Man arrested, charged for robberies in downtown Riverhead

Police have arrested the man they say is responsible for a pair of downtown robberies in Riverhead over the last week.

Twenty-six-year-old Riverhead resident Brian Houpe Jr. was arrested around 6:45 p.m. on Friday on two counts of first-degree robbery.

According to police, Mr. Houpe robbed Barth’s Drug Store last Friday afternoon, and then Uncle Joe’s Pizza on Main Street in Riverhead the following Tuesday. He committed both robberies using a handgun, police said.

The robberies — with a graffiti incident pointing to possible gang activity sandwiched between the two — have re-sparked talks about just how safe downtown Riverhead is, just as the Guardian Angels are poised to start patrolling downtown.

Mr. Houpe is being held pending an arraignment.