Man Arrested DWI After Hitting A Tree On Short Beach Rd. Nissequogue

Suffolk County Police have arrested a Brentwood man for driving while under the influence of drugs following a crash that critically injured his passenger last night.

Smithtown Park Rangers operating an unmarked vehicle observed a suspicious vehicle parked at the gate to the Short Beach Town Park last night at approximately 10:20 p.m. The Rangers activated their vehicle’s emergency lights and began to approach the vehicle on foot when the operator put the car into drive and sped off, disobeying the commands to stop by one of the Rangers.  The Rangers returned to their vehicle and proceeded to travel south on Short Beach Road where they found the vehicle, a 2011 Nissan Maxima, had crashed and overturned into the woods, knocking down a utility pole.

Julian Arango, 19, of Brentwood, a passenger in the rear seat was transported via Nissequogue Ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was listed in critical condition. The driver, Alberto Guzman and his front seat passenger, Eric Gomez, 19, of Nissequogue, were transported via St James Ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Guzman, 21, of St. James was charged with Driving While Under the Influence of Drugs and Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 3^rd Degree.

Guzman will be arraigned at a later date. The investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed this incident to contact the Fourth Squad at 854-8452

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Police Arrest Army Recruiter For Possession Of Child Pornography

Suffolk County Police today arrested a Patchogue man for possessing child pornography.

Computer Crimes Section detectives, assisted by officers from the Fifth Precinct and officers assigned to the FBI Terrence ColeLong Island Exploited Children’s Task Force (LIECTF), executed a search warrant this morning at 263 River Ave., Apartment 8, Patchogue. Detectives seized a collection of pornographic videos and images. The search warrant was a result of a continuing investigation initiated by detectives into child pornography distributed over the internet.

Computer Crimes Section detectives arrested Terrence Cole, a recruiter with the United States Army, at the Fifth Precinct, Patchogue, at 9:20 a.m.

Cole, 46, a resident of the home, was charged with one count of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a child, a felony. He was scheduled for arraignment today at First District Court in Central Islip. 

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Man Arrested For Robbing Nesconset And Lake Ronkonkoma Gas Stations

Michael RiggsSuffolk County Police have arrested a Farmingville man for robbing two gas stations in Nesconset and Lake Ronkonkoma last month.

A man entered Exxon Gas, located at 241 Terry Road, Nesconset, on February 23 at approximately 7 p.m. and demanded cash from the register. The attendant complied and the man fled the scene with cash.

Three days later, the same man entered Tower Gas, located at 425 Smithtown Road, Lake Ronkonkoma, at approximately 3:40 p.m. and demanded cash from the register. The attendant complied and the suspect fled the scene with cash.

Following an investigation that included utilizing surveillance video, Fourth Squad detectives identified the suspect as Michael Riggs, 30, of 60 Morris Ave., Farmingville. Riggs was arrested at his residence on March 3 at approximately 6:20 p.m.  

Fourth Squad detectives charged Riggs with two counts of Robbery 3^rd Degree and he is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on March 4.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to call the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Phone Scam Warning - U.S. Marshals Warn Public of Jury Duty Phone Scams

Washington - The U.S. Marshals Service is warning the public of a nationwide telephone scam involving individuals claiming to be U.S. marshals, court officers or law enforcement officials seeking to collect a fine in lieu of arrest for failing to report for jury duty. The U.S. Marshals Service does not call anyone to arrange payment of fines over the phone for failure to appear for jury duty or any other infraction.

In order to appear more credible, the scammers may even provide information like badge numbers and the names of actual federal judges and courthouse addresses. Victims have been told they can avoid arrest by paying a fine using a reloadable credit card, and were urged to call a number and provide their own credit card number to initiate the process. The Marshals Service urges the public not to divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers, even if they sound legitimate.

If you believe you were a victim of the jury duty scam, you are encouraged to report the incident to your local law enforcement department, or local U.S. Marshals or FBI office.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

2015 Time Capsule To Be Buried Thursday, March 3, 2016

photo courtesy of Maureen SmilowOne year ago Smithtown began celebrating its 350th Anniversary. Thursday, March 3 at 4 p.m at Town Hall, 99 W. Main St., Smithtown the celebratory festivities end with the burial of the 2015 Time Capsule. The contents of the time capsule have been sealed and will not be opened until 2065.

The public is invited to attend the time capsule burial ceremony which will include comments by Town Supervisor Patrick R. Vecchio and Town Historian Bradley Harris. 

The yearlong activities inovolved thousands of Smithtown residents, many of whom learned about Smithtown’s rich history for the first time. We celebrated the oldest Smithtown resident and the first baby born in Smithtown in the anniversary year. A record number of tickets were sold for a 350 gala that was held on one of the snowiest days recorded. There was an original play and an old fashioned board meeting where the contents of 1965 Time Capsule were revealed. There was a parade with thousands of participants and a firework spectacular at Sunken Meadow State Park where 23,000 enjoyed a spectacular show. 

Smithtown celebrated life in 1665 and life in 2015. The celebration was not only about history, but it was also about our young people and their connection to their home town. Young people participated in record numbers beginning with a logo competition, art contest, trivia contest and essay contest. There was a pool party and an old-fashioned pie-eating contest.

Tomorrow closes out the celebration and you are invited to share in Smithtown’s history, 4 pm at Town Hall, 99 West Main St., Smithtown.