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Surgeon Busted With Weapons Cache In Westchester Pleads Guilty Surgeon Busted With Weapons Cache In Westchester Pleads Guilty
Surgeon Busted With Weapons Cache In Westchester Pleads Guilty A Long Island surgeon who was busted with a cache of weapons in his BMW in Westchester will avoid prison time after reaching a plea agreement. Great Neck resident Matthew Bonanno, 49, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and will be sentenced to five years of probation following a delayed court appearance on Monday, June 7. Bonanno was initially charged with 11 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon related to assault rifles found in his possession; 38 counts of third-degree grand larceny related to illegal high-capacity magazines and ammunition t…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Charged After Gun Discharged During Dispute With Wife At Long Island Home, Police Say Man Charged After Gun Discharged During Dispute With Wife At Long Island Home, Police Say
Man Charged After Gun Discharged During Dispute With Wife At Long Island Home, Police Say Multiple guns were seized by investigators following a domestic incident where a gun went off in a bedroom of a Long Island home, police said. Nassau County Police detectives said that 59-year-old East Meadow resident Thomas Ritterbusch, 59, had an argument with his wife at approximately 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, June 3, which began escalating before he retreated to his bedroom alone. Police said that a short time later, a loud bang was heard by other residents of the house, and 911 was called. Upon arrival, officers said that it was determined that it was a gun that was discharged during the…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Facing Charges After Accidentally Shooting Himself At Westchester Gathering, Police Say Man Facing Charges After Accidentally Shooting Himself At Westchester Gathering, Police Say
Man Facing Charges After Accidentally Shooting Himself At Westchester Gathering, Police Say A man is facing multiple charges after he accidentally shot himself at a gathering in Westchester, police said. New Rochelle Montefiore Hospital contacted New Rochelle Police to report a gunshot victim had walked into the emergency room at around 5:25 p.m. on Friday, May 14, said Captain Cosmo Costa of the New Rochelle PD. A subsequent investigation by New Rochelle Police detectives revealed the following: Kareen J. Manns, age 27, of New Rochelle, had been present at a gathering at the pavilion at City Park when he accidentally shot himself in the leg.  The injury was non-li…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
NY School District Fires Teacher Accused Of Having Sexual Relationship With Student NY School District Fires Teacher Accused Of Having Sexual Relationship With Student
NY School District Fires Teacher Accused Of Having Sexual Relationship With Student A 28-year-old math teacher in New York has been fired after allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with a teenage student. Long Island resident Veronica Pezdan, of Holbrook in Suffolk County, the now-former teacher at Shoreham-Wading River High School, was terminated following her arrest for an alleged relationship with a student over the course of two months. Original story - Long Island HS Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sexual Relationship With Male Student, Police Say In response to the charge, the district quickly announced that Pezdan has been fired and that officials will not be…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Long Island Man Accused Of Asking Medical Facility To Look For Cocaine He Left Behind Long Island Man Accused Of Asking Medical Facility To Look For Cocaine He Left Behind
Long Island Man Accused Of Asking Medical Facility To Look For Cocaine He Left Behind A Long Island man was arrested for alleged drug possession after calling a medical facility and asking them to search for the cocaine he had left behind. Jose Espinosa, age 40, of Franklin Square, was arrested on Thursday, April 15, after calling his doctor's office and asking them to look for the cocaine he misplaced in East Garden City, said the Nassau County Police. According to detectives, Espinosa was at a medical facility in East Garden City and returned home. While at home, he realized he lost a substance believed to be cocaine.  Espinosa called the facility and described the …

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Connecticut Woman Arrested Three Times In 24 Hours Connecticut Woman Arrested Three Times In 24 Hours
Connecticut Woman Arrested Three Times In 24 Hours A Connecticut woman was arrested three times in 24 hours following a domestic dispute with her boyfriend in which she threatened him with a kitchen knife. Windham County resident Heather Poplasky, age 32, was arrested the first time around 6:30 p.m., Saturday, April 10, when she stepped towards a victim with a large kitchen knife at home in Central Village in Plainview, said Plainview Police Deputy Chief William D. Wolfburg. Poplasky, of Plainfield, then threatened to cut herself to make it appear the victim had injured her, Wolfburg said. She was arrested and charged with d…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Long Island Man Accused Of Holding Woman Hostage Long Island Man Accused Of Holding Woman Hostage
Long Island Man Accused Of Holding Woman Hostage A woman was rescued after being held hostage at gunpoint on Long Island, police said. Officers from the Nassau County Police Department responded to a reported domestic disturbance on Jacob Street in Elmont at 2:20 p.m. on Friday, April 2. Upon arrival, police said that officers were informed that Hempstead resident Chad Williams, age 33, was involved in a dispute with a 22-year-old woman, displaying a handgun during the incident, which prompted her to attempt to call the police. It is alleged that Williams grabbed the victims’ phone to prevent her from making the call, but the victim was …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Long Island Man Tased After Threatening Officers With Knife, Police Say Long Island Man Tased After Threatening Officers With Knife, Police Say
Long Island Man Tased After Threatening Officers With Knife, Police Say A Long Island man was arrested with the help of a taser after he threatened to harm police officers who responded to a call for an intoxicated man who needed medical attention. Michael Battah, 69, of Wantagh, was arrested around 4:10 p.m., Thursday, March 25, after he threatened officers with a knife, said the Nassau County Police. According to detectives, officers responded to a residence on Scott Road for reports of an intoxicated male in need of medical assistance.  When they arrived on the scene, officers were told Battah, was making threats to harm the officers, police said. Off…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Suspended NYPD Officer From Long Island Accused Of Firing Shots Into Ocean On Long Island Suspended NYPD Officer From Long Island Accused Of Firing Shots Into Ocean On Long Island
Suspended Nypd Officer From Long Island Accused Of Firing Shots Into Ocean On Long Island A suspended NYPD officer and a woman were arrested on Long Island after allegedly firing a gun into the Atlantic Ocean. The incident took place around 6:50 a.m., Sunday, March 21. Shortly after, Long Beach Police officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Ocean Beach Park and Franklin Avenue in Long Beach. An investigation found that one a group of four people walking off the beach, identified as NYPD Officer David Afanador, age 39, of Long Beach, was in possession of a loaded pistol and fired several rounds into the ocean, said Detective Lieutenant Stefan Chernaski …

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Man Behind Bars Following Road-Rage Incident In Area Man Behind Bars Following Road-Rage Incident In Area
Man Behind Bars Following Road-Rage Incident In Area A 34-year-old man is behind bars following an alleged road-rage incident in the region. Sullivan County resident Ricardo Appling was arrested on Sunday, March 14, by New York State Police following the incident on  Route 17 in Wurtsboro, said Trooper Steven Nevel. According to Nevel, state police from the Wurtsboro barracks responded to a 911 call of a person driving a red Honda Civic Del Sol in an erratic manner and menacing the driver of another vehicle.  The vehicles exited State Route 17 at exit 112. Appling, of Wurtsboro, allegedly stopped his vehicle and prevented the othe…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Ecuadoran Fugitive In Hackensack Child Sex Case Returned After Being Taken Into Custody Ecuadoran Fugitive In Hackensack Child Sex Case Returned After Being Taken Into Custody
Ecuadoran Fugitive In Hackensack Child Sex Case Returned After Being Taken Into Custody A fugitive Ecuadoran national from Hackensack who was apprehended on Long Island was returned to New Jersey this week to face charges of raping a pre-teen. ICE placed a detainer on Jorge Luis Mora, 37, whom a local judge in Hackensack ordered held in the Bergen County Jail pending trial following his extradition Friday from New York. Mora became a fugitive after detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office charged him earlier this year with sexually assaulting the victim in Hackensack in 2013. He already had a criminal record, with arrests in 2017 for harassment and violating a co…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Long Island Man Nabbed For Threatening Business Owner With Handgun, Police Say Long Island Man Nabbed For Threatening Business Owner With Handgun, Police Say
Long Island Man Nabbed For Threatening Business Owner With Handgun, Police Say A man was arrested after allegedly threatening the owner of a Long Island business with a handgun and smashing the front glass of the building. David Tejada, age 42, of Rockville Centre, was arrested around 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 6, for the incident that occurred in Roosevelt, said Nassau County Police.  According to detectives, Tejada went to Precision Tint & Glass Detail Center, 260 Centennial Ave., where his car was being repaired and banged on the rear garage door to get the attention of the owner.  The owner opened the door and a verbal argument ensue…

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by Kathy Reakes