(Credit: Google Maps)

Riverhead police are investigating the apparent stabbing of a man on Lewis Street in Riverhead late Sunday.

The victim — a 43-year-old man — went to Peconic Bay Medical Center after he was stabbed in left shoulder while on Lewis Street, police said. Cops were called to the hospital about 11:40 p.m. to investigate. The man was treated for a single stab wound and released, according to a news release.

Police have not released information about the description of the attacker and said the investigation is active. No arrests have been made.

Riverhead detectives have asked anyone with information about the alleged incident to contact the department at (631) 727-4500 ext. 327. All calls will be kept confidential.

psquire@timesreview.com

NEWS-REVIEW FILE PHOTO | Fire district headquarters on Roanoke Avenue.

Local fire districts are all having public hearings on their proposed 2014 budgets tonight, and all proposed budgets come in under the state mandated two-percent tax levy increase.

Fire districts are the taxing entity that funds the local fire departments, which are mostly run by volunteers but receive taxes for things such as equipment, facilities and some paid employees.

Below is a breakdown of the budget proposals and public hearing times and locations.

• Riverhead

The proposed 2015 budget called for a $4.501 million tax levy, up 1.56 percent over the 2014 levy of $4.432 million. The proposed budget uses $250,000 in fund balance, $29,117 in payments in lieu of taxes and $106,883 in bond reduction reserve money to offset tax increases.

Tax rates, which are determined by the town, were not yet available. The district covers parts of three different towns, Riverhead, Southampton and Brookhaven.

The public hearing on the budget will take place at 7 p.m. at Riverhead fire headquarters on 540 Roanoke Avenue in Riverhead.

• Wading River

The proposed 2015 budget calls for $2.107 million in taxes, up 1.8 percent from the 2014 total of $2.07 million. Overall spending is proposed at $2.443 million,  up 5.5 percent over 2014, but the proposed budget uses $55,750 in estimated revenues and $80,000 in appropriated fund balance to reduce the amount to be paid in taxes. The tax levy is split between Brookhaven Town and Riverhead Town, with the portion in Brookhaven to go down from 2014, and the Riverhead portion, which is about 60 percent of the total, proposed to rise by 5.9 percent in Riverhead, according to district figures.

The fire district has no role in the apportionment of the tax levy between towns, according to Riverhead Town Assessor Laverne Tennenburg. That is done by the county and based on each town’s equalization rate, which is a state formula that attempts to determine at what percentage of market value  each town assesses property for taxing purposes. Riverhead’s equalization rate decreased this year, while Brookhaven’s stayed the same, meaning a greater portion of the taxes shifted to the Riverhead side, she said.

The public hearing is at 7 p.m. at the fire headquarters on 1503 North Country Road in Wading River.

• Jamesport

The proposed 2014 budget is $842,810, which is up by 1.5 percent from the 2013 budget of $830,318. Of that amount, $766,833 will be paid through taxes, which is a 1.56 percent increase.

The public hearing is at 7:30 p.m. at the firehouse on 25 Manor Lane in Jamesport.

• Flanders

The proposed 2015 budget calls for $691,500 in spending, up one percent, with estimated revenues of $130,000 bringing the amount to be raised from taxes down to $561,500, which is a 1.3 percent increase.

The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in the firehouse on19 Firehouse Lane in Flanders.

A 40-year-old Flanders man and a 30-year-old Sag Harbor woman were arrested in Flanders after police saw the two having sex in public last Thursday, Southampton Town police said. 

Police said Evelio Diazgodinez was seen having intercourse with Alison Pfefferkorn, who they say is a prostitute, by a Lake Avenue motel about 3 p.m.

Mr. Diazgodinez was arrested and charged with third-degree patronizing a prostitute and public lewdness, while Ms. Pfefferkorn was arrested for prostitution and public lewdness, according to reports.

• A Flanders man reported being punched in the face by a stranger over a cigarette in Flanders Friday night, police said.

Police say the suspect approached the man outside a Flanders Road home about 10 p.m., asking him for a cigarette. 

When the man said he didn’t have any, the suspect punched the man in his face, according to a report. Multiple police units were called to the area to locate the assailant, but were unsuccessful.

• A 46-year-old Riverhead man was arrested last Monday in Flanders for driving without a license after being stopped for having a front headlight out, police said.

Patrick Stinson was stopped on Riverside Avenue about 7:25 p.m., according to a report.

He was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation and driving with an uninspected motor vehicle, police said. He was also issued a violation for having insufficient lights.

• A 36-year-old unlicensed Aquebogue man was arrested last Monday after being stopped for swerving on County Route 94 in Riverside, police said.

Joseph Sinopoli was stopped about 5 p.m. and charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and issued a violation for failing to use a designated lane. He was released with an appearance ticket for a later court date.

• A 32-year-old Ridge woman wanted on an active bench warrant was arrested early Saturday after police located her in a suspicious vehicle parked at a boat ramp on Point Road in Flanders, police said.

Carida Brana, who was wanted on a Suffolk County Police Department bench warrant, was arrested about 12:30 a.m. and was turned over to county police, according a report.

• A 29-year-old Riverhead woman wanted on a Southampton Town bench warrant was charged with resisting arrest after police located her on Flanders Road last Monday, police said.

Marie Guerrera-Tooker was arrested about 11:45 a.m. after police responded to a dispute at her Flanders Road residence, according to a report.

Ms. Guerrera-Tooker was held for morning arraignment.

• A Northampton man reported his yellow H3 Hummer stolen from his residence on Old Moriches Riverhead Road last Thursday, according to a report.

Police said the owner had left the keys inside the vehicle, which is valued at $15,000.

It was stolen sometime between 11:30 a.m. and noon, according to a report. Detectives are investigating.

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.

Southold shooting suspects (from left) Walter Vasquez, 17, of Greenport; Pedro Emilio Santamaria, 31, of Greenport; and Jeremias Nathaniel Recinos Torres, 19, of Aquebogue are escorted by corrections officers into Southold Town Court Friday morning. The three were arraigned in Suffolk County court Wednesday. (Credit: Paul Squire)

A fifth man is currently being sought by police for his alleged role in last Tuesday’s shooting in Southold, a Suffolk prosecutor said Wednesday during the arraignments of three men accused in the attack.

A total of four men so far have been arrested by police. They’ve all been indicted and arraigned on violent felony charges of assault and gang assault.

They are all being held in county jail on $500,000 cash bail or $1 million bond.

Authorities say Pedro Emilio Santamaria, 31 of Greenport; Jeremias Nathanael Recinos Torres, 19, of Aquebogue; Freddie Fernando Torres Campos, 16, of Southold and Walter Vasquez, 17, of Greenport all took part in an attack that left two men shot.

One of those men was shot multiple and also slashed with a machete.

One of the alleged assailants, Mr. Vasquez, was also shot by friendly fire, police have said.

Suffolk County assistant district attorney Ryan Hunter said Wednesday that the one victim who was shot and slashed still has a bullet trapped in his spine from the attack.

Mr. Hunter said in court that Mr. Vasquez admitted in a written statement to receiving an order from a “high-ranking MS-13 leader” instructing him to “do something bad” to the two victims, who were thought to be members of the 18th Street gang, also known as Mara 18.

But attorney Lane Bubka, who was appointed to represent Mr. Vasquez said the confession doesn’t back up authorities’ claims that his client was a member of the gang.

“He may be with gang members, but he is not a gang member,” Mr. Bubka said.

The 31-year-old Mr. Santamaria also gave a written statement to investigators, Mr. Hunter said, through which he admitted to being a passenger in a car with the three other codefendants and a fifth man “driving around… Southold looking for 18th Street gang members.”

Mr. Santamaria also allegedly admitted to hiding a gun supposedly used in the assault under the backseat of the car he and Mr. Torres were caught in by Southold Town police.

Mr. Santamaria’s attorney, David Geller of the Legal Aid Society, said his office was still investigating the charges and couldn’t comment on the case.

Mr. Torres — represented by Luis Pagan — allegedly admitted that he lied to police and had heard discussions among his codefendants planning the assault, Mr. Hunter said. The prosecutor added that Mr. Torres served as the driver and lookout during the attack.

Mr. Torres and Mr. Santamaria were additionally charged with criminal possession of a firearm, a felony.

All three men arraigned Wednesday are citizens of El Salvador, and both Mr. Torres and Mr. Vasquez are living in the country illegally, according to prosecutors; Mr. Santamaria’s immigration status wasn’t discussed in court.

Mr. Campos — also in the country illegally — had been arraigned in county court Tuesday afternoon.

Mr. Hunter later said that the fifth alleged attacker is still at large.

“It’s still under investigation,” he said outside Justice William Condon’s courtroom.

All four defendants are due back in court next month.

psquire@timesreview.com

(Credit: Carrie Miller)

Volunteers from two area fire departments were called to extinguish a fire in a Riverhead Town highway department bulldozer Thursday morning.

Eddie Reeve, a town highway department worker said they returned from a break to find a puddle of oil on the ground beside the vehicle, which was up in flames.

Riverhead Town police received word of the fire about 9:45 a.m. in the town Highway department sand mine, which is located near the town dump on Manor Lane in Jamesport.

Volunteers from Jamesport Fire department and Riverhead Fire departments were called to the scene.

Workers had been using the bulldozer to move sand around earlier that morning.

Highway Superintendent Gio Woodson was not immediately available for comment.

A Flanders man was charged with felony driving while intoxicated after he was pulled over on Old Country Road last Monday, Oct. 13, state police said.

Troopers stopped Juan Palacios, 29, near the intersection of Doctors Path, according to a news release. An investigation revealed that he was drunk, police said, and he was arrested at the scene.

• A Riverhead man was accused of driving drunk after state police allegedly caught him intoxicated on Roanoke Avenue Saturday.

Marvin Setino-Chinchilla, 40, was arrested after being stopped near Pulaski Street, according to a news release. Troopers determined Mr. Setino-Chinchilla was drunk and charged him with misdemeanor DWI. He was processed at the state trooper barracks and released with a date in Riverhead Town court later this month.

• A 23-year-old man was arrested for drunken driving after colliding with a tree in Calverton early Saturday morning, Riverhead police said.

David Fitzgerald was arrested about 5 a.m. after hitting a tree on Edwards Avenue, according to a police blotter report. He was charged with misdemeanor DWI, according to the report. Police did not release additional information about the arrest.

• A 2004 Land Rover that was reported stolen earlier this month was found near Riverhead Free Library about 1 a.m. last Tuesday, Oct. 14, according to a police blotter report. The vehicle was recovered by police. Southold detectives were notified that the vehicle had been found. No other information was made available by Riverhead Town police.

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.

East End law enforcement officials have identified the five gangs listed below as most active in our area. While most derive their principal income from the sale and/or distribution of various illegal drugs, many are also involved in crimes including human and weapons trafficking, prostitution, homicide and drive-by shootings, assault, carjacking, identity theft, money laundering robbery, and extortion. 

Bloods
Colors: Red

A predominantly African-American gang established in Los Angeles, the Bloods are a collection of local gangs that share a single culture. Large, national level organizations exist within the Bloods, which are present in 33 states. Membership is estimated at as many as 20,000 individuals.

Crips
Colors: Blue

The Crips are an amalgamation of structured and unstructured gangs that have adopted a shared culture. Originally made up mostly of African-American men from the Los Angeles area, Crips gangs comprise 30,000 to 35,000 members and currently operate in 221 cities and 41 U.S. states.

18th Street
Colors: Blue, black 

Formed in the Rampart District of Los Angeles in the 1960s, 18th Street — also called Mara-18 — is a loosely associated group of Latino cliques, each led by a prominent member. Eighty percent of its members are from Mexico and Central America. The gang is currently active in 44 cities across roughly 20 states. Current membership is estimated at between 30,000 and 50,000.

Latin Kings
Colors: Black, gold

This gang emerged in Chicago in the 1960s with the original goal of “overcoming racial prejudice.” The group soon became a criminal organization with two main branches, KMC (King Motherland Chicago) and Bloodline, founded in 1986 in the New York State correctional system. Initially, members were predominantly Mexican and Puerto Rican, but the gang is now open to all nationalities. Over 160 structured chapters operate in 31 states, with 20,000 to 35,000 members.

MS-13
Colors: Blue, white

Also known as Mara Salvatrucha, this is one of the largest Hispanic criminal organizations. Originally, its chapters were loosely associated, though law enforcement officials have observed increased coordination of criminal activity, particularly in New York, Atlanta,  Dallas, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Membership in the U.S. is estimated at 8,000 to 10,000 and worldwide membership at 30,000 to 50,000.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

Several bullets pierced windows following this East Avenue shooting in 2013, though no one was hurt. (Credit: Carrie Miller, file)

Two shootings within two days rattled the North Fork last week, though police said the incidents are rare, especially in Southold Town.

Suspects have been caught in both cases. The four men (one from Aquebogue) who allegedly attacked two other men in Southold last Tuesday have been indicted by a grand jury on felony assault charges. Authorities say a fifth suspect may also have been involved.

The two men allegedly responsible for a shooting in Flanders last Wednesday that critically injured one man are currently being held without bail at the Suffolk County jail. Police did not immediately say if the shooting appeared to be gang-related.

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While the two incidents occurred relatively soon after one another, and came less than a week after a previous shooting incident, police say gunplay is not common on the North Fork. Yet no hard numbers on the number of shootings that have occurred in Riverhead and Southold recently were immediately available.

Both Southold and Riverhead’s case management systems list incidents using the language in the state’s code, such as “first-degree assault” or “second-degree assault” instead of “shooting” or “stabbing.”

Compiling how many shootings there were on the North Fork over an extended period of time requires police to go through each report of an assault and then pick out those that involved guns. Southold and Riverhead’s police chiefs say that’s because New York State requires incidents be broken down by penal code violation, and not by what kind of weapon — like a firearm — was used.

“We wouldn’t have them listed as an actual shooting itself,” said Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley. “It’s what crime they fit into.” Those records are later given to the state and federal authorities.

Additionally, Chief Flatley said so few firearm assaults occur in Southold that a database of shooting incidents wouldn’t carry any investigative value.

“We don’t have a lot of shootings out here, thank God, so far,” he said.

Overall, assaults were down or remained steady in both Riverhead and Southold in 2013 compared to 2012, according to the department’s annual reports.

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Southold police data shows seven assaults were reported in 2013, the lowest total in at least 10 years and lower than the 19 incidents reported in 2012. In Riverhead, there were 40 reported assaults in 2013, the same total as the previous year.

Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller said police — specifically the department’s Community Oriented Police Enforcement unit — investigate each incident to determine whether it may be related to gang violence.

The Oct. 10 shooting in Riverhead, in which a Hispanic man was shot in the back by two other Hispanic men, does not appear to be gang-related, he said.

Caption: Southold shooting suspects (from left) Walter Vasquez, 17, of Greenport; Pedro Emilio Santamaria, 31, of Greenport; and Jeremias Nathaniel Recinos Torres, 19, of Aquebogue are escorted by corrections officers into Southold Town Court Friday morning. The three were arraigned in Suffolk County court Wednesday. (Credit: Paul Squire)

Also by Paul Squire: 

• Police seek information on Lewis Street stabbing

• South Jamesport man dies spearfishing in Sound, police say

• Woman sentenced to 3 years probation in animal abuse case

There were 252 cases on the docket in Riverhead Town Justice Richard Ehlers’ court, Oct. 14-15. The following are among those adjudicated. 

• Tara Rogers, 43, of Pleasure Drive in Flanders pleaded guilty to seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

• Miguel Elias-Prado, 38, of Osborn Avenue in Riverhead pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, reduced from driving without a required interlock device, and was fined $1,000.

• Valerie Brown, 55, of Osborn Avenue in Riverhead pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to three years’ probation and made to use an interlock device to start her car.

• Douglas Diaz, 29, of Flanders Road in Riverside pleaded guilty to DWI and was sentenced to three years’ probation.

A traffic stop in Riverhead Friday afternoon led to the arrest of an East Quogue man on multiple drug charges, Riverhead Town police said. 

Madison Murrell, 33, was found in possession of illegal narcotics and marijuana, police said. He was stopped for a traffic violation on Segal Avenue at about 5:18 p.m., police said.

He was charged with multiple counts of felony criminal possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor criminal possession of marijuana, police said. Police did not specify what kind of narcotics were found.

Mr. Murrell was arrested and transported to police headquarters for arraignment this morning.

Third Street park in Greenport, where an altercation that led to last week’s shooting incident in Southold occurred. Police say the parties involved are from rival gangs. (Credit: Paul Squire)

Last Tuesday’s shooting in Southold, in which four alleged members of MS-13 attacked two men from a rival gang with guns and a machete, has brought attention to the growing problem of gangs on the East End.

In Riverhead, Riverside and Flanders, gang violence has long been an issue. Town, police and community leaders say they are working together in an attempt to attack the root of the problem.

In Southold Town, gangs are more prevalent than in the past, as changing demographics have brought Latin groups like MS-13 and 18th Street to the East End. 

Sgt. Steven Lundquist, an investigator with the Gang Intelligence Unit of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, said the county’s most prevalent gang is the Bloods, though other national gangs — including the two involved in last week’s shooting, as well as the Crips and the Latin Kings — are also active across the area.

Most gang activity, he said, is tied to drug operations and assaults.

“Drugs, guns and gangs all go together,” he said. “It’s all linked.”

Gang members have tried to “fly under the radar” in Suffolk County in recent years, Sgt. Lundquist said. Law enforcement is seeing fewer gang members wearing their traditional colors or getting associated tattoos.

Police have also found that gang members known to live in Nassau or New York City have turned up across Suffolk County, Sgt. Lundquist said. He believes those gang members are traveling east to avoid a larger police presence.

Last week’s incident was an escalation of the gang activity typically reported in Southold Town, where shootings are rare, said police chief Martin Flatley.

“None of [the recent violence] has been as blatant as this,” he said.

• See also: No local shooting data available

Chief Flatley said police suspect that some assaults involving different “factions” of Hispanic men may be gang-related, but added that it’s often difficult to prove, since some members of the Hispanic community often do not trust police. He said the root of that problem with trusting cops lies in Central America, where police corruption is rampant and gangs are said to control many parts of the region.

The last major gang-related incident in Southold Town took place in 2009, when a 15-year-old Eber Lopez of Greenport went missing from a christening celebration in Southold, Chief Flatley said. At the time, neighbors said they heard three gunshots just before midnight and police found blood in the backyard, according to a previous Suffolk Times article.

• See also: Five gangs with a presence in Suffolk County

Homicide investigators said that Eber — who was not affiliated with a gang — had been confronted by known gang members at the celebration.

The teen’s body was discovered in Farmingville the following month. A Southold man was later convicted of aiding another man who murdered the boy, though the killer was never caught.

Chief Flatley said crimes like the murder of Eber Lopez or the shooting early last Tuesday are rare. He told The Suffolk Times that police have noticed more activity with Hispanic gangs in the area, likely because of the rising immigrant population.

“It’s almost inevitable,” he said. “A lot of the families are from El Salvador. We obviously do know how a lot of the culture is in El Salvador and when they move to our area they’re moving with a part of their culture.”

The Southold chief said his officers take training courses on how to identify gang members and have worked with other police departments to build a database of possible gang members in the area. 

(Credits: Suffolk County Crime Stoppers, Riverhead News-Review file photo)

Riverhead and Suffolk County police are searching for two people who stole merchandise — including 19 sets of headphones — from a Riverhead store earlier this month, according to a news release.

Police say a man and a woman entered the Target on Route 58 and took the headphones along with a body pillow and a cooler without paying. They were seen leaving the area in a red SUV and are wanted for grand larceny, according to the news release.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers are offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Police ask anyone with information about the theft to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-220-TIPS.

All calls will be kept confidential.

psquire@timesreview.com

A Riverhead woman took the wheel of a vehicle a pregnant acquaintance had been driving and led police on a short pursuit Friday after officers found drugs during a traffic stop in Hampton Bays, Southampton Town police said in a press release issued Sunday.  

Carolyn Parker, 42, of Riverhead  had been a passenger in a vehicle being driven by Kimberly Kulick, 30, of Hampton Bays when the pair was stopped along Bittersweet Avenue in Hampton Bays, police said.

Ms. Kulick, who is pregnant, was found to be in possession of crack cocaine and driving with a suspended license, police said. She was sitting on the rear tailgate of her vehicle when Ms. Parker, who was asked to exit from the passenger side, allegedly moved to the driver’s seat and fled the scene, causing Ms. Kulick to fall from the vehicle, where police caught her before she hit the ground.

Ms. Parker was  apprehended after police used stop sticks to force the vehicle to a halt. She was also found to be in possession of crack cocaine, police said. She was arraigned Saturday on seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree obstruction of governmental administration, all misdemeanors.

Ms. Kulick was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, police said. She was released on bail and issued an appearance ticket.

(Credit: Suffolk County Crime Stoppers)

Suffolk County detectives are trying to identify a woman who stole a pocketbook containing credit cards from a cafe in Shoreham in August.

Police said the purse was stolen from the counter at the Bagel Lady Café on Route 25A about 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 22. The suspect then tried to use one of the credit cards about 10 minutes later at the CVS Pharmacy in Wading River.

Police released a photo from surveillance footage of the alleged thief and described the woman is described as white, with long black hair and a tattoo on her right shoulder.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers has offered a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

psquire@timesreview.com

A Riverside man was arrested for drunken driving last Sunday after “several” other motorists called 911 to report his erratic driving, according to a state police news release.

State troopers said 24-year-old Dimitri Baley Canel was caught while driving on Riverleigh Avenue near Marta’s Deli, which is only a few hundred feet from the state trooper barracks. Mr. Baley Canal, who was intoxicated, was arrested at the scene and charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, according to the news release.

He was brought into the police barracks and released with a future date in Southampton Town Court, police said.

psquire@timesreview.com

Riverhead Police said that the Polish Town Deli was vandalized and burglarized on Sunday night, and are asking the public for information that could lead to an arrest.

According to police, an alarm sounded at the deli just after 3 a.m. on Sunday. Police said that upon arrival, they found that the door had been broken.

The owner of the business, which is located on Pulaski Street, reported that cash and cigarettes had been stolen from the deli.

Anyone who has information about the incident is requested to contact the Riverhead Police Department at 631-727-4500, ext. 313.

The 14-week-old puppy discovered shot dead in a garbage bag in the Laurel Lake Preserve Oct. 16 matches the description of a dog reported missing by a Laurel teenager days earlier, according to information obtained from the Riverhead Animal Shelter. 

The teenage girl, who lives on Peconic Bay Boulevard, filed the report for the missing puppy, a female border collie named Casey who had not been micro-chipped, on Oct. 12. The dog had been missing since Oct. 8, according to the report.

A man who answered the door at the Peconic Bay Boulevard home Friday afternoon confirmed the family had lost its dog.

“They are missing their dog, and are just trying to move on,” said the man, who identified himself as a family friend and declined to give his name.

Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the investigation is ongoing.

“The most important thing is to find the person responsible for the heinous act of cruelty,” he said. “We’re looking at a possible felony charge on this, due to the fact that the dog was shot and killed.”

A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person responsible for shooting the puppy found in Laurel, according to the SPCA.

“We are asking anyone with information to call us at 631-382-7722. All calls are kept confidential,” Mr. Gross said.

cmiller@timesreview.com

Two utility vehicles were stolen from a lawn equipment company in Calverton Wednesday night, Riverhead Town police said.

Police said someone cut through a chain-link fence at Lacorte Farm and Lawn Equipment on Edwards Avenue sometime before 7:40 a.m. Thursday and took the two vehicles — one worth $12,000 and the other worth $10,000.

One of the John Deere “Gator” utility vehicles was later found in a “heavily wooded area” on a trail across the street from the company, according to the police report.

Police said surveillance video will be turned over to detectives investigating the theft.

psquire@timesreview.com