Crimes Nearby: Drunk Party Bus Driver

Riverhead

Southampton Town Police arrested a 38-year-old Riverhead woman and 41-year-old man from upstate New York on drug charges last week. Police said officers approached Tara Bennettand Brian Hambrick, who were parked on the corner of Flanders Road and Enterprise Zone Drive in Riverside on Oct. 18 at about 12:42 a.m. Bennett, the passenger, admitted to officers that she had a needle and crack cocaine with her, according to a police report.

Police said they discovered that Hambrick, who is from Monroe, New York had crack in a glass pipe.

Bennett was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a hypodermic needle, both misdemeanors. Police charged Hambrick with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.

Christopher Dopkins, 48, of Mount Sinai was arrested and charged with DWI on Oct. 15, after he was allegedly caught driving a party bus while nearly three times the legal limit, according to police.

Dopkins, who worked for Red Carpet Limousines, was driving a wine tour bus with 25 passengers on Sound Avenue when a man at his company called to speak to Dopkins. The Red Carpet official thought Dopkins sounded intoxicated and called police, said Lt. Robert Peeker.

Police also received a call from a witness who said the bus driver drove over a traffic sign, Peeker said. Police pulled Dopkins over in the parking lot of East Wind, where he blew a .21 blood alcohol content, police said.

"[The passengers] were going out to have a good time so they could drink, but unfortunately he violated that trust," Peeker said. He added that no children were on the bus at the time.

Dopkins was charged with Aggravated DWI, a felony, and held for arraignment.

A Riverhead man told police that two unknown men put him in a chokehold, stole money from his wallet, threw him to he ground and punched him in the head, according to a police report.

The alleged victim told police he was walking on Segal Avenue in Riverhead when two men approached him and "asked him if he wanted to do business," according to a report. When the victim said no and began to walk away, he was grabbed from behind and put in a chokehold, police said. One of the men reached into the victim's pocket and took out his phone and wallet, emptying the wallet of about $348 dollars in cash. The two men then allegedly threw the victim to the ground and punched him in the head.

The two suspects were allegedly last seen by the victim getting into a black vehicle occupied by two other unknown suspects, police said.

The victim reported no injuries after the mugging, according to a police report. Police said they are still investigating the incident.

Smithtown

Nicholas Flores, 20, of Smithtown was arrested Oct. 19 in Smithtown and charged with false incident reporting. Reports indicate Flores was arrested for the alleged false reporting he was a victim of a robbery. The incident occurred at 77 Veterans Highway, Smithtown.

Miller Place-Rocky Point

A Miller Place man was stopped on the Northern State Parkway near Glen Cove Road Thursday morning for moving unsafely from lane to lane, New York State Police said.

When stopped at approximately 11:20 a.m., the trooper noticed the driver, Jeffrey Albano, 47, of Miller Place, had constricted pupils, droopy eyelids and slow speech. After failing sobriety tests, he was arrested for DWI Drugs. A search of the vehicle then revealed eight decks of heroin, police said.

Albano complained of pain in his feet and legs while in custody and was brought to Nassau University Medical Center for observation, where he began spitting at members of the hospital staff and using offensive language, according to police.
He was arrested for DWI Drugs, seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance (a misdemeanor), disorderly conduct and traffic violations.

Donald Thrasher, 42 from Rocky Point was arrested Oct. 19 for allegedly throwing a rock through a glass front door of a barbershop at 576 Route 25A in Rocky Point.

Bryan Crane, 34 from Mount Sinai was arrested Oct. 19 in Selden and charged with petty larceny. Crane allegedly removed cash from someone else’s account through an ATM.

Three Village

Ruben Velez, 26, of East Setauket, was arrested Oct. 20 on Route 25 in Selden and charged with first degree identity theft and third degree grand larceny for allegedly using a stolen identity to obtain a loan.

Christopher Tersigni, 37, of East Setauket, was arrested Oct. 19 on Sheep Pasture Road and charged with second degree unlawful imprisonment, criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and resisting arrest.