News

POLICE BLOTTER Riverhead Town

A homeless woman attempted to stay the night at Riverhead Town Hall last Wednesday but was found and made to leave before the building was locked up, authorities said.

The woman, whose last fixed address was in Riverhead, was found in a dark office near the west side entrance about 9:30 p.m., Riverhead Town police said. She told police she had been inside the building for an hour and was last placed by Suffolk County Department of Social Services in a homeless shelter in Coram two days before.

The woman was taken back to the shelter via taxi and the building was secured.

• Two men were arrested in connection with the burglary of a gun safe, rifles and $90,000 in cash from a Wading River home last month, police said. Yaniik Harrison, 22, of Amityville and his alleged accomplice, Dillion Griffith, 20, of Babylon were arrested at police headquarters Monday and each were charged with second-degree burglary, officials said. The alleged theft was reported Sept. 7. Both men were being held at the Suffolk County jail prior to their arrest.

• Patrick Gaeta, 29, of Wading River was charged with DWI after he was involved in a car crash on Route 58 about 1:15 a.m. Saturday, police said. No further details were available.

• An Aquebogue man was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after a town police officer caught him with the drug, as well as paraphernalia, in an illegally parked car last Tuesday, police said.

The officer saw two cars illegally parked at the end of Columbus Avenue in Riverhead about 1:30 a.m. and confronted the two men inside one of the vehicles, officials said.

The man sitting in the driver’s seat, 23-year-old Robert Young, told the officer he had smoked marijuana earlier that day and that he had a grinder in his pocket, police said. The officer confiscated the grinder, which is used to break up marijuana buds, as well as a pack of cigarettes that had marijuana inside, police said.

The passenger did not have any drugs or paraphernalia on him, officials said.

• Eddie Lee Brown, 52, of Riverhead was charged with second-degree burglary on West Main Street in Riverhead about 1 p.m. Saturday. No further details were available.

• Jose Gomez, 36, of Riverhead was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle about 11:30 p.m. last Wednesday. No further details were available.

• Graffiti was reportedly made on several buildings and signs in Riverhead Town last week. HomeGoods on Route 58, the town building at Iron Pier Beach and a railroad crossing sign on Laurel Lane were among those tagged. Three different three-letter acronyms, as well as “2012” were reportedly spray painted in black at the town beach, police said.

It was not clear if all the incidents are related. No charges have been filed.

• Someone removed a campaign sign from outside the Cooperage Inn on Sound Avenue in Baiting Hollow Monday. The theft was reported about 3 p.m.

• Two handguns that were reportedly stolen from an Ostrander Avenue home last Wednesday were found within that same house Saturday. The resident notified police of the find about 10 a.m.

• Someone stole $13,000 worth of jewelry from a Herricks Lane home in Laurel last week. The theft was reported about 6:30 p.m. last Wednesday.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.