Police: Man Charged With Stealing Pills From Hampton Bays Grocery Store

The following arrests were reported by the Town of Southampton Police Department for the week of Dec. 23. A criminal charge is an accusation. Defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

Westhampton

• Julio Pirir, 28, of Speonk, was arrested on a drunken driving charge after patrons at the 7-Eleven on Mill Road in Westhampton called 911 to report him on Dec. 15. According to police, customers called to say Pirir walked out of the convenience store, staggered over to a 2001 Nissan Altima, got inside and attempted to drive off. Police followed him to the nearby Westhampton Post Office where he stopped and tried to get out of the vehicle. He was questioned and found to be intoxicated. A breathalyzer revealed more than a .18 blood alcohol level. Police took Pirir into custody and charged him with aggravated DWI, a misdemeanor.

East Quogue

• A homeless man was arrested on Dec. 19 for allegedly breaking two windows of a home on Montauk Highway in East Quogue earlier in the month. According to police, 55-year-old Richard Gallo was arrested in East Patchogue at around 6 p.m. for his alleged involvement in the Dec. 7 crime. Gallo was transported to Southampton Town police headquarters and charged with third-degree criminal mischief, a felony.

Hampton Bays

• Adam Huhn, 36, of Mattituck, was arrested on a felony grand larceny charge after police said he stole more than $1,000 in valuables from an abandoned house on Dec. 22. According to police, Huhn was seen stealing copper pipes and fittings along with a canoe from an empty home on Gathering Rocks Road at around 8:30 a.m. He was stopped by police further down the road and taken into custody. He was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony.

• Zachary Brown, 21, of Centereach, was arrested for felony drug charges and petty larceny on Dec. 22 after police said he stole prescription drugs from the Hampton Bays Stop & Shop. According to police, loss prevention employees at the Montauk Highway grocery store saw Brown taking the pills from the pharmacy section at around 3 p.m. He was held until police arrived about two hours later. Stop & Shop management turned over DVD video surveillance of the crime taking place. Police charged Brown with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth-degree, a felony, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh-degree and petty larceny, both misdemeanors.

• Tyasia Lee, 20, of Shirley, was arrested on Dec. 17 after a brief investigation into allegations that she stole a Medicare card from a resident of a group home on West Tiana Road and used it for her personal needs. According to police, they received a complaint on Dec. 10 that Lee had taken the resident’s medical card, which the victim subsequently canceled for a new one. Police took Lee into custody in Hampton Bays at around 10:30 p.m. and charged her with fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony.

Riverhead

• A Ronkonkoma teen was arrested on Dec. 16 after he answered to a warrant for reckless endangerment at Southampton Town police headquarters. According to police, a warrant was issued for the 19-year-old after an incident on Dec. 11 in which he allegedly injured his girlfriend with his Range Rover. At around 10 a.m. on that day, police said the couple were arguing on Flanders Boulevard and that the girl had positioned herself on the hood of the SUV. That’s when the 19-year-old reportedly put the Range Rover in reverse and knocked her off. When she attempted to pull the passenger side door open to continue the dispute, the teen allegedly sped off, dragging the girl to the ground, where she suffered scrapes to her hands and knees. She was later treated at Peconic Bay Medical Center. The teen surrendered at around 7 p.m. on Dec. 16 and was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor. He posted stationhouse bail and is due back in court on Jan. 16.