Crime & Safety

Crimes Nearby: Cops Searching for Man in Tanger Mall Attack

Police released a sketch of a man who allegedly attacked a woman in the bathroom at the Riverhead mall on Tuesday.

The following information was supplied by the East End police departments and Southampton Town fire marshal's office. A criminal charge is only an accusation and does not indicate guilt.

RIVERHEAD

• As the search continued Thursday for a suspect who allegedly attacked a 67-year-old woman Tuesday in a bathroom at the Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead, police released a sketch of the suspect.

According to Riverhead Town police, a call came in at noon Tuesday about the alleged attack. The woman told police that she had been using the public bathroom, where a man was hiding in another stall. As she exited the stall, the woman said the man pushed her back inside and got behind her, placing one of his arms around her neck and trying to force her to the floor, police said.

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The victim was screaming for help when another woman entered the bathroom, police said; she left the bathroom and rushed to a nearby store to notify personnel that an attack was underway in the ladies' room.

Police said the suspect fled the scene on foot toward River Road; police searched the area with the assistance of K-9 units.

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The public has been asked to assist in the search. The suspect has been described as a "young-looking" black man, clean-shaven, between 5'6" and 5'8" tall, with a slim build and last seen wearing a dark-colored hoodie.

In addition, police are asking witnesses and anyone with information to call 631-727-4500.

• Police are still on the lookout for a suspect who might have thrown a potentially live hand grenade from a passing vehicle on County Road 104 in Riverside last Friday afternoon.

Southampton Town Police received a call at around 2 p.m. on Oct. 25 from a man who said someone had thrown a suspicious item out of the window near the Best Price Auto repair shop on Riverleigh Avenue. When police responded they discovered the item, which looked like an authentic hand grenade. Police immediately sectioned off the area and closed traffic on Route 104.

Suffolk County Bomb Squad arrived at the scene and were able to contain the hand grenade. Bomb squad detectives detonated the device using a controlled explosive, according to town police, so it was undetermined whether or not the grenade was live. Police said the bomb squad will destroy any potentially explosive devices whether or not they are functioning.

SOUTHAMPTON

The fire that destroyed the Shinnecock Indian Nation's gaming authority trailer is being investigated as an arson, the Southampton Town Fire Marshal's office said on Thursday morning. 

Fire Marshal Chris Hansen said the fire was determined as suspicious after it was discovered that the blaze on Wednesday started on the outside of the trailer, which is near the community center on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton. 

The Suffolk County Police Department's arson squad was called into assist with the investigation. 

WESTHAMPTON-HAMPTON BAYS 

• A "serial copper thief," who Southampton Town police detectives said they caught in the act at a Remsenburg house on Monday afternoon, may be responsible for a string of thefts over the past six months.

Detectives arrested Jonathan Hodgdon, a 21-year-old from Mastic, at about 1:45 p.m., after they said they saw him cutting and stealing copper piping from the outside of a house on Old Mill Lane.

The arrest comes after an investigation, involving the Westhampton and Quogue Village police departments, into similar copper larcenies in the western part of the township between April and October.

• Marvin Jennings, 49, of Blue Point, was arrested in Hampton Bays on Oct. 26 on attempted robbery and drug charges. According to police, Jennings approached a man in front of the 7-Eleven on Montauk Highway at around 8:30 a.m. claiming he had a gun and demanding money. Jennings was unsuccessful in obtaining any money and fled. He was later located and arrested. He is being charged with first-degree attempted robbery, a felony, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh-degree, a misdemeanor.

EAST HAMPTON

• A judge ordered an East Hampton man accused of transmitting child pornography held without bail after his arraignment late Wednesday, according to Robert Nardoza, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office. 

Michael S. Bonnet, 28, a registered sex offender who was still serving probation, was arrested on a complaint filed in federal court and is facing 15 years in prison if convicted, Nardoza said. A grand jury indictment, expected in the future, will determine specific charges, he said.

According to the complaint filed Tuesday, Bonnet used the alias of "Bob Jones" to send images over email involving the use minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

• Facing multiple burglary charges and serious jail time, Springs resident Justin T. Bennett told the court on Friday he's ready to get clean. 

Bennett, who is being held on $100,000 cash bail in connection to a multi-jurisdictional investigation into burglaries on the South Fork, is an addict who turned to break-ins to raise money for his heroin fix, according to a statement he gave East Hampton Town police after his arrest on Thursday. 

Police charged him with 16 burglaries in East Hampton that resulted in the loss of more than $126,000 in jewelry, cash and prescription medications being stolen, they said. More charges are expected in other jurisdictions and a grand jury indictment is expected. 


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