Crimes Nearby: Calverton Woman Charged in Hit-and-Run

The following information was supplied by the East End police departments and the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. A criminal charge is only an accusation and does not indicate guilt.

Riverhead

• On Tuesday night, Southampton Town police detectives arrested Jacqueline F. Celentano, 21, of Calverton, for her alleged involvement in a hit-and-run accident that occurred Sunday in Flanders.

Aaron Hartman, 23, was walking home on County Road 105 Sunday at about 12:50 a.m. when he was struck by a vehicle that left the scene, police said. He suffered serious physical injuries and was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center, and later to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he remains hospitalized.

Detectives were able to identify the vehicle involved as a 2000 Chevy Impala, which was located at a residence in Riverside and subsequently impounded.  Shortly thereafter, detectives identified, arrested and charged the driver of the vehicle.  Celentano was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with physical injury, a felony.

• A grand jury indicted a trio of Riverhead residents this week accused of scamming a construction worker from the winnings of his $74,000 lottery ticket.

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said Yalcin Nergiz, 41, Yunis Ozturk, 33, and Orhan Ozurk, 47, appeared before Acting State Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho in the First District Courthouse in Central Islip for arraignment on Tuesday.

All three men were charged with two counts of grand larceny in the second degree; and two counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree. They were also indicted on one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree.

Orhan Ozturk was also slapped with two counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, also a felony. Orhan Ozturk and Yunis Ozturk pleaded not guilty to all charges; Yunis is being held on $50,000 cash bail; Orhan’s bail is $10,000. 

Yalcin Nergiz's arraignment was adjourned to May 21 so that his attorney may appear, according to Bob Clifford, spokesperson for Spota.

Westhampton-Hampton Bays

• Josephine O’Brien, 48, of Hampton Bays, was arrested on May 4 and charged with theft of services, a felony, and petty larceny, a misdemeanor.   

According to police, an investigation showed that O’Brien had used someone else’s credit card without permission multiple times to buy food from Francesca’s restaurant in Hampton Bays. O’Brien allegedly bought the food and canceled the transactions after she had obtained the food.

North Fork  

• A man stole a woman's purse in Greenport and took off running, police said.
According to Southold Town police, on Tuesday night at 12:42 a.m., a 22-year-old woman was walking home on Front Street when a man grabbed her purse.

The man, police said, took off running towards Fifth Street and was not seen again.

The purse was later found and the woman noticed that her wallet was missing, police said.

A K-9 unit searched the area and briefly picked up a scent of the purse snatcher, police said — though they were unable track him down.

Southampton

• A 52-year-old Hampton Bays man was driving drunk when he was involved in an accident Saturday morning on County Road 39 in Southampton, according to police.

Southampton Town police said they were called at about 12:11 a.m. to the accident at the North Bishop Lane intersection. No injuries were reported, but the right eastbound lane of County Road 39 was closed.

Kevin Fennell was charged with a felony count of driving while intoxicated and a count of failing to use a designated lane, a traffic infraction.