Crimes Nearby: East Hampton Man Charged With Nearly 70 Sex Crimes

The following information was supplied by various police departments. A criminal charge is only an accusation and does not indicate guilt.

EAST HAMPTON

• After being indicted in April on seven felony sex crimes – including three charges of first-degree rape – an East Hampton man was indicted once again and now stands charged with nearly 70 felonies, all related to criminal sex acts with a minor, after police conducted further investigations.

Fidel Castro-Brito, 23, was originally arrested on April 7 after a man went to police after he allegedly saw Castro-Brito jumping out of his daughter's bedroom window upon his arrival home. He had confronted Castro-Brito months earlier on Facebook and advised him to stay away from his daughter because she is a minor and Castro said he would, he told police. Castro was later arrested by East Hampton Town Police and indicted by a Suffolk grand jury.

RIVERHEAD

• Two of the three defendants charged with the armed robbery of a Riverside gas station on Halloween pleaded not guilty to a three-count indictment on Wednesday in Suffolk County Court. According to a release issued by Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota Wednesday, Erick Darden, 19, and Arnell Nash, 21, both of Riverhead, pleaded not guilty to one charge of robbery in the first degree, one charge of robbery in the third degree and one count of petty larceny. The third suspect, Larry Moore, 17, will be arraigned on Dec. 14.

Police said the trio is believed to be responsible for not less than four armed robberies between October 20 and Nov. 19, including the robberies at the BP Station in Mattituck and Barth’s Pharmacy in Riverhead. A fourth armed robbery at the Spirit Halloween store in Riverhead has also been under investigation. The release indicated that Darden is incarcerated in lieu of $40,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond; Nash is being held in lieu of $25,000 cash or $100,000 bond.

• Two sticky-fingered Scrooges paid a visit to an Aquebogue home a few weeks short of Christmas -- and stole the presents right off the front porch. Aquebogue resident Brenda Green said her daughter looked out the window and saw an old blue station wagon pulling into the driveway. Suspects ran to the porch, grabbed the packages, which contained Christmas presents, and sped away, Green said.
Riverhead Town police confirmed that on Tuesday at 3:28 p.m., two unknown middle-aged women removed several packages from Green's porch and left the area in an unknown blue station wagon.

• A Riverhead High School student was able to save herself from a possible abduction Wednesday morning. According to Riverhead Superintendent Nancy Carney, the girl was walking to school when a man in a black sedan started making conversation with her.

After the girl got away from him, Carney said she noticed that he pulled into the parking lot of Bagel Lovers on Osborn Avenue in Riverhead. At the same time, a sheriff happened to be coming out of the eatery, and the student told him what had happened. Once in school, she went straight to administrators, who called the Riverhead Police department. Police said the incident is under investigation.

WESTHAMPTON-HAMPTON BAYS

• Three Hampton Bays men were arrested last week in a drug bust orchestrated by the East End Drug Task Force, according to Southampton Police.
Police arrested Ronald Jiminez Sr., 63, on felony drug charges last Thursday and two other men were charged with violations of unlawful possession of marijuana.

According to police, a search warrant was executed at 30 Springville Rd., in response to investigations concerning ongoing drug sales on the East End. Quantities of cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia were reportedly recovered and seized, however no charges related to drug sales were immediately handed out.

MILLER PLACE-ROCKY POINT

• Serhat Soykan, of Sound Beach, was arrested Nov. 30 and charged with second degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor. On Oct. 28 at 5:30 p.m., during a dispute at the Hess Station in Miller Place, Soykan allegedly removed the gas nozzle from his vehicle and sprayed gas toward another person.

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