Police

Riverside man held on bail following Hampton Bays robbery

(Credit: Google Maps)
(Credit: Google Maps)

Two men are being held on bail after their arraignment Wednesday on a slew of charges — including felony robbery and assault — related to a Tuesday night hold-up at a Hampton Bays home, according to Southampton Town court documents.

The two men, 22-year-old Jairo Arteaga of Riverside and 21-year-old Jimi Valdez-Banegas of Hampton Bays, are accused of physically attacking a man in the home Mr. Valdez-Banegas lives in, according to the court filings.

About 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Mr. Arteaga attacked the 29-year-old victim — whose identity is being withheld — inside the home on Penny Lane, striking him in the shoulder with a baseball bat and causing “substantial pain” and a “large” bruise, the court filings show.

At the same time, Mr. Valdez-Banegas held a knife up to the throat and head of the victim while threatening to kill him, according to the court documents. The two men stole the victim’s wallet, keys, and $600 in “assorted U.S. currency,” according to the report.

The victim ran from the house and flagged down someone who then called police, said Southampton Sgt. John Boden. Officers on patrol got to the house soon after and caught the two men, he said.

Sgt. Boden declined to comment on why the victim was targeted inside the house, or if he had any relationship with the attackers.

Both men were charged with felony robbery, assault and unlawful imprisonment, as well as misdemeanors for weapons possession and menacing.

Mr. Arteaga and Mr. Valdez-Banegas were arraigned in Southampton Town Justice Court and held on $755,000 and $505,000 bail, respectively, a court clerk said.

Both men are due back in court on Monday.

Editors note: Police originally said Mr. Arteaga lived in Riverhead in a news release. Court paperwork attached to the charges filed against him lists Mr. Arteaga’s address as being in Riverside. The story has been altered to clarify his place of residence.

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