Police Blotters: Three arrested after caught selling tobacco and vape products to minors
Riverhead’s Community Oriented Policing Enforcement unit (COPE) along with the Suffolk County Health Department and the Riverhead Community Awareness Program (CAP) checked on vendors throughout town last Wednesday and made three arrests.
One Stop Smoke Shop on Route 58, Bapa Cards and Gifts, on Route 58, and Shell Gas on West Main Street, were found to be not in compliance. The check targeted the sale of tobacco and vape products to patrons under the age of 21, officials said.
Oktay Celik, 51, of Riverhead, an employee of Shell Gas; Ankikumar Patel, 35, of Riverhead, an employee of One Stop Smoke Shop; Prakashkumar Patel, 33, of East Northport, an employee of Bapa Cards and Gifts, were all were charged with second-degree unlawful dealing with a child.
All three were processed and released on a desk appearance ticket.
• Southampton police detectives were notified after a woman reported that her stolen credit card was used at the Macy’s in Hampton Bays last week.
According to a police report, the victim initially reported to Riverhead police that her wallet was stolen while shopping in Riverhead. She was advised to contact Southampton police after she noticed an unauthorized charge for $3,073 at the department store.
An investigation is ongoing.
• Two woman stole $709 worth of merchandise from Ulta on Route 58 last Thursday, according to police. Additional information was not available.
• Alan Ajcuc-Perez, age and address unavailable, was charged with driving while intoxicated on Jan. 1. The arrest stemmed from a motor vehicle accident on Prospect Place in Riverhead, according to police.
• Shelley Reece, age and address unavailable, was charged with driving while intoxicated after being arrested on Route 105 on Jan. 1. Additional information was not available.
• Manual Torres, age and address unavailable, was charged with petit larceny and false personation, following his arrest Dec. 29, at Home Depot on Route 58.
Additional information was not available.
• Steven Vitagliano, age and address unavailable, was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny Thursday at police headquarters. He was processed and released on a desk appearance ticket. Additional information was not available.
• Southampton police cited a 32-year-old Hampton Bays man for unlicensed driving during a traffic stop on Flanders Road Monday.
Officials said Miguel Neri was driving a white Ford van southbound on state Route 24 slowly and cutting vehicles off. He was located nearby and arrested for driving with a suspended driver’s license.
He was released on uniform traffic tickets, police reports said.
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.
