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8-Year-Old Who Froze To Death Inside Long Island Garage Was Failed By CPS, Grand Jury Finds 8-Year-Old Who Froze To Death Inside Long Island Garage Was Failed By CPS, Grand Jury Finds
8-Year-Old Who Froze To Death Inside Long Island Garage Was Failed By CPS, Grand Jury Finds A scathing grand jury report found that Child Protective Services (CPS) workers in New York had ample opportunities to save an 8-year-old boy whose years of abuse at the hands of his ex-NYPD officer father culminated in him freezing to death inside a garage. The 71-page report, made public Thursday, April 4, found that Suffolk County CPS received at least 10 reports of abuse or neglect from Thomas Valva’s teachers in the two years leading up to his January 2020 death inside the garage of his Center Moriches home. Valva died of hypothermia after he and his 10-year-old brother Anthony w…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
Squatters Target Of Nassau Co. Assemblyman's Bill Amid Troubling Incidents Involving Homeowners Squatters Target Of Nassau Co. Assemblyman's Bill Amid Troubling Incidents Involving Homeowners
Squatters Target Of Nassau Co. Assemblyman's Bill Amid Troubling Incidents Involving Homeowners New York lawmakers are considering legislation targeting illegal squatters amid recent disturbing incidents involving homeowners that garnered national attention. The bill from Republican Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz, whose 15th District represents parts of Nassau County, adds squatters to the definition of criminal trespass. It also extends the time period for tenancy rights from 30 days to 45 days of possession. Under current New York State law, squatters are classified as tenants and receive temporary rights after living in a property for 30 days. If a squatter claims to be a tenant, the…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
Dismembering Dead Body Would Be Felony Under Bill From Long Island State Lawmaker Dismembering Dead Body Would Be Felony Under Bill From Long Island State Lawmaker
Dismembering Dead Body Would Be Felony Under Bill From Long Island State Lawmaker Public outrage over the release of four suspects accused of dismembering and hiding the bodies of two murder victims in New York has led to proposed changes to state law. A bill introduced by Long Island Republican State Sen. Anthony Palumbo on Thursday, March 7, would make it a felony to dismember or conceal a human corpse, thereby making the offense eligible for bail. Palumbo said the legislation is a direct response to the “horrific” case in Suffolk County, where the severed body parts of a Yonkers couple were found strewn at Bethpage State Park, Southards Pond Park in Babylon, and a woo…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Roosevelt Man Sentenced For Brutally Beating Gas Station Worker In Face With Metal Tool Roosevelt Man Sentenced For Brutally Beating Gas Station Worker In Face With Metal Tool
Roosevelt Man Sentenced For Brutally Beating Gas Station Worker In Face With Metal Tool A Long Island man has been sentenced to prison for violently robbing and assaulting a gas station attendant in 2018. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that Vernon Lowe, age 56, of Roosevelt, was sentenced on Monday, Nov. 7, to 25 years to life in prison after being convicted by a jury. “A hardworking immigrant employed at a gas station was repeatedly harassed by defendant Vernon Lowe while trying to help customers,” Donnelly said. “In order to diffuse the situation, the victim gave the defendant $10 to leave the business but was later brutally beaten by Lowe with a …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Man Jailed For Hofstra Coach's Murder In 1990 Has Conviction Overturned Man Jailed For Hofstra Coach's Murder In 1990 Has Conviction Overturned
Man Jailed For Hofstra Coach's Murder In 1990 Has Conviction Overturned A man convicted in the murder of an assistant football coach at Hofstra University on Long Island has been set free after spending more than three decades in prison. Acting State Supreme Court Justice Patricia Harrington ordered a new trial for Nassau County resident Christopher Ellis, age 51, of Hempstead on Monday, Aug. 9.  Ellis was convicted in 1993 of the second-degree murder of 25-year-old Harry Joseph Healy on Saturday, Sept. 29, 1990, by a jury based on testimony from a single eyewitness and without forensic or physical evidence. The judge made the ruling after Ellis’ attorney…

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by Kathy Reakes
Politics
Nassau County DA Nominated For Top NY Court Nassau County DA Nominated For Top NY Court
Nassau County DA Nominated For Top NY Court Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas has been nominated to join the New York State Court of Appeals. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Singas and Justice Anthony Cannataro were his nominations for the state’s top court, pending the approval of the State Senate. Singas would fill the vacancy left by Judge Leslie Stein, who is retiring next month, while Cannataro would fill the vacancy of Judge Paul Feinman, who died in March. According to the state, “these judges were selected from the lists of impressive, and highly qualified candidates, which were all put forward a…

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by Zak Failla
News
New Yorkers Can Now Apply To Have Their Marijuana Conviction Records Destroyed New Yorkers Can Now Apply To Have Their Marijuana Conviction Records Destroyed
New Yorkers Can Now Apply To Have Their Marijuana Conviction Records Destroyed New Yorkers who had their low-level  marijuana convictions expunged from their record, per the passage of the Marijuana and Decriminalization and Expungements Bill in July of 2019, can now go a step further by requesting that the physical documentation of these arrests be destroyed. Although the history of these charges have now been sealed from the view in nearly all circumstances under the bill, they can still seen by agencies granting pistol permits or by law enforcement agencies during the hiring process for a job as a police or peace officer, until they are fully destroyed, accordi…

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by Christina Coulter
News
Video: Tearful Judge Details Moments Before Deadly Attack On Family, Son Takes Husband's Bullet Video: Tearful Judge Details Moments Before Deadly Attack On Family, Son Takes Husband's Bullet
Video: Tearful Judge Details Moments Before Deadly Attack On Family, Son Takes Husband's Bullet Federal Judge Esther Salas has spoken out about last month's shooting that killed her son and injured her husband, in a tearful video released Monday morning, Aug. 3.  Salas and her son, Daniel, 20, were chatting and cleaning up after a weekend of birthday celebrations for him at their North Brunswick, New Jersey home on Sunday, July 19. Daniel turned to his mom and said, "'Mom, let's keep talking 'I love talking to you, Mom,' " the judge recounted. That moment, the doorbell rang. Daniel looked at his mom and said, "Who is that?"  Before Salas could say anything, he sprinted upstairs. T…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Nassau DA: Man Accused Of Faking His Own Death To Avoid Being Sentenced Nassau DA: Man Accused Of Faking His Own Death To Avoid Being Sentenced
Nassau DA: Man Accused Of Faking His Own Death To Avoid Being Sentenced A Long Island man facing prison time for two felony charges allegedly attempted to fake his own death using a typo-riddled phony death certificate, authorities announced. Huntington resident Robert Berger, 25, has been charged with faking his own death and using his attorney to provide a Nassau County District Attorney prosecutor with a false death certificate to allegedly avoid being sentenced on two open cases. Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said that Berger had been facing sentencing on two felony charges in two unrelated cases in both Nassau and Suffolk counties. Berg…

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by Zak Failla
News
Lawyer Found Dead In Area May Have Been Targeting NY's Chief Judge Lawyer Found Dead In Area May Have Been Targeting NY's Chief Judge
Lawyer Found Dead In Area May Have Been Targeting NY's Chief Judge The self-described “anti-feminist” lawyer who is the primary suspect in a fatal shooting at Judge Esther Salas’ home in New Jersey may have also been targeting New York State’s Chief Judge Janet DiFiore. According to multiple reports, before murdering Salas’ son, shooting her husband, and killing himself, Roy Den Hollander was in possession of the name, address, and photo of DiFiore, who formerly led the DA’s office in Westchester County. Original story - Discovery Of Body In Hudson Valley May Be Linked To Shooting Involving Family Of Federal Judge “We were alerted that her photo and…

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by Zak Failla
News
Long Island's Mary Trump Can Publicize New Book On Her Uncle, Judge Rules Long Island's Mary Trump Can Publicize New Book On Her Uncle, Judge Rules
Long Island's Mary Trump Can Publicize New Book On Her Uncle, Judge Rules There’s going to be another member of the Trump family making the media rounds after a New York Judge gave the green light for Mary Trump to promote her controversial tell-all book. Hal Greenwald, a judge for the 9th Judicial District Supreme Court in the Hudson Valley, lifted a temporary restraining order on President Donald Trump’s niece, much to the chagrin of her father, Robert. In a lawsuit last month, citing a confidentiality agreement Mary signed in 2011, Robert sought an injunction to prevent promotion of "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created The World's Most Dangerous M…

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by Zak Failla
News
Anger Erupts Over Killing Of MS-13 Assault Case Witness At Nassau Residence Anger Erupts Over Killing Of MS-13 Assault Case Witness At Nassau Residence
Anger Erupts Over Killing Of MS-13 Assault Case Witness At Nassau Residence A 36-year-old man who was found dead earlier this week in a Long Island residence was scheduled to testify against MS-13 gang members, authorities said. Wilmer Maldonado Rodriguez, who was allegedly attacked by nine members of the gang in 2018 when he intervened from them intimidating two teenagers, was found dead. Rodriguez was scheduled to testify against the gang members, who were arrested due to his interference in the 2018 assault. He was found dead on Sunday, Feb. 2, State Police said. His body was discovered behind an abandoned home in New Cassel on Broadway. Reportedly, gang member…

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by Zak Failla
News
Accused Missing Mom Killer Fotis Dulos Maintains Innocence In Suicide Note Accused Missing Mom Killer Fotis Dulos Maintains Innocence In Suicide Note
Accused Missing Mom Killer Fotis Dulos Maintains Innocence In Suicide Note Fotis Dulos, the estranged husband and accused killer of missing Fairfield County mother of five Jennifer Farber Dulos, said “I refuse to spend even an hour more in jail for something I had NOTHING to do with," in a hand-written suicide note. The note was found inside a Chevrolet Suburban parked at his Farmington, Connecticut mansion where a vacuum cleaner hose had reportedly been attached to the tailpipe and run into the vehicle by carbon monoxide on Tuesday, Jan. 28, the day he was scheduled to attend an emergency bond hearing in Stamford. “Enough is enough,” the 52-year-old Dulos said i…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Two Men, Woman Nabbed In Nassau For String Of Tristate Area Burglaries Two Men, Woman Nabbed In Nassau For String Of Tristate Area Burglaries
Two Men, Woman Nabbed In Nassau For String Of Tristate Area Burglaries Two men and a woman associated with a Chilean ring who are allegedly are responsible for multiple burglaries on Long Island and throughout the tristate area have been arrested, police said. For weeks, Nassau County Burglary Squad detectives have been investigating a string of residential burglaries, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder announced on Thursday, Jan. 23. The burglaries are allegedly tied to an organized burglary ring based out of Chile. Ryder said that two days ago, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, detectives were on Sixth Avenue in College Point following intel involving a burg…

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by Zak Failla
News
Woman Attempting To Visit Long Island Inmate Busted With Forged Inspection Sticker Woman Attempting To Visit Long Island Inmate Busted With Forged Inspection Sticker
Woman Attempting To Visit Long Island Inmate Busted With Forged Inspection Sticker A woman attempting to visit an inmate at the Yaphank Suffolk County Correctional Facility was arrested when officers spotted that she had a forged inspection sticker on her vehicle. Suffolk County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Amityville resident Nichele Calhoun, 41, at approximately 2:45 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, after she was busted at the prison’s security booth attempting to enter the facility with a forged or fictitious inspection sticker on the windshield. According to the Sheriff, the sticker resembled a paper photocopy of an inspection sticker, and a computer DMV check determined that C…

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by Zak Failla
News
Woodbury Felon Convicted Of Shooting Man During Violent Middle Island Armed Robbery Woodbury Felon Convicted Of Shooting Man During Violent Middle Island Armed Robbery
Woodbury Felon Convicted Of Shooting Man During Violent Middle Island Armed Robbery A Long Island felon was found guilty by a federal jury in Central Islip for shooting a man during a violent armed robbery on Middle Island. Spencer Jean, 33, of Westbury, was found guilty of robbing a marijuana trafficker, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice, said John Marzulli, of U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan. When sentenced, Jean faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years on the firearms count, and up to a total of 45 years on the other four cou…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
NY May End Suspending Driver's Licenses Over Traffic Tickets NY May End Suspending Driver's Licenses Over Traffic Tickets
NY May End Suspending Driver's Licenses Over Traffic Tickets Currently in New York, driver's licenses are automatically suspended if you forget to show up for an appearance in traffic court. And two-thirds of all license suspensions are due to unpaid tickets or failing to appear in court.  That would change under proposed state legislation.  A recent study by the Driven By Justice Coalition, a group of nonprofit criminal and economic justice advocates, found that most suspensions involve drivers who are minorities or poor. The suspension can become an otherwise avoidable entry into the criminal justice system, the coalition argues. Titled …

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by Jon Craig
News
'Sexually Violent' Offender Convicted Of Raping 7-Year-Old Reports Move To Medford 'Sexually Violent' Offender Convicted Of Raping 7-Year-Old Reports Move To Medford
'Sexually Violent' Offender Convicted Of Raping 7-Year-Old Reports Move To Medford A registered "sexually violent" offender convicted of raping a 7-year-old girl has reported a move in Suffolk County. The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services issued an alert this week to residents in Suffolk regarding the residency of 52-year-old Gary Heller, who has moved to a residence on Barbara Lane in Medford. The Division of Criminal Justice Services has assigned Heller as a Level 3 threat, which means he is a “high-risk repeat offender and possible threat to public safety.” He has also been designated as a sexually violent sex offender. According to the Division of …

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by Zak Failla
News
Attorney Convicted Of Scheme To Bribe Witness In Long Island Double Homicide Trial Attorney Convicted Of Scheme To Bribe Witness In Long Island Double Homicide Trial
Attorney Convicted Of Scheme To Bribe Witness In Long Island Double Homicide Trial A longtime attorney from Long Island has been convicted of plotting to bribe a convicted murderer to testify on behalf of his client, who was charged with the execution-style killings of two men. John Scarpa, Jr., of Happaugue, who has been an attorney in New York State since 1982 was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn of using interstate facilities in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to do the same. The verdict came following a four-day trial. U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said that in early 2015, Scarpa and co-conspirator Charles Gallman attempted to bribe a convicted murderer to …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Former Camp Counselor, Valley Stream Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Boys Pleads Guilty Former Camp Counselor, Valley Stream Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Boys Pleads Guilty
Former Camp Counselor, Valley Stream Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Boys Pleads Guilty A former camp counselor and teacher on Long Island accused of sexually abusing 10 boys at an upstate New York camp has pleaded guilty to two felonies and will spend years behind bars. Dylan Stolz, of Little Neck, was a former teacher at the Ogden Elementary School in Valley Stream at the time of his arrest on July 4 last year. Stolz entered an “Alford Plea,” which means that he doesn’t admit to the charges, but acknowledges there’s enough evidence to lead to a later conviction and potentially longer sentence. Stolz reportedly said, “I’m innocent,” after pleading guilty to sexually abusing…

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by Zak Failla
News
Man Found Not Guilty In Hash Brown/Cell Phone Case In Area That Drew National Attention Man Found Not Guilty In Hash Brown/Cell Phone Case In Area That Drew National Attention
Man Found Not Guilty In Hash Brown/Cell Phone Case In Area That Drew National Attention A Fairfield County man “is loving it” after taking police to court over a distracted driving ticket when an officer apparently mistook a hash brown in his hand for a cell phone. Westport resident Jason Stiber fought the law, and won, after being issued a $300 ticket for distracted driving last year. Stiber, 45, who had just purchased a hash brown at McDonald’s near the Norwalk border, was pulled over and ticketed. Rather than pay the fine, he instead took the case to trial after a magistrate initially found him guilty of the infraction. Phone records showed that Stiber hadn’t used his pho…

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by Zak Failla