Teens Indicted in Port Jeff Burglary Case

A handful of teens were indicted this week after being within multiple area hamlets, including one on Shady Tree Lane in Port Jefferson.

Suffolk County Police announced on May 3 that they had arrested four individuals after pulling them over on Black Locust Avenue in Setauket. An indictment unsealed this week added a fifth teen - the twin brother of one defendant.

According to the office of District Attorney Thomas Spota, the Shady Tree Lane home was burglarized on April 19, the fourth of five homes to be broken into by the group - the last of four houses burglarized over an eight-day stretch. Two of the teens reportedly attempted to burglarize one more home in Selden in February.

Colleen Elam, 18, of Selden, was charged with four counts of second-degree burglary, a class C felony. According to the indictment, Elam was involved in a Setauket burglary on May 2, and burglaries in Port Jefferson and Miller Place on April 19, and another in Miller Place on April 11.

She pleaded not guilty and was released on $25,000 bond, according to court records. She is due back in court May 19.

Maurice Jones, 18, of Centereach, was charged with four counts of second-degree burglary, and reportedly was involved in the same four incidents as Elam.

Court records show Jones was arrested exactly one year before he was arrested on May 3. In 2011, he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree for allegedly possessing a loaded firearm, other than a handgun.

He had been released on his own recognizance on Sept. 30, 2011 and had a court conference as recent as April 18 - the day before cops said he burglarized a Miller Place home. Jones pleaded not guilty and remains in custody, held on $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond. He is due back in court May 22.

Darnell Loften, 19, of Middle Island, was charged with five counts of second-degree burglary and one count of attempted burglary in the second degree, a class D felony. In addition to the four group burglaries, the District Attorney's Office accuses Loften of burglarizing a Centereach home on his own on April 13, and attempting to burglarize a Selden home on Feb. 21.

Loften remains in custody on $250,000 bond or $125,000 cash after pleading not guilty. He is due back in court on May 21.

Sion Sosa, 17, of Centereach, stands charged with one count of second-degree burglary, for his alleged involvement in the Setauket burglary.

Court records show that Sosa was arrested on Feb. 29 in a separate incident and stands charged with two counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a class E felony. He had posted $15,000 bond on March 2, and according to the Suffolk County Sheriff's office he remains held in custody. His next court date is June 15.

Sosa's twin brother, James, is charged attempted burglary in the second degree, a class C felony. According to the District Attorney's Office, he acted with Loften when he attempted to burglarize a Selden home on Feb. 21. He is due back in court on June 13.