Police: Calverton man arrested for dealing heroin
A Calverton man who led Southampton Village police on a high-speed chase that ended in a car crash last month is now facing charges for selling heroin in the Southampton area, authorities said.
Police arrested Joseph Coffey Jr., 50, about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday while he was still recovering at Peconic Bay Medical Center, Southampton Town police said.
Mr. Coffey, who was hospitalized for injuries he suffered in the crash, was re-arrested by members of the East End Drugs Task Force last week and charged as part of an investigation into narcotic sales in the area.
He was charged with two counts of felony third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, and one count of felony third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance relating to an incident in February, according to the report.
Mr. Coffey — whose occupation was listed as “drug dealer” in the report — had been in custody of Suffolk County deputy sheriffs at Peconic Bay Medical Center for injuries related to the May crash.
In May, he had allegedly fled from police that were conducting a narcotics surveillance operation on Hillcrest Avenue, and eventually crashed into another car at a nearby intersection, Southampton Village police said.
Mr. Coffey, who lives in the Calverton Hills community of townhouses, had broken his femur in the crash. The driver of the other vehicle suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Mr. Coffey has been arrested more than 53 times since 1990, police said. He remains at the hospital for treatment, police said.
