Man Was Breaking Car, Store Windows With Shovel: Nassau Police

HEMPSTEAD, NY — A Suffolk County man was arrested Wednesday morning after police say he was found breaking windshields an cars and store windows with a shovel.

According to police, officers responded to a call at 5:24 a.m. to Lawrence Street near Hempstead Turnpike in Uniondale for multiple cars having their windshields broken. While they were investigating, a witness told the officers they saw a man walking further down the block and smashing store windows with a shovel.

Nassau and Hempstead police officers found the man a short time later on Fulton Avenue, near Surrey Lane, in Hempstead, police said. He dropped the shovel, and officers arrested him without incident, police said.

Police identified the man as Dwight Clermont, 26, of Amityville. He was charged with six counts of second-degree criminal mischief and seven counts of third-degree criminal mischief. He is scheduled to be arraigned later today in First District Court in Hempstead.