Police

Grand jury indicts Calverton man on attempted murder charge following fire incident

A Suffolk County grand jury has handed down an eight-count indictment charging a Calverton man with attempted murder for setting his girlfriend on fire last Wednesday following a dispute in the woods near his home on Forge Road, according to court records.

Ryan Osborne, 30, is expected to be arraigned on the upgraded charges next Tuesday.

The 33-year-old victim told police that Mr. Osborne “poured an unknown accelerant onto her body and the tent she was sleeping in,” according to a police press release. The accelerant, later identified as kerosene, was then ignited.

“The victim was able to extinguish the flames on her person, but not prior to incurring burns to her lower legs, face and hands,” police said.

A next-door neighbor, who was inside her house at the time of the incident, said she heard a woman screaming for help. The victim was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center and later transported to Stony Brook University Hospital by Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps, officials said.

In addition to the top charge of attempted murder with intent, Mr. Osborne will be arraigned on five additional felony charges, including second degree arson with intent while a person is present; assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon; assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon; assault with intent to cause serious physical injury; and aggravated contempt. He’s also facing a pair of misdemeanor charges for second-degree criminal contempt for disobeying the court.

Mr. Osborne was initially charged with second-degree assault, aggravated criminal contempt and fifth-degree arson, police said. He was arraigned last Thursday in Riverhead Town Justice Court and remanded to the county jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond, police said. He remains in jail and will likely be held on a different bail amount following his arraignment next week.

Photo: Ryan Osborne. (Credit: Riverhead Town Police Department)

 

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