Arrested Tuesday afternoon were (from left): Justin Benkov, Bryant Smith and Michael Barry. (Credit: Riverhead police)

Three men tried to flee police as the East End Drug Task Force descended on a Riverhead home to execute a search warrant Tuesday afternoon, Riverhead Town police said. 

Two men were in a parked car when they spotted officers approaching the home at 137 Merritts Pond Road at 5:16 p.m., police said. Officers said that the police department had received numerous complaints about possible drug activity at the home.

According to the criminal complaint in the case, the driver, 29-year-old Justin Benkov of Riverhead, attempted to back up in the direction of the officers before calling off the escape attempt.

Once apprehended, Mr. Benkov was found in possession of cocaine, marijuana, scales and 13 strips of Suboxone — used to treat opiate addiction — police said. He was charged with reckless endangerment on top of the various drug charges, which include four counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia, police said.

Mr. Benkov, who was previously convicted on two felony weapon and drug charges, pleaded not guilty in Riverhead Town Justice Court Wednesday.

Mr. Benkov, who appeared before the judge in a wheelchair , is paralyzed from gun shot wounds he sustained attempting to burglarize an East Islip house in 2011, according to a previous Riverhead News-Review article.

He is currently being held without bail and is likely to be indicted in county criminal court, a legal aide said following the arraignment.

The two passengers in the car, 28-year-old Michael Barry of Riverhead and Bryant Smith, 36, of Rocky Point, were charged with criminal possession of marijuana, police said.

Mr. Barry also entered a not guilty plea Wednesday.

In October, Mr. Barry pleaded guilty in county court to criminal sale of a controlled substance and is awaiting sentencing.

Riverhead Town Justice Court judge Richard Ehlers set bail at $2,500.

Mr. Smith was released on $500 bail. He is due back in court Monday.

cmurray@timesreview.com

A 13-year-old was struck by a vehicle at about 3:30 p.m. in downtown Riverhead, according to Riverhead Town police. 

The victim was hit at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Osborne Avenue, a police officer said. A Riverhead ambulance crew arrived at the scene and took the victim to a hospital for treatment, police said.

No further information about the teen’s condition was immediately available.

psquire@timesreview.com

Suffolk Police are looking for Jenna Reyes and Sean Bellosso. (Credit: Suffolk police)

Update: The two missing teens were located and are unharmed, police said.

Original Story: Suffolk County Police are seeking the public’s help to locate two teenagers reported missing since Wednesday morning.

The two teens — 15-year-old Jenna Reyes of Coram and 15-year-old Sean Belloso of Coram — were reported missing at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police said they were last seen together at 7-Eleven on Middle Country Road in Coram at approximately 3:55 a.m. Wednesday.

Belloso was wearing a dark-colored hoodie with a white skull on the front. Reyes was wearing a black cap with a black sweatshirt with white lettering on it, police said.

Anyone who knows their current location can contact detectives at (631) 854-8652 or by calling 911.

A Flanders man with a suspended license was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Southold early Friday morning, Southold Town police said. 

Robert Hansult, 58, was observed speeding and crossing the double yellow line multiple times when police pulled him over on Route 48 and Boisseau Avenue at 2:53 a.m., police said.

Mr. Hansult had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, had slow, slurred speech, blood-shot eyes and was unsteady on his feet, police said. Mr. Hansult failed a standardized field sobriety test and a pre-screen breath test, police said.

He was arrested and charged with DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, police said.

His license had been suspended after failing to pay a fine out of Southold Town Justice Court dated Jan. 23, 2014, police said.

Mr. Hansult was held for morning arraignment.

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Emergency workers try to free the driver from a sedan after a crash on Sound Avenue Friday. (Credit: Liz Person)

A two-vehicle accident on Sound Avenue in Riverhead Friday afternoon left one man injured, Riverhead Town police said.

Emergency personnel at the scene originally called for a medevac to have the victim transported to Stony Brook University Medical Center, but the helicopter could not fly because of the weather conditions, police said. The driver was transported via ambulance to Stony Brook. The extent of the man’s injuries were not immediately clear, police said.

Police were still trying to determine the cause of the accident, which involved a gray Honda sedan that was traveling east on Sound Avenue that collided with a westbound pickup truck that was towing a trailer filled with scrap metal, police said. The driver of the truck was uninjured.

The accident occurred east of Roanoka Avenue and west of Doctors Path at around 2 p.m.

Debris from the scrap metal was strewn on the side of the road and in the westbound lane of Sound Avenue.

Traffic was being detoured at Doctors Path and Roanoke as police investigate the scene.

(Credit: Liz Person)

Debris from the truck’s trailer ended up on the road. (Credit: Tim Gannon)

There were 314 cases on the docket in Riverhead Town Justice Allen Smith’s court March 23-25. The following were among those adjudicated. 

• Zachary Haan, 25, of Eastport Manor Road in Eastport pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and fined $1,000.

• Delshawn Moore, 35, of Doctors Path in Riverhead pleaded guilty to petit larceny, reduced from second-degree burglary, and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

• Aubrey Fauvell-Thomas, 34, of Riverside Avenue in Flanders pleaded guilty to petit larceny and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

• Gonzalo Ramirez-Lopez, 31, of Main Road in Mattituck pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired, reduced from DWI, and was fined $960.

• Anthony Trent, 22, of Hamilton Avenue in Riverhead pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, reduced from second-degree menacing and second-degree harassment, and was fined $350.

• Justin Stoessel, 34, of North Country Road in Port Jefferson pleaded guilty to petit larceny, reduced from second-degree burglary, and was fined $350.

• Denis Rhodes, 75, of Overhill Road in Wading River pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, reduced from public lewdness, and was fined $250.

• Charges including third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and first-degree criminal nuisance against Ilaisa Reyes, 26, of Point Road in Flanders were dismissed in town court as he was indicted in county court.

• Charges including second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal use of a drug paraphernalia against Robert Mahoney Jr., 27, of Wilson Avenue in Riverhead and Darius Mims, 24, of Fanning Street in Riverhead were dismissed in town court as both were indicted in county court.

• Charges of fifth- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana against John Sanders, 43, of Segal Avenue in Riverhead were dismissed in town court as he was indicted in county court.

• Charges of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance against Joseph Douglas, 33, of East Main Street in Riverhead were dismissed in town court as he was indicted in county court.

• Robert Siragusa, 59, of Belford Lane in Smithtown pleaded guilty to DWI and was sentenced to three years’ probation.

Tremaine B. Kelly. (Credit: Riverhead police)

A Shirley man led police on a high-speed chase through Riverhead early Saturday morning before crashing the vehicle and attempting to flee on foot, Riverhead Town police said. 

Tremaine B. Kelly, 30, was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center after the crash and is due to face a misdemeanor charge and numerous vehicle and traffic violations, police said. Mr. Kelly was also found to be in violation of parole, police said.

A marked Riverhead police car attempted to pull over a 2005 Honda Accord driven by Mr. Kelly at 1:58 a.m. Saturday on East Main Street near OK Petro, police said. The vehicle fled eastbound onto Hubbard Avenue before Mr. Kelly allegedly lost control near Edgar Avenue and Meetinghouse Creek Road. The car came in contact with the railroad tracks and struck a parked railroad vehicle, police said.

Mr. Kelly tried to flee on foot and was quickly apprehended after a short pursuit, police said.

Mr. Kelly was transported to PBMC for his injuries. He was issued a desk appearance for a later court date because he was in the hospital, police said. The extent of his injuries was not released.

He was charged with misdemeanor unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle on top of the vehicle and traffic violations.

According to previous reports, Mr. Kelly was arrested as part of a gang-related cocaine bust in 2011. The East End Drug Task Force arrested 23 people during the sweep.

The 25-year-old Wading River man who was arrested Sunday following a “road rage” stabbing in Baiting Hollow had been previously charged after he struck a police officer responding to a call that he had trespassed aboard a yacht in Greenport. 

In July 2013, Michael Doroski was arrested and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing and two counts of harassment after Southold police said he boarded a 55-foot yacht at Mitchell Park Marina, assaulted a person inside and struck an officer called to investigate, The Suffolk Times previously reported.

He pleaded guilty to the trespassing charge in August 2013, Southold court officials said.

Mr. Doroski is now being held on $10,000 bail for using a folding knife to stab a Hampton Bays man after the two stopped their vehicles to argue along Sound Avenue in Baiting Hollow at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Mr. Doroski left the scene, but immediately turned himself in at police headquarters.

At his arraignment Monday, Mr. Doroski told Judge Allen Smith he recently began working as an electrician and has been living with a friend in Wading River for the past eight months. He said he previously lived with his parents in Southold.

Though a public defendant argued Mr. Doroski had strong ties to the community, Judge Smith set bail at $10,000 due to the “serious nature of the crime.” The judge said the case is likely headed to a grand jury.

The stabbing victim, Brett Penny, 48, is in fair condition at Stony Brook University Medical Center, where he is being treated for a stab wound to the chest and a laceration to his left hand, a spokesperson for the hospital confirmed Monday.

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Six cars were reported to have been spray painted at three different locations on Priscilla Avenue in Flanders overnight Sunday, according to police reports.  

In each case, the cars were parked in a driveway and sprayed with white spray paint, police said.

In one instance, four cars in the same driveway were all spray painted.

Police said the cost of the damage was about $250 per car.

Police also received a report of someone breaking three windows on a car parked on Riverside Avenue in Flanders at about 5 a.m. Friday, according to a report.

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A Riverhead man who was ordered to stay away from someone with whom he had fought, was arrested for fighting again with the same man just hours later, according to court documents and Riverhead Town police.

Michael Greene, 27, was first arrested about 11:45 a.m. on Second Street after he got into a fight with another man, authorities said. According to court documents, Mr. Greene “did punch [the victim], shoved him and pushed him to the ground.”

Mr. Greene was arrested and charged with a violation for harassment. At his arraignment that afternoon, Town Justice Richard Ehlers issued an order of protection barring Mr. Greene from having contact with the victim.

He was released on his own recognizance; but that didn’t last, authorities said.

Hours after his court appearance, Mr. Greene reappeared at the Second Street property and got into another “altercation” with the victim in the driveway, according to the court documents.

Mr. Greene was arrested again, this time charged with misdemeanor criminal contempt of court and taken to jail on $2,500 cash bail. He remains in custody, according to a county jail clerk.

psquire@timesreview.com

Police investigate the scene of a one-car accident Thursday afternoon on Middle Road. (Credit: Paul Squire)

A 9-year-old boy was taken to Stony Brook University Medical Center after a one-car accident on Middle Road in Calverton Thursday afternoon, according to Riverhead police Sgt. Tim Palmer. 

The boy’s mother, who was the driver of the car, was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center and is in stable condition, Sgt. Palmer said.

The accident is still under investigation and police said additional information would be released later today.

Police closed off Middle Road between Deep Hole Road and the entrance to Foxwood Village during the investigation. Police called for a medevac for the woman. A helicopter landed at PBMC, but the woman ended up staying at the hospital.

psquire@timesreview.com

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Lynette McDonough. (Credit: Riverhead Town Police Department)

A 9-year-old boy who was hospitalized after his mother allegedly crashed her sedan into a utility pole on Middle Road Thursday while driving drunk and high was nearly thrown from the car because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, a prosecutor said at the mother’s arraignment Friday morning.

Lynette McDonough of Calverton, 38, pleaded not guilty in Riverhead Town court to charges of felony driving while intoxicated under Leandra’s Law and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.

According to the charges against her in town court, Ms. McDonough was driving west on Middle Road near Deep Hole Road in a 2005 Pontiac sedan just after noon Thursday when her car “went off the roadway onto a grassy area,” turned sideway and crashed into a utility pole.

Prosecutor Tara Laterza said Ms. McDonough’s 9-year-old son was sitting in the backseat of the car without wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. He was “partially ejected” from the sedan and suffered cuts and a dislocated shoulder, Ms. Laterza said.

The boy was taken to Stony Brook University hospital Thursday afternoon. A hospital spokesperson said the boy is currently in “good” condition, meaning he is stable, comfortable and health indicators are “excellent.” He is expected to be released from the hospital soon, the spokesperson said.

Police found that Ms. McDonough’s breath had a “strong, distinct odor of alcohol” and that she was slurring her speech, according to the court filings. Authorities said in the charges that a pending report from the Suffolk County crime lab shows Ms. McDonough was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

She was injured in the crash and taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center, police said. Ms. McDonough was later released and held in jail pending her arraignment.

Police investigate the scene of Thursday afternoon’s accident on Middle Road. (Credit: Paul Squire)

At the arraignment Friday morning, Ms. Laterza said Ms. McDonough had two recent convictions for misdemeanor charges in 2010 and 2013, both of them related to possession of “forged instruments;” however, Ms. Laterza said it wasn’t clear if those charges were in any way related to drugs.

Ms. McDonough’s attorney, Sheila Guiffrida, said her client successfully completed a county-approved program to treat substance abuse after her most recent conviction.

The attorney said Ms. McDonough has lived in Baiting Hollow for the past three years caring for her ill parents in their home. Ms. McDonough told Riverhead Town justice Richard Ehlers she was “actively” getting counseling support.

Ms. Guiffrida asked that Ms. McDonough’s bail — which had been set at $10,000 pending her arraignment — be reduced to $1,000.

Riverhead Town justice Richard Ehlers instead set bail at $25,000 cash. Ms. McDonough is due back in court next week. A grand jury will review the case to see if county charges should be filed, the prosecutor said.

A representative of Child Protective Services was also at the arraignment on Friday and issued Ms. McDonough a legal notice. However the details of it were not made publicly available.

Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call the Riverhead Police Department Detective Division at 727-4500 ext. 328.

psquire@timesreview.com

A Jamesport man was arrested Saturday on drug charges in Mattituck, Southold Town police said.

John Scalzi, 49, was pulled over for a traffic violation shortly after 1:50 a.m. near the intersection of Main Road and Locust Avenue and was found to be in possession of crack cocaine, police said.

Mr. Scalzi was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, processed at police headquarters and held for arraignment, officials said.

A Hampton Bays firetruck on the scene of Saturday’s brush fire. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

Firefighters battled a brush fire approximately nine acres wide for nearly two hours Saturday afternoon in Flanders, according to Flanders Fire Chief Joe Pettie.

No injuries were reported and firefighters had the fire under control by around 4:45 p.m.

The fire occurred in parkland near Williams Way, which is a private road located off of Route 24.

A Suffolk Police helicopter assisted by directing firefighters on the ground, Chief Pettie said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Chief Pettie said, adding the call came in around 3 p.m.

Firefighters from several departments — including Riverhead, Quogue, East Quogue, Westhampton, Hampton Bays and Southampton — responded to the scene, including the Flanders Northampton Volunteer Ambulance, and Suffolk County police aviation.

A brush truck from the Flanders Fire Department got stuck during the fire on dead wood, Chief Pettie said. A Westhampton truck broke its brake line, he added.

Chief Pettie said dead wood on the ground has been a complaint from the fire departments for several years.

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Firefighters from East Quogue respond to the scene. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

A Suffolk Police helicopter assisted firefighters from the air. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

A Wading River woman was arrested for driving drunk after she led police on a chase down Route 48 last night, Southold Police said.

According to police, a blue Hyundai was spotted driving eastbound in the westbound lane around 11:30 p.m. and an officer tried to pull the car over using lights and sirens.

The driver ignored police and continued driving in wrong lane, forcing oncoming traffic off the road, according to a press release.

During the pursuit, the driver nearly collided with the marked police car on two separate occasions, police said, though was eventually stopped near the intersection of Cox Lane and Route 48 in Mattituck.

According to police, 54-year-old Marsha Beale failed several roadside sobriety tests and was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.

A car crashed into this house on Roanoke Avenue Saturday night. Police have arrested a man they say tried to run away on foot. (Credit: Paul Squire)

Cracks criss-cross the ceiling, dart down the walls and pass through the door and window frames inside the living room of a two-story home on Roanoke Avenue near Pulaski Street.

Three windows facing the side yard are off-kilter, the venetian blinds casting crooked shadows on the couch nearby. The thin floor has buckled by the white door, which rests on busted hinges. Outside, the door is worse, and a wooden walkway has been reduced to a pile of splinters, as if something large took a bite out of it.

That something was a sedan.

“It’s f—ing broken,” said Julio Duarte, whose sister-in-law lives in the now-damaged home. “He’s crazy, that guy.”

“That guy” has been identified as 37-year-old Ralph Mims III, who police allege fled from the car that crashed into the house Saturday night and then tried to punch a police officer while being arrested.

Police records show Saturday night wasn’t the first time the Riverhead man has tried to flee from the cops.

According to a 2012 report in The Suffolk Times, Mr. Mims — then living in East Marion — was spotted by police driving a vehicle with mismatched license plates. As police tried to stop the car, Mr. Mims made a quick turn on a Greenport street, ditched the car and took off on foot.

He was ultimately located and arrested. Police said Mr. Mims told them he had run because his driver’s license was suspended.

Less than a year later, Mr. Mims was arrested again after a Southold police officer in Greenport smelled marijuana coming from his car, police said. After being questioned, Mr. Mims again tried to escape on foot, according to the report. As he ran, authorities said, Mr. Mims was seen tossing an item from his pocket. After he was caught, police found a sock nearby that contained marijuana and three packets of cocaine, police said.

The outcomes of his legal cases in Southold Town were not immediately available.

In this latest case, according to court records, Mr. Mims allegedly crashed the vehicle into the corner of the Roanoke Avenue house about 9:05 p.m. Saturday. He then got out of the car, and was approached by a police officer.

At that point, he allegedly tried to punch the officer, then ran north on Roanoke Avenue, according to the court filings. He was eventually taken into custody up the road, police said. Mr. Mims had suffered a cut to his face before getting into the fight with police, according to court documents.

Police could not say whether he was the driver of the vehicle or if another person escaped.

Mr. Mims was charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration, both misdemeanors, according to the documents. He was arraigned and held on $1,000 cash bail, a court clerk said.

Outside the Roanoke Avenue home Monday afternoon, Mr. Duarte surveyed the damage. Two of his nieces had been sitting in the living room watching TV when the car plowed into the home Saturday night. Neither was harmed, he said.

A few feet to the right and the car would have struck the electrical lines and likely started a fire, Mr. Duarte said. The car also managed to miss the gas, water and heating lines.

“It’s crazy,” he repeated again and again in between relieved laughs. “It’s crazy.”

Mr. Duarte said his family will move out of the damaged rooms into the safer part of the house until it is repaired.

psquire@timesreview.com

Caption: Police said 37-year-old Ralph Mims III fled from a car that crashed into a Roanoke Avenue home. (Courtesy photo)