Crime & Safety

Crimes Nearby: Valley Stream Chase Robbery, Theft From PTA

A rundown of arrests and incidents that occurred in the past week in areas surrounding the Five Towns.

The following information was supplied by the Nassau County, Lynbrook, Long Beach and Rockville Centre police departments and Nassau County District Attorney’s Office. An arrest or charge does not indicate a conviction.

Police: Man Hid Gun in Valley Steam Target

Officers arrested a Brooklyn man on Sunday after he allegedly was involved in a five-car collision on Sunrise Highway and hid a handgun in Target in Valley Stream, according to police.

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At 9:36 a.m., George Sterling, 29, was driving his girlfriend’s 2010 Honda Civic allegedly without her permission and became involved in a five-car collision on Sunrise Highway in Valley Stream, police said.

A witness then saw him allegedly exiting the car with a black handgun and a bag in his hand, according to police. Sterling apparently fled on foot and entered Target at 500 West Sunrise Highway.

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The defendant allegedly hid the gun in the bag and put it behind merchandise on a shelf before leaving the store, police said. Sterling was pointed out to police who arrived at the scene, and after a short foot pursuit, he was apprehended. Police said he resisted arrest before being placed into custody.

After shutting down Target to the public and initiating a search of the store, the bag and a loaded 9mm handgun were recovered.

Sterling is charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, first-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest and five other vehicle and traffic law charges including first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident without reporting.

A Suffolk man was arrested after he allegedly became combative towards police officers responding to disperse a large crowd at  in West Hempstead early Saturday morning.

According to Nassau Police, Emanuel Rodriguez, 25, of Lindenhurst, refused to leave and started yelling, cursing and became combative towards the officers.

As Rodriguez was being placed under arrest, a struggle reportedly ensued in attempt to prevent him from being arrested. During the struggle, two officers and a sergeant were injured and required treatment at a local hospital. All of the officers were from the Fifth Precinct and were released after treatment.

Valley Stream Chase Bank Robbed

A man carrying a purple bouquet of flowers on Friday robbed the Chase Bank at 270 Central Avenue in Valley Stream, according to police.

At 2:05 p.m., the subject — described as black, about 35 to 40 years old, wearing a blue warm up style jacket with glasses on top of his head and holding the bouquet — entered the bank and handed a teller a demand note.

After getting an unknown amount of money, he left the bank and was last seen walking east on Raisig Avenue. Eight bank employees and two customers were present at the time of the robbery. No injuries were reported.

Detectives request that anyone with information about this or any crime should contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls are confidential and callers will remain anonymous.

Man Tries to Break Into Valley Stream Home

A man shattered the glass of a Valley Stream house’s backdoor while the female resident was home on Friday before fleeing the scene, according to police.

At 12:40 p.m., the 43-year-old woman was in her Oliver Avenue home when the man — described as black, 20 to 25 years old, 6 feet tall, with an earring in his lip and wearing a navy blue jogging suit with a white stripe — banged on her front door, police said.

The perpetrator then went to the rear of the house and kicked the backdoor, shattering the glass. The victim yelled for help, and the subject fled on foot without any proceeds. No injuries were reported.

DA: Oceanside Woman Stole $5K From PTA

An Oceanside woman was arrested Thursday after she allegedly stole about $5,000 from an elementary school parent-teacher association, according to Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.

Cindy Sommer-Fleisig, 44, was arrested by DA investigators and charged with third-degree grand larceny, a class D felony. She faces up to seven years in prison if convicted, and was arraigned on Thursday in First District Court in Hempstead. She was released on her own recognizance.

Between November 2010 and August 2011, Sommer-Fleisig allegedly stole approximately $5,000 from the Oceanside Elementary School #8 PTA, including funds that were intended to be spent towards a retirement party for the outgoing school principal, Rice said. Sommer-Fleisig, a member of the PTA who helped handle fundraising and membership services for the organization, also received check reimbursements for items she claimed to have purchased but allegedly never did, including New York Knicks tickets, office supplies, and school awards. She allegedly used the cash to pay personal expenses.

The theft was uncovered in the fall of 2011 when the incoming PTA administration conducted a review of the organization’s finances and found numerous discrepancies in the PTA’s accounts. The PTA then referred the matter to the DA’s Office for investigation.

“It’s bad enough that this defendant thought she could get away from stealing from a volunteer organization,” Rice said, “but to victimize the young students and dedicated faculty of an elementary school is outrageous.”

A Bay Shore woman will be sentenced to six years probation and have to register as a sex offender after she admitted Tuesday to having sexual relations with a 16-year-old male student a year ago at the in Lynbrook, according to Newsday.

Tara Driscoll, 33, a New York City schoolteacher, drove a male student under the age of 17 to the Capri Motel at 5 Freer Street in Lynbrook back in March of 2011, according to detectives. While at the motel Driscoll allegedly

The incident occurred on March 19, 2011 and Driscoll surrendered to detectives in Aug. 5, 2011. She was originally charged with rape in the third degree and criminal sexual act in the third degree.

A traffic stop on the Palisades Parkway Monday led to the arrests of three Long Island men, including two from West Hempstead, who police said were in possession of stolen property.

Dwayne M. Mills, 49, and Anthony S. Mills, 47, both of West Hempstead, and Damel D. Pruitt, 28, of Central Islip, were arrested on March 19 by New York State Police at Haverstraw and charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, a misdemeanor.

Police said the three men were found to be in possession of more than $2,500 in merchandise allegedly stolen from CVS drug stores in Stony Point, Garnerville and New City.

A Lynbrook man was charged with driving while intoxicated early Saturday morning after his involvement in a three-car accident where he crashed into scaffolding at Granada Towers, a landmark apartment building in Long Beach.

Thomas Tomasello, 26, of Lynbrook was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, and refusal to take a breath test at Long Beach Boulevard and East Park Avenue on March 18.

Two Rockville Centre residents were convicted Friday of killing a Yonkers woman and shooting her daughter and husband in April 2010.

Charles Parsley, 28, and Kasaun White, 29, both of Old Mill Court, were found guilty in the second-degree murder of Sandra Hackley, 36, and the shooting of her husband and 12-year-old daughter.

They face a maximum of 25 years to life in state prison and will be sentenced on May 22. The duo were convicted of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and first-degee burglary — all felonies.

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