Saying there is “no compelling reason” to release a Riverhead man who recently pleaded guilty to federal drug and racketeering charges over concerns he might be particularly vulnerable if he contracts COVID-19, a federal judge denied him bail Thursday.

During a teleconference hearing, Judge Joanna Seybert said Terrill Latney’s prior criminal history and the fact that he has already pleaded guilty to a crime that could lead to life in prison were factors in denying his release.

The hearing lasted about 30 minutes Thursday as Mr. Latney’s attorney, Neil Checkman of New York City, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Maffei outlined for the judge their respective positions concerning the alleged Bloods gang member’s temporary release as he awaits sentencing. Mr. Checkman said his client is 460 pounds and has high blood pressure, which put him at great risk from the virus.

“He’s not a flight risk at all,” Mr. Checkman argued, noting that his client has never traveled away from the Riverhead area. “What he is is a physically impaired and very frightened man.”

Mr. Maffei countered that Mr. Latney is under quarantine in a section of Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn with no confirmed cases, has exhibited no symptoms and is at no more risk than if he were released to his mother’s house on Lewis Street.

He called the suggestion that Mr. Latney could be released and not be a flight risk or return to a career of criminal activity both “ludicrous” and “crazy.” He also said Mr. Latney’s health issues relate to his own “self-imposed obesity,” a comment the judge took exception with.

“That’s rather harsh,” Judge Seybert remarked.

Mr. Latney has the option of appealing the judge’s decision.

Mr. Latney pleaded guilty in February to racketeering, including conspiring to distribute narcotics and participating in the murder of Thomas Lacolla of Riverhead, officials said. On Nov. 17, 2015, Mr. Latney drove three Bloods members to Old Quogue Road in Riverside where they fired at least 39 shots into a vehicle parked outside a home they erroneously believed was occupied by the rival gang member.

Prosecutors said only one of the more than 1,700 inmates at the jail where Mr. Latney is currently being housed has tested positive for COVID-19. They also said there is no medical evidence to suggest he suffers from high blood pressure.

Mr. Checkman said the data on positive tests is skewed from a lack of testing by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

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A man with a history of fleeing police is now in custody in connection with Tuesday afternoon’s chase that left a Riverhead Town police officer seriously injured in an accident as he was responding to the pursuit.

Alfred Cowell, 40, of Riverhead was arrested Thursday by Suffolk County Sheriff’s in Mastic Beach after deputies on a separate narcotics investigation spotted him coming out of a home, according to Chief Michael Sharkey.

The deputies noticed he matched the description of the suspect from Tuesday’s incident and they followed him in his vehicle, a Kia Telluride, down to the parking lot at Smith Point County Park.

Additional police units responded to the scene and blocked off the bridge to prevent any further traffic from coming in or out, Chief Sharkey said.

Mr. Cowell was arrested without incident, as well as a woman who was also in the vehicle on an unrelated charge, he added.

“We took him into custody and are turning him over to Southold Police Department,” Chief Sharkey said.

His initial charges will stem from Southold police. Additional charges could still be filed by Riverhead Town and New York State police, Chief Sharkey said.

The deputies first observed Mr. Cowell around 2 p.m.

Mr. Cowell was arrested in December by Suffolk County police and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of motor vehicle, according to online court records. At a Feb. 20 arraignment he was released on his own recognizance and was due back in court May 5.

Mr. Cowell crashed into the Greenview Inn on West Main Street in 2015 after fleeing from officers who attempted to stop him for driving erratically in Polish Town, according to prior reports. He fled on foot and was apprehended by police shortly after in that incident, officials said at the time.

In May 2014, he was arrested on drug charges and traffic violations after fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle accident in Riverhead, according to prior reports.

Riverhead Town police officer Robert Sproston is currently in the intensive care unit at Stony Brook University Hospital after his police cruiser collided with another car near the intersection of Youngs Avenue, causing the police car to go off the road and into a fence, the chief said. He suffered injuries to the upper torso and neck area and underwent surgery Tuesday night, police said.

The pursuit began in Greenport when Southold Town police were notified of an incident where a person was threatened with a knife and had their car stolen, Stringer News reported. Southold police spotted the stolen vehicle and were led on a pursuit, which they ended when reaching Riverhead Town on Sound Avenue. Riverhead Chief David Hegermiller said he believes New York State Police then picked up the pursuit in Riverhead.

Mr. Sproston is also a volunteer firefighter with the Riverhead Fire Department along with his father Bill.

Crowdfunding efforts began Wednesday for Mr. Sproston.

—WITH TIM GANNON

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A father and son were arrested Friday afternoon for allegedly stealing street signs from the Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead, town police said.

Tanger Mall Security had reported that two men had cut down a large traffic sign and placed it into a silver truck shortly after noon Friday, according to police.

A patrol car responded and spotted the truck inside the mall, which is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The traffic sign was located in the bed of the pickup truck and returned to Tanger staff members, police said. 

Arrested and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny and criminal mischief was Karl Kirchner III, 54, and his 21-year-old son Karl IV.

Both men were processed at Riverhead police headquarters and released for a future court date, police said.

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Three Dyson vacuum cleaners were reported stolen from the Target store on Route 58 about 6:45 p.m. on Friday. The combined value of the vacuums is $1,399, according to Riverhead Town police, who said two men were seen stealing the items. 

• A Riverhead man reported last Wednesday that someone slashed the front passenger side tire and let the air out of the rear passenger side tire of his car on Osborn Avenue, according to police. 

• A Wading River resident told police Tuesday about 8:36 p.m. that they had received a text message indicating that someone was coming to their house on Sylvan Drive to harm them. Police assigned extra patrols to that area. 

• A man told police that someone stole his bicycle from his property on Trout Brook Lane in Aquebogue last Thursday. The value of the bicycle is $500, according to police. 

• Stop & Shop on Route 58 reported that an unknown man tried to remove groceries without paying last Tuesday about 5:30 p.m. The suspect then fled the area, according to police. 

• The Jamesport Fire Department extinguished a garbage can fire on Herricks Lane in Jamesport Monday at about 9 p.m.

Southampton Town police arrested a man for driving while intoxicated in Northampton early Saturday morning.

Officers responded to a report of an accident on Pine Court around 1:14 a.m. and found Wilson Barrios, 34, to be intoxicated.

Witnesses said Mr. Barrios made a left turn onto Pine Court and hit the gas as he turned into the oncoming lane, causing him to lose control and strike another vehicle, which was parked alongside a fence, police said.

No injuries were reported. Mr. Barrios was charged with DWI and circumventing a court-ordered interlock device related to a previous DWI conviction, reports said.

• Police responded Friday evening to a report of a suspicious incident in Flanders.

According to a report, a man called police around 6:13 p.m. after two unknown men approached his vehicle, looked inside and then fled northbound on Brookhaven Avenue. 

Nothing was removed from the vehicle, police said, adding that they canvassed the area but did not locate any suspects.

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.

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Robert Sproston, the Riverhead Town police officer who was seriously injured while responding to a police pursuit March 31, remains in the intensive care unit at Stony Brook University Hospital, according to friends and family, who have organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to offset his medical costs. 

By Wednesday morning, the effort has raised more than $50,000. More than 745 individual donations have been made, according to the site.

“He’s making progress,” Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller said Tuesday. “Every day is a little better news, but he’s got a long way to go.”

Mr. Sproston, 28, served in the Marines before joining the Riverhead Police Department in 2017, and has also volunteered in the Rocky Point Fire Department and most recently the Riverhead Fire Department.

His father Bill, who’s a lieutenant in the Riverhead Fire Department, posted an update Tuesday saying his son opened his eyes and is resting.

“I’m sure that took a lot out of him with all the moving he’s been doing the last two days,” he wrote. “Thank you for all your unconditional love and support.”

In an update posted Monday, Bill wrote that “everything is going as well as expected with Rob as positive progress. He’s totally moving around more.”

On Monday, the hospital staff performed another CT scan, which came back the same, meaning good news, Bill wrote. His family was anxiously awaiting the moment he would open his eyes, which finally came Tuesday.

Last Thursday, the suspect who led police on the initial pursuit that began in Greenport was arrested. Alfred Cowell, 40, of Middle Island, who has a history of fleeing police and has previously been listed with a Riverhead address, was charged with burglary, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, unlawfully fleeing police, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and a number of traffic violations by Southold Town police.

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An investigation into several arson cases in Riverhead Town led Suffolk County police to develop information that the suspect would be at the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station Wednesday.

The suspect, John Cayamanda, 43, of St. James attempted to run from officers at the station, leading to a foot pursuit by Fourth and Fifth Precinct officers and a K-9 unit, according to Suffolk County police.

Mr. Cayamanda was apprehended a short time later, police said, at about noon on Avis Drive in Holbrook.

Police allege Mr. Cayamanda set a Chevrolet pickup truck on fire on Sweezy Avenue in Riverhead on March 1. He also allegedly left a combustible item in a driveway on Sweezy Avenue on March 21 and threw a combustible item at an unmarked Suffolk County police car on the same road on Monday. Police say he’s also being investigated in connection to recent incidents in Setauket and Centereach.

Mr. Cayamanda is charged with first-degree attempted assault, two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree attempted arson.

He is being held overnight at the Fourth Precinct to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip Thursday.

The Suffolk County Arson Section detectives and Major Case Unit detectives developed the information that led to his whereabout and arrest.

The post St. James man connected to Riverhead arson arrested after running from police at LIRR station appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

A Riverhead man told police that an unknown person took his car on April 2 from his home on Newton Avenue.

The victim said he leaves the keys in it to let friends borrow it, and that he will call his friends and see if any of them took it. 

• A Riverhead man reported Friday night that he was attacked by a man on Hinda Boulevard and that a woman with the attacker took $1,500 of his money, according to police. 

• An unknown man removed $1,158 worth of merchandise from the Lowe’s store on County Road 58 without paying last Thursday afternoon, according to police. 

• An unknown person removed $1,500 from an Aquebogue woman’s Capital One bank account on March 26, according to police.

• A key and cell phone chargers were reported stolen from a home on Sylvan Drive in Wading River Saturday morning. The items were reportedly stolen by two unknown persons who took them from a car at about 1:30 a.m., according to police.

A similar complaint was filed at another home on Sylvan Drive, where two sets of keys and $60 cash were reported stolen from a car parked at that location, according to police.

• A resident of John Wesley Village in Riverhead told police Saturday afternoon that someone charged $583.99 worth of purchases to their credit card without permission. 

• A 10-speed bicycle valued at $200 was reported stolen from a home on East Avenue Extension in Riverhead Monday night, according to police. 

• A woman reported being harassed by an unknown man and woman over a taxi last Wednesday at Walmart on Route 58.

• Two people were arrested on larceny charges at the Banana Republic store in Tanger Outlers Friday afternoon. Additional information was not available.

• A black Jeep struck a car parked at Stotzky Park Friday afternoon and left the area prior to police arrival, according to police. 

• An officer reported Friday night that the traffic signal on County Road 105 and Northville Turnpike took an extremely long time for northbound and southbound traffic on Country Road 105. Headquarters will notify the county to repair the signal the next morning, police said. 

• An Aquebogue man was told by police that he could not have his employees working on his home on Trout Brook Lane Saturday afternoon. 

• Southampton Town police arrested a Riverhead man on drug charges following a traffic stop Saturday evening.

According to police, Nicholas Fisher, 34, was stopped for an expired inspection near Seaside Avenue in Hampton Bays around 7:45 p.m. and further investigation revealed he was in possession of dextroamphetamine sulfate tablets.

He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, as well as aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, both misdemeanors, police said. His vehicle was impounded to police headquarters.

• An Old Quogue Road resident called police at 6 a.m. Monday to report that her narcotics medication was missing. According to a report, she told police the medicine had possibly been misplaced and was advised to continue looking.

• A 32-year-old Coram man was arrested for disorderly conduct last Tuesday afternoon after a caller reported he was drinking beers and kicking hotel room doors at the Budget Host Inn in Riverside.

The man was arrested and held in a cell until he was “no longer belligerent,” police said.

• Police arrested a juvenile in connection with the reported theft of a Corona beer from a Flanders 7-Eleven earlier in March.

 The juvenile was arrested and released to his mother last Monday around 3:30 p.m., 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.

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Riverhead Town police are seeking the public’s help to locate a 22-year-old man who has been reported missing.

Vitaliy Leeds was last seen Friday at around 5 p.m. at the Community Housing Innovations home located on West Main Street in Riverhead. Police do no suspect his disappearance to be suspicious.

He was reported missing to police at around 4:30 p.m. Monday.

Mr. Leeds is white, 6-foot-2, 140 pounds and has numerous tattoos along both arms and his chest.

Anyone who may have seen him or know his whereabouts is asked to contact Riverhead police at 631-727-4500.

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The NYPD detectives’ union is seeking to stop a request by legal aid lawyers for the temporary release over fears of the coronavirus for a man charged in the murder of local NYPD Detective Brian Simonsen. 

The Detectives Endowment Association sent a letter to a Queens Supreme Court Judge in advance of a hearing being held Wednesday on the possible release of Christopher Ransom, calling him a flight risk and a “danger to the community as a whole.”

Mr. Simonsen’s widow, Leanne, said Tuesday evening that she was informed by the union that a second man charged in the case, Jagger Freeman, 26, was denied release today and she prays that Mr. Ransom, 29, is also denied. Mr. Freeman was said to have served as lookout as Mr. Ransom committed a robbery on the evening Det. Simonsen was killed.

“I find it unbelievable that this is even being considered,” Ms. Simonsen said. “They both made a choice that night and you suffer the consequences of what happens.”

The detectives’ union strongly urged the judge to stop the release.

“These attempts to use the COVID-19 pandemic as a means to gain a benefit, namely their unjustified release, only further demonstrates the willingness of these two individuals to put their own interests above those in society,” wrote union president Paul DiGiacomo.

The Legal Aid Society told The New York Post they believe Mr. Ransom, who is being housed on Rikers Island, is at “grave risk should he contact COVID-19 due to ongoing health issues that he currently suffers.”

But Mr. DiGiacomo said the attorneys failed to outline any specific health concerns and the request “is merely another effort to avoid responsibility for their role in the murder of Detective Simonsen, who worked valiantly every day of his 18-year decorated career to keep New Yorkers safe from people like Ransom and Freeman.”

Det. Simonsen, 42, of Calverton and a fellow detective were working an unrelated case nearby when they responded to a call of a possible armed robbery at a T-Mobile store in Richmond Hill, Queens shortly after 6 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2019.

Officers at first did not see anyone inside through the window of the store. As they entered, someone emerged from the back fitting the description of the suspect, who pointed what appeared to be a handgun. The suspect advanced toward them and the officers fired, former New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill said at the time. Det. Simonsen was struck once in the chest by friendly fire, police said. Mr. Ransom’s firearm turned out to be a realistic looking fake handgun.

Mr. Ransom and Mr. Freeman were arrested in the days that followed and charged with murder and other violent felonies. They were remanded without bail.

Ms. Simonsen said she hopes the men remain behind bars permanently.

“I have to deal with not having Brian every day and it doesn’t get any easier,” she said. “Keeping them behind bars, hopefully for life, serves some justice for Brian.”

Det. Simonsen was a native of Jamesport and a 1995 graduate of Riverhead High School.

Similar bail hearings have been held for inmates across New York in recent weeks. Convicted Riverhead drug dealer Terrill Latney was among the inmates to make such a request, but his release was denied by a federal judge last month.

The bail hearing requested for Mr. Ransom will be held in Queens Supreme Court Wednesday.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated shortly after publishing to reflect the outcome of Mr. Freeman’s hearing and comments from Ms. Simonsen.

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A man wanted a police officer to document an incident in which an employee at Home Depot on Route 58 allegedly coughed on him last Thursday, according to Riverhead Town police.

• Two backpack leaf blowers and a power washer were reported stolen from Lowe’s on Route 58. The value of the stolen items is about $1,377, according to police. 

• An unknown person forged two checks totaling $1,200 from a business on Main Road in Jamesport Monday afternoon, according to police. 

• An all-terrain vehicle was reported stolen from a home on Sound Avenue Monday night, according to police. Additional information was not available.

• A “heavyset” man removed an unknown quantity of merchandise from the Stop & Shop store on Route 58 last Wednesday about 11:40 a.m., according to police.

• An unknown man dumped his personal garbage into a dumpster at Satur Farms on Route 25 in Calverton without permission last Wednesday afternoon, according to police. 

• A tree was removed from the roadway on Fresh Pond Avenue in Calverton Monday afternoon by the Riverhead Highway Department. A tree also was removed from the road on Manor Lane in Jamesport Monday afternoon during a storm, according to police.

• Southampton Town police arrested Nicholas Fisher, 34, of Flanders on charges of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance; aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle; and driving without inspection, insurance or registration following a traffic stop on Seaside Avenue in Hampton Bays. 

He was initially stopped for an expired inspection and operating a vehicle with a suspended registration on April 4 about 7:40 p.m., according to police. 

Further investigation revealed that he was in possession of dextroamphetamine sulfate tablets — a Schedule 2 controlled substance — and was operating with a revoked driver’s license, due to a prior alcohol related incident, according to police. 

• On Friday at 1:42 a.m., an officer responded to an incident on Long Neck Boulevard in Flanders for a report of a criminal mischief in progress with a knife possibly involved, according to police.

The caller told the responding officer that another tenant living in the same house attempted to break down his door with a knife. 

That suspect, Jenis Alvarado, 41, of Flanders was identified by the caller on scene and charged with criminal mischief and intent to damage property, according to police. 

Pictures of the damaged door were taken and statements were taken from both the caller and a witness, police said. 

• A woman called police with regard to missing medication about 6 a.m. last Monday on Old Quogue Road in Riverside, according to police. 

The woman told the responding officer that her narcotics medication has gone missing, but that it had possibly been misplaced. The woman was advised to keep looking for it, and was given a copy of the police report, at the caller’s request. 

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.

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Just three days after a Riverhead woman was granted temporary release from federal prison over her fears of contracting the COVID-19 virus, a judge revoked the agreement after she was found to be violating social distancing guidelines.

Kotarra Jackson, 37, a known Bloods gang member with a long history of arrests in the Riverhead area, was granted temporary release on April 13 after her attorneys argued she suffers from obesity, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea and thus has increased medical risks associated with the outbreak of COVID-19.

As terms of her release, Judge Joanna Seybert required Ms. Jackson be tested for COVID-19 and remain in detention at her sister’s Mastic Beach home, unless going to court or an appointment with an attorney or doctor.

But hours after her release, Ms. Jackson, who was most recently arrested in November 2018 during an East End Drug Task Force raid in Riverhead and charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, was observed violating the terms of her condition.

After she was released just before 4 p.m. on Monday, April 13, members of the Suffolk County East End Drug Task Force observed Ms. Jackson outside smoking a cigarette around 6:30 p.m. and leaning into the window of a Jeep Cherokee to have a conversation. 

“At no point during these interactions was Jackson wearing personal protective equipment (“PPE”), a mask or practicing social distancing,” U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue wrote in a letter to Judge Joanna Seybert last Wednesday. “[Ms. Jackson] has clearly demonstrated that she cannot be trusted to follow social distancing practices.”

The following day, members of the drug task force and FBI observed Ms. Jackson leave the home with an unknown man to go to a liquor store off Montauk Highway near William Floyd Parkway, documents show. The vehicle was then involved in a minor accident in the parking lot of a deli in a Mastic strip mall and Ms. Jackson refused to give Suffolk County police officers her identification before returning home around 4:30 p.m.

Law enforcement photographed each interaction and during a call with pretrial services to begin installing electronic monitoring software, officials noticed background noise and asked Ms. Jackson about her whereabouts.

She told officials she was at the deli with her sister and they’d been in a car accident, adding that she wasn’t aware she was not permitted to leave home.

In their letter to Judge Seybert, prosecutors said Ms. Jackson blatantly disregarded the terms of her release, poses a danger to the community and is an increased flight risk.

“Setting aside the blatant, nonchalant violations of the terms of her home detention, Jackson has demonstrated clearly, and repeatedly, that her ‘concerns’ about her health and her ‘fears’ of contracting COVID-19 were nothing more than convenient lies to the Court in an effort to secure her release,” Mr. Donoghue wrote, adding that a woman who claimed to be concerned about COVID-19 due to her medical conditions, had repeatedly been observed smoking cigarettes.

Mr. Donoghue also cited her criminal history, which includes more than a dozen prior drug and assault convictions, as incentive to flee.

Judge Seybert revoked the release last Thursday and officials said Ms. Jackson surrendered Friday.

She is now back at the Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting trial.

In a letter requesting her release, defense attorney Anthony LaPinta noted that COVID-19 has been confirmed in both inmates and staff of the federal prison and that testing was largely nonexistent in the facility.

Mr. LaPinta said the court’s decision to revoke Ms. Jackson’s bail shows the seriousness of the pandemic.

“The court’s decision to quickly revoke Ms. Jackson’s bail and remand her back to custody demonstrates the serious and urgent need for social distancing and the wearing a mask when in public to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” he said in a statement.

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Dyson vacuums continued to be a hot item at one Riverhead store, from which they’ve been reported stolen again, according to Riverhead Town police reports. 

A woman stole a Dyson vacuum cleaner from the Target store on Route 58 last Thursday night and then fled in a gray sport utility vehicle heading west in the parking lot, according to police.

On March 27, police had received a report that two men stole three Dyson vacuum clearers from the same store. 

• An employee of Home Depot on Route 58 removed $1,928 worth of merchandise from the store, according to police, who were contacted by store security last Tuesday morning.

• A necklace valued at $1,500 was reported stolen from a woman at the Wading River Motel on Route 25 in Wading River Monday, according to police. 

• Two women were reported to have stolen two bed sets from Target on Route 58 Monday night, according to police, who said the woman fled the area in a white car heading west. 

• An electric power washer valued at $100 was reported stolen last Tuesday afternoon after someone broke a lock on a detached shed on Laurel Court in Wading River and removed it, according to police.

• A woman told police that someone stole her bag containing credit cards and $100 in cash Saturday afternoon at Costco on Route 58, according to police. 

• A vehicle parked in the Walmart parking lot on Route 58 was reported to have been “keyed” Monday afternoon, according to police.

• An employee at the 7-Eleven store on Flanders Road in Flanders told Southampton Town police last Monday that around 11:35 p.m., an unknown female with long hair exited the business with a number of items without paying for them, according to police. 

The employee said the suspect was acting suspicious upon entering the store and something “just did not seem right,” according to police. 

The employee also said that once she became preoccupied with stocking the shelves, the suspect left the store with a number of items and fled the area in a blue or dark-colored vehicle, in an unknown direction, police said. 

Police did not specify what items were stolen. 

• A woman reported that her purse was stolen Friday at a party on Dale Avenue in Flanders, according to Southampton Town police. 

Officers responded to the larceny report and were told by the victim that there was a small party at the location and that she put her purse on a chair, and then realized when the party was over that her purse was gone, police said. 

Both the complainant and all of the parties involved were highly intoxicated and uncooperative while on scene, police said. 

The town detective unit will follow up with an investigation at a later date, officials 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.

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Reports of scam attempts and counterfeit money were prevalent in Riverhead Town last week, according to town police reports. 

• A Riverhead woman told police last Wednesday that someone tried to scam her through an email, by attempting to make her send bitcoin to correct a matter, according to police. The incident was documented for informational purposes, police said. 

• An Aquebogue woman told police Friday that she was scammed out of more than $100,000. Police did not release specifics of the scam. The incident is being investigated by the detective division, according to police. 

• Two women allegedly tried to pass counterfeit money Monday night at Lenny’s Pizza in Jamesport. The woman left in a black Audi after the money was rejected, according to police. 

• A counterfeit $100 bill was recovered at Domino’s pizza on Route 58 Monday night, according to police. 

• “Fraudulent” money also was reported to have been found at Breitenbach Farms on Main Road in Aquebogue Tuesday morning, according to police. 

• A Riverhead man told police Friday afternoon that an unknown person deposited a $9,900 check written to him in his Chase bank account, according to police. Additional information was not available. 

• Tamara Carter, age and address unavailable, was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance Saturday afternoon on East Main Street. 

• Assorted tools were reported stolen from a shed and a truck on Ostrander Avenue Friday afternoon. The stolen items were valued at about $2,500, according to police. 

• Two RedMax backpack leaf blowers were reported stolen from the rear porch of a home on Hamilton Avenue Friday morning about 7 a.m. The approximate value of the stolen items was $600, according to police. 

• Police received a complaint last Wednesday afternoon that three men were in violation of social distancing practices at Stotzky Park. An officer asked the three men to leave the park and they did.

• Southampton police arrested a couple on drug charges in Flanders Saturday.

Police said they approached a vehicle at the end of Evergreen Road around midnight after a report of suspicious activity. According to a police report, an officer found the driver, Juan Curup, 29, and passenger, Brianna Phillippe, 24, in the car.

Once they exited the vehicle, police recovered an unspecified amount of cocaine inside a tin foil package from the floor, officials said.

Both were charged with one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

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.

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The outbreak of COVID-19 has changed nearly all aspects of daily life — including how police departments function. An essential function of society, there are concerns about how to keep police officers safe without heightening the risk to public safety.

The Riverhead News-Review recently interviewed police chief David Hegermiller to see how the pandemic has affected his department. His responses have been edited for space and clarity.

Riverhead News-Review: What are some of the challenges presented amidst the COVID-19 pandemic?

Chief David Hegermiller: We’re at the point where you have to, as with everyone else, treat people like they have COVID-19 and be cautious with everyone you’re dealing with.

If we’re going on an aided case, an ambulance call, we’re making a conscious decision: who is the person going inside? Obviously, if we’re there and it’s a life or death situation, we’re going in. If it’s just a routine transport, we’re going to let the ambulance person go in.

NR: What other protocols have changed?

DH: Calls are down, and every time I go out it seems kind of quiet. In the past, we wouldn’t take a call over the phone but now we do. Not all calls — but if they meet the criteria we can. Incidents that don’t have to be investigated at the scene; straightforward, nonviolent crimes.

NR: Are all calls down? Are there any incidents that have spiked during the crisis?

DH: Looking at the March report, calls received were down by almost 200: 2,469 [in 2019] to 2,285. Domestics were down by 20, so that’s a big percentage, almost 25% down. We had 84 in [March 2019] and 64 in 2020.

You would think that it would go up, but as far as we know they haven’t, so that’s a good thing.

NR: Have any officers tested positive? 

DH: We’ve had three employees test positive and two of them are back to work already.

NR: Glad they are on the mend. Has the department had to cut hours or anything like that?

DH: We’ve had full staffing and overtime is down. One of the issues we’re facing now is we’ve had some retirements and some more coming up. That whole process of hiring has come to a standstill. We did get two recruits out a week or two early for field training. But we’ve got half a dozen retirements this year, which out of 88 officers is a good chunk.

NR: Have you responded to calls to report people not abiding by social distancing guidelines or nonessential businesses still functioning?

DH: We definitely do deal with that. Right before they changed golf courses back to being essential, we were getting a lot of calls. We had several calls for construction and usually turn them right over to the state to get essential designation. It’s all about compliance. I think that will be the challenge going forward, as the weather gets better and better and people go to parks and beaches. We’re trying to keep a close eye on that.

There are several local domestic violence resources for residents. Anyone in need of help related to domestic violence can call the Suffolk County hotline at 631-332-9234 or text 844-997-2121 24/7. Residents can also reach out to local domestic violence organization The Retreat by calling their hotline at 631-329-2200.

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Riverhead Town police are seeking the public’s help to locate two teenagers who are runaways from the Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch.

Both boys left on their own and foul play is not suspected, police said.

Justin Melott, 14, ran away on May 2 at 4 p.m. He is Hispanic, 5-foot-3, 140 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes and a light complexion. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

Christopher Ellis, 17, also ran away at the same time. He is white, 6 feet tall, 265 pounds with green eyes, brown hair and light complexion. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

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A Riverhead man who allegedly smashed the front window of Wading River Pizza to break in and steal cash and a coin jar was arrested Sunday night, according to Riverhead Town police.

Frank Colaiacomo, 30, was charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said. He was also to be charged by Suffolk County police in connection to a burglary that occurred earlier the same evening, police said.

Riverhead police received a call of a possible burglary in progress at the Route 25A pizza shop located in the Little Bay Shopping Center at around 10:20 p.m. Sunday. Officers found the front window smashed in and a witness reported that the suspect had just fled in front of the building.

Police established a perimeter with assistance from a K9 unit, New York State Police and a Suffolk County police helicopter.

Two Riverhead officers located Mr. Colaiacomo in a vehicle on Dogwood Drive in Wading River where he was arrested.

He was arraigned Monday, released on his own recognizance and then turned over to Suffolk County police to face additional charges.

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Trucks from about 20 fire departments battled a brush fire in Manorville Tuesday afternoon, according to Manorville Fire Department Chief Chris Lindberg.

“It started around 12:15 p.m. and burned about 50 acres,” he said.

The fire was just south of Route 25 and west of Schultz Road. Firefighters battled the blaze for about four hours, and used brush trucks from Manorville and about 15 other departments. 

This area is part of the Manorville Fire District, and it has had a number of big brush fires in the past, including a massive fire in 2012.

Mr. Lindberg said his department put out a smaller brush fire on Sunday off North Road near Brookhaven National Lab. That was under an acre, and was extinguished by the Manorville department on its own.

About two weeks ago, a much larger fire started on the BNL property and then burned east of that.

“It burned a couple hundred acres,” he said.

Among the other departments that responded were Riverhead, Flanders, Wading River, Center Moriches, East Moriches, Eastport, Ridge, Mastic, Mastic Beach, Middle Island, Yaphank, Brookhaven and Rocky Point.

No injuries were reported, but Riverhead’s brush truck broke an axel, Mr. Lindberg said.

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A cow was returned to its owner on Osborn Avenue in Riverhead last Tuesday night, according to Riverhead Town police. Additional information on that case was not available.

However, loose cows also were reported on Horton Avenue last Wednesday morning, and the town’s animal control department removed them from the road, according to police.

• Jermaine Crosby, 40, address unavailable, was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property Saturday night after being found in possession of a 1998 Honda that had been reported stolen from a home on Hinda Boulevard in Riverhead, according to police. 

• Keith Fleischman, age and address unavailable, was charged with first-degree criminal contempt and second-degree harassment at police headquarters Friday afternoon. Additional information was not available. 

• A number of power tools were reported stolen from a vehicle on Industrial Boulevard in Riverhead last Tuesday morning. At about 1:20 a.m. that same day, someone was seen trying to remove tools from a car on JT Boulevard but fled the scene before police arrived. 

• A Riverhead woman reported last Thursday night that an unknown woman in Franklin Square attempted to access the complainant’s TD Bank account at a branch in Franklin Square using a fake passport, according to police. 

The complainant was told by Nassau County police that they would not file a report and that it would have to be initiated though the police department where she lives, according to Riverhead police. 

• Two bottles of chocolate milk, two bottles of Tropicana orange juice, and one box of Entenmann’s donuts were reported stolen by a man at the 7-Eleven by the Roanoke traffic circle early Sunday at about 1 a.m.

The suspect fled the area prior to police arrival, according to police. 

• Someone smashed two front door windows at the Salvation Army on East Main Street Friday afternoon and entered the building, although police said nothing was reported missing.

• A 40-bottle case of water was reported stolen from the Mobil gas station on East Main Street in Riverhead Saturday afternoon, according to police. 

• A woman was seen stealing five Bluetooth headphones from Target on Route 58 Monday night and leaving the area in a Nissan Rogue, according to police.

• Southampton Town police arrested a Hampton Bays man for drunken driving in Flanders Friday night.

According to a police report, Gerson Ruiz, 28, was stopped for a traffic infraction near Short Street around 7:52 p.m. when an officer found he was intoxicated.

Mr. Ruiz was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and several violations, police said. 

• Police were called to a report of an attempted burglary in Riverside last Wednesday morning.

A woman called police around 10:35 a.m. to report that she heard someone outside her Pond Drive residence overnight, but did not see them and found her front storm door opened in the morning.

Nothing was reported stolen and the door was not damaged, police 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.

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Beaches in Riverhead Town will be monitored by a police officer or traffic control officer starting this month from noon to 8 p.m. on weekends, the police department said Sunday.

Officers will be posted at the entrances to the Wading River, Reeves, Roanoke, South Jamesport and Iron Pier beaches. They will allow vehicles entry if they have a 2019 Town of Riverhead parking permit. 2020 permits are not currently for sale, but may be in the future.

Officers will be monitoring for proper social distancing and recommended use of personal protective equipment if available.

“Voluntary compliance is the ultimate goal to keep everyone safe and allow the beaches to remain open,” a press release said.

The Suffolk County Supervisors Association announced May 1 it would be forming a task force combining supervisors from all the Suffolk County towns, as well as those in Nassau County, to start a collaborative effort to look at ways the towns can coordinate summer programs and facilities.

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The New York State DEC announced Thursday it is using new technology to investigate potential sources of a series of recent fires that have burned about 167 acres in Long Island’s Pine Barrens region.

The DEC said five forest fires have occurred on federal, state, county and private land in the area in the past month and state and local officials are are asking anyone with knowledge of these fires to contact DEC’s Office of Public Protection at (518) 408-5858 or the Suffolk County, Brookhaven, or Riverhead fire marshal’s offices.

Suffolk County, Brookhaven and Riverhead fire marshals are working with Brookhaven National Lab firefighters to investigate the incidents. The DEC did not elaborate on the specific technologies these groups will deploy.

Besides damaging habitat, uncontrolled fires have the potential to impact nearby residences and pose a risk to volunteer firefighters, the DEC noted in a press release about the incidents.

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