Cops: K-9 helps track down suspect who had stolen car

A theft at the West Main Street 7-Eleven led police to a stolen vehicle and, with the assistance of a K-9, the arrest of a homeless man on a pair of felony charges.

Police were called just before 2 a.m. Tuesday to the 7-Eleven, where an employee reported that a man had stolen cigarettes from the store and fled in a car. Officers got a description of the suspect and car, which was later located unoccupied at the Greenview Motel on West Main Street.

Riverhead’s K-9, Loki, responded to the scene and helped track down the suspect, 42-year-old James Reyes, who was found a short distance away.

Riverhead detectives assisted in the investigation and determined that the vehicle had previously been reported stolen in Suffolk County.

Police charged Mr. Reyes with second-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, both felonies, for the stolen vehicle. He also faces a misdemeanor petit larceny charge for the theft at 7-Eleven.

He was arraigned in Riverhead Justice Court.