garwood’s Toyota Camry, Spota said.

Garwood, who worked as a radiology supervisor at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, was taken to the same hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Spota said. Simons was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital via Smithtown Ambulance, police said.

Simons was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, first-degree and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, speeding and failure to maintain a lane, the DA said.

She was released on $50,000 bail, Spota said.

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