Southampton Blotter: Riverhead man charged with breaking into home

Southampton Town police arrested a Riverhead man Friday night after he was found breaking into a home in North Sea, police said in a press release.

Edin Vargas, 19, of Riverhead also physically resisted arrest after a Southampton Village K-9 found him hiding in a bedroom behind a bed while committing a burglary in the North Sea Beach Colony shortly after 9 p.m. Friday.

Police had been responding to a vandalism call at a neighboring residence, where they found nearly every exterior window of the unoccupied house had been damaged and even more damage was caused inside the building. Mr. Vargas was responsible for that damage as well, police said.

He was charged with two felony counts of second-degree burglary, a felony count of criminal mischief and resisting arrest.

Southampton ambulance was called to the scene for a dog bite and Mr. Vargas was transported to Southampton Hospital for evaluation, officials said.

He was ultimately transported to police headquarters where he was processed and held for an arraignment.

• Roderick Henderson, 25, of Riverhead was arrested in Flanders Sunday around 3 a.m. after he was found driving with a suspended license.

Mr. Henderson was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor, police said.

• Southampton Town police responded to Dunkin’ Donuts in Hampton Bays Friday to a report of a 52-year-old Riverhead man smoking and drinking alcohol inside the establishment.

After he was asked by police to leave, he began screaming obscenities at the officers, reports said. Police then arrested him and charged him with violations for disorderly conduct.

• Police arrested a Flanders man last Thursday after he was caught trespassing in his neighbor’s backyard.

According to a police report, a woman called police around 11:17 p.m. to report that her dog started barking and she saw “legs outside her bedroom sliding glass door.” She saw her neighbor flee by jumping the fence back onto his property, upon which she yelled at him to not be in her yard, reports said.

The neighbor, Richard Gailius, 37, stated he was there to retrieve a baseball that was thrown into her yard by mistake. He was charged with third-degree criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor.

• Abilisario Tacatic-Vargas, 31, of Flanders was arrested for driving with a suspended license last Thursday after he allegedly left the scene of a motor vehicle crash in Flanders earlier this month.

He was charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, police said.

• A Wyandanch woman was arrested for driving with a suspended license in Northampton last Wednesday.

According to police, Elizabeth Jimenez, 18, was observed driving at 81 mph in a 55 mph zone along County Road 51 around 10 p.m. During a subsequent traffic stop, police cited her for not wearing a seatbelt and found her license had been suspended for failure to answer a summons.

She was charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and several violations, and released on an appearance ticket, officials said.

• Police arrested a Riverhead man on drug charges after he was stopped for an inadequate rear license plate light in Riverside early last Monday morning.

Terry Smith, 56, was found to have a suspended license and officers observed a pipe containing crack cocaine on the driver’s side floor in plain view during a traffic stop near Vail Avenue shortly after 2 a.m., officials said.

He was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, both misdemeanors.

• Jose Villatoro, 37, of Riverhead was arrested on Flanders Road in Riverside last Monday and charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle around 12:40 a.m., police reports said.

• Police arrested a 55-year-old Calverton woman on drug charges after she was found to be in possession of a crack pipe during a traffic stop in Riverside last Monday around midnight.

Vanessa Cobb was allegedly a passenger in the vehicle. She was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.

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.