Police

Riverhead man indicted on 10 counts of burglary

A Riverhead man was indicted on 10 counts of burglary following an investigation by Riverhead Town police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

Taiheem McKay, 23, was connected to a string of home burglaries from July 11, 2017 through Feb. 27, 2018, according to the district attorney. The 10 counts of burglary are all felonies and he faces 5 to 15 years in prison on each count of the indictment, which could run consecutively.

“This indictment is the result of excellent investigative work by detectives in the Riverhead Police Department, who used technology and the sharing of intelligence to find the alleged perpetrator responsible for these burglaries,” district attorney Timothy Sini said in a press release.

Mr. McKay was arrested by Riverhead police in July for a burglary on East Avenue in Riverhead that occurred May 4. He allegedly stole several hundred dollars from the residence during that burglary. He was indicted July 26 on second-degree burglary and fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, in connection with that incident.

He is currently serving probation, which requires him to wear a GPS ankle monitor. He had pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless endangerment in February 2017 following his arrest one month earlier, according to online court records. He was sentenced to 60 days imprisonment and three years’ probation.

Following the July arrest, investigators then used information from the GPS to tie Mr. McKay to the location of 10 other burglaries, four of which were at the same East Avenue location. Other burglaries were on Horton Avenue, Maple Avenue, Union Avenue, Raynor Avenue and Route 58.

He allegedly stole money, jewelry, designer sneakers, designer belts and a wallet from the homes, the DA said.

“These were brazen acts committed in broad daylight by an individual who clearly has no respect for the law,” Mr. Sini said. “I commend the Riverhead Police Department and the Suffolk County Department of Probation for their work on this case and their continuous efforts to keep our communities safe.”

Mr. McKay was arraigned on the indictment Thursday in front of Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Mark Cohen and bail was set at $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond. He is due back in court Oct. 2.

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