Cops: Man with 36 license suspensions fails at fleeing police
A 21-year-old Calverton man with three dozen suspensions on his record broke away from cops on Wednesday morning after being arrested, leading police on a foot chase — though not for long — before being caught again, authorities said.
The driver is now being held in Suffolk County jail on $25,000 bail for felony unlicensed driving and misdemeanor resisting arrest charges, a jail clerk said.
Police said officers pulled over Devin Melvin as he was driving south in a 2000 Mercury sedan on Fresh Pond Avenue about 10:50 a.m., according to town court documents. Police found that Mr. Melvin had 36 suspensions on his license, including 13 times that he did not pay a fine or show up for his court date, according to the documents.
His last suspension was issued in March 2012, the court papers state.
Mr. Melvin was arrested and his hands were cuffed behind his back. But as a police officer tried to put Mr. Melvin into the squad car, the man pulled away from the cop’s grasp and ran away, court filings show.
Two cops chased after Mr. Melvin and tackled him to the ground after a “short foot chase,” according to the court papers.
Mr. Melvin was brought back to police headquarters and arraigned in Riverhead Town Court. He is due back in court on Tuesday, a court clerk said.
A 19-year-old passenger in the man’s car was also caught with drugs, according to police reports. Alyssa Colon of Calverton was charged with misdemeanor drugs possession after admitting to police that she had heroin in her purse.
She was also arraigned in town court and released without bail.
