Crime & Safety

Crime Nearby: Massapequa Man Accused of Possessing Lewd Photos

Glen Cove Patch looks at crime in the Long Island community.

Massapequa 

A North Massapequa man who was arrested in July after police said he was secretly taking photos of an 8-year-old girl, has now been charged with possession of two lewd photographs of young girls, police said Saturday. Richard Stacel was busted by an off-duty police officer July 12 after he was allegedly taking the photos with a cell phone while on line at the Mad Topper Ice Cream store at 1220 Hicksville Road in Seaford. At the time, Stacel was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and weapons possession after police said they found a stun gun in his car. After further investigation police said Stacel had a computer flash drive which contained a lewd photo of a young girl as well as a photo of a young girl involved in a sexual act.

Huntington

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The Capital Bank on New York Avenue in Huntington was held up Monday night, with the robber escaping with an unknown amount of money. Suffolk police said a man entered the bank at 250 New York Ave., about 5:30 p.m., approached a teller, pulled a weapon and demanded money. The teller handed over the cash and the man fled south on New York Avenue. He is described as a white male with a thin to medium build, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall to 5 feet 11 inches tall.

Roslyn Heights

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Nassau detectives are investigating an attempted robbery at a bank in Roslyn Heights. Police said a 5-foot-seven-inch man, approximately 20 years old, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, light blue pants and construction boots, entered a TD Bank at 111 Mineola Avenue and gave a robbery note to a teller. Seconds later, he took back the note and fled on foot, heading north on Mineola Avenue. There were no proceeds or injuries reported. There were five employees and one customer inside the bank at the time of the attempted robbery.

New Hyde Park

A New Hyde Park woman allegedly involved in the Long Island Rail Road disability fraud conspiracy has entered a guilty plea in Federal court. Regina Walsh, 64, the former director of employee services, entered a plea of guilty in Manhattan Federal court on Friday according to officials in Manhattan Federal court and the United States District Attorney’s Office. Her plea joins 15 other defendants who have entered guilty pleas in the case out of 32 total defendants charged. In the scheme, LIRR retirees were allegedly helped in preparing medical stories by doctors to obtain disability claims that could have cost more than $1 billion to the federal railroad retirement board. Walsh allegedly falsely stated on a 2007 claim that sitting at a desk caused her pain in her neck, shoulder and hand and pain in her legs when standing for more than five minutes. Wash agreed to pay back $55,364. She faces up to five years in prison if convicted. 

Williston Park

A Williston Park woman was arrested for allegedly breaking into a suite on Hillside Avenue Friday morning. According to Third Precinct detectives, after calling 911 to report a possible break in at an office building complex at 99 Hillside Ave., the responding officer was met by Carmen Gonzalez, 31, in front of the location. An initial investigation by officers revealed that Gonzalez, the person who called 911, was in fact the person responsible for breaking the glass on an exterior window and entering Suite 99T. A subsequent investigation revealed that Gonzalez, after entering the building, broke into two other vacant suites causing damage to each office by breaking glass and damaging office equipment. Gonzalez is charged with three counts of third degree burglary and resisting arrest. She will be arraigned in First District Court, Hempstead on Jan. 19.

Plainview

Nassau County Police are investigating a bank robbery at the TD Bank Branch on Old Country Road Thursday afternoon. Police were alerted to the robbery at the corner of Old Country and South Oyster Bay Road about 3 p.m. Thursday. Bank officials reported a man approached a teller and passed a note demanding cash. No weapon was observed, police said. The teller complied and the man fled. Detectives describe the man as white, 45 to 55 years of age, 5’ 7” wearing a green hooded jacket, gray mouton hat, glasses, jeans and sneakers.

Farmingdale

A man driving a mini school bus with children aboard was arrested and charged with aggravated DWI Friday after striking a parked vehicle in Farmingdale, Nassau County Police said. Officers at the scene arrested Michael Asseng, 47, of Deer Park, after determining he was impaired by drugs. The incident happened at about 11:55 a.m. along Midwood Ave. Asseng struck a parked vehicle while driving a 2001 GMC Omnibus for the ACME Bus Corporation, according to police. Four children, aged 6, 8, 8 and 12, were aboard the bus on the way home from school. None were injured. Police would not say where the children were being transported from. Asseng has been charged with four counts of aggravated DWI under Leandra’s Law and driving while ability impaired, drugs.

Glen Head

A Glen Head man was one of 32 people charged by the U.S. Attorney’s office in conjunction with an FBI investigation into fixing the waste-hauling industry in the greater New York metropolitan area and New Jersey. Anthony Bazzini, 53, was one of 12 defendants charged Wednesday under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act for his alleged role in trying to exert control over commercial waste-hauling companies, according to Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The investigation linked 18 defendants to three different organized crime families of La Cosa Nostra: Genovese, Gambino, and Luchese crime families. The men are accused of participating in a RICO enterprise in which they worked together to control various waste disposal businesses in New York and New Jersey, including extortion, loansharking, mail and wire fraud and stolen property offenses. 



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