Crime Nearby: Cop Killer Sentenced, Fatal Fire Investigated

Here are the latest arrests and incidents in neighborhoods surrounding Lindenhurst.

Murderer Gets 45 to Life in
West Babylon Cop Killing
The gunman that murdered a West Babylon police officer in New York City two years ago will be spending much of the rest of his life in prison.

Lamont Pride, 28, of North Carolina, was sentenced to 45 years to life in jail for the December 2011 murder of New York City Police Officer Peter Figoski, a West Babylon father of four.

According to Newsday, Figoski's fellow officers applauded his family after the sentence was delivered.

"Lamont Pride robbed my sisters and I of having that trusted rock and confidant that we were so fortunate to have in our father," said Caitlyn Figoski, 19, to the New York Post.

“We live with the understanding that the day might come that Lamont Pride might have the opportunity to walk out of prison a free man and resume the only life he knows. That is a life of crime,” said Caroline Figoski, 17, according to The Post.

"When our father died, a part of us died, too," said Corinne Figoski, 15, to Newsday.

Deadly West Babylon Fire Likely Caused by Cooking Oil
The West Babylon apartment fire that killed one woman on March 3 was likely caused by ignited cooking oil in another apartment, according to Suffolk County Police. Newsday reported Suffolk Police said the fire was likely caused by cooking oil -  being used to make chicken wings - ignited and quickly spread throughout the apartment building.

Homicide chief Lieutenant Jack Fitzpatrick told Newsday the fire came from another apartment, and not from the one where firefighters found the body of a woman late Sunday afternoon. He also told the newspaper the identity of that woman was unlikely to be released today.

The Suffolk County Arson Squad is still investigating the fire.

Updated: Armed Robbery at Deer Park Stationery Store
Two men robbed a Deer Park stationery store on February 28, Suffolk Police said. Plum's Cards and Gifts, located at 348 Commack Road, was robbed around 7:20 p.m. last Thursday night, police said, when a man allegedly pulled a gun on the employee behind the counter and demanded cash.

Another man purportedly went behind the counter and stole cigarettes. The suspects fled Southbound on Commack Road, police said. No one was injured in the incident.

Another Deer Park Student Reports Being Followed
A Deer Park High School student was followed by a vehicle on Nicolls Road on February 23, according to an alert posted on the District's website.

The female student reported being followed by a dark red car with tinted windows just West of Deer Park Avenue. Suffolk Police were notified of the incident, the third incident in February in which a Deer Park student has reported being approached and followed by a suspicious vehicle.

On February 14, a Robert Frost Middle School student reported being approached by a small maroon/red car with one person inside on Washington Avenue near Hickory Street. The next day, police said a 911 call came in around 3 p.m., and a woman said her daughter was followed by two people in a dark vehicle as she walked from the bus stop at Headline Road and Sunburst Drive.

Following those incidents, Suffolk Police told Patch that it had yet to be determined "if the vehicles were actually following the children or just driving slowly as we have not spoken to the people in the cars."

Police have upped patrols in the area, and Deer Park Superintendent Eva Demyen has said District is taking a proactive approach in dealing with the incidents.

In addition, via a District spokesperson, Demyen said two weeks ago police officers were conducting "police smart workshops" in the schools. There are also end-of-the-day precautionary announcements being made over the loudspeaker in all schools, she said.

Deer Park Woman Charged in Prostitution Sting in Bethpage
Nassau County detectives have charged two women, including one from Deer Park, in connection with a prostitution sting in Bethpage. Narcotics/vice detectives said the incident took place at the Bethpage Motel on Hempstead Turnpike on Friday, March 1, about 10 p.m.

An undercover investigation determined that Virginia Thebaud, 20, of Dix Hills, acted as a lookout for police while Ann Marie Contesti, 42, of Deer Park, offered an undercover officer to engage in a sex act for an undisclosed amount of money.

Both women were taken into custody without incident. Thebaud is charged with promoting prostitution, while Contesti is charged with prostitution. Both defendants were arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Saturday.

Five Saint John the Baptist Students Injured in School Bus Crash
Five students from Saint John the Baptist High School in West Islip suffered minor injuries when the mini school bus they were riding in on February 25 collided with a dump truck in Patchogue, Suffolk Police said.

Police said the truck from All County Block and Supply, based in Holbrook, was traveling south on Grove Avenue around 3:30 p.m. when the 65-year-old male driver drove past a stop sign without stopping. The truck struck the bus that was traveling east on Carman Street. 

Five teens, 14-year-old twin boys, a 15-year-old male, a 15 year-old female and a 16-year-old female were transported to Brookhaven Hospital where they were treated for minor injuries, police said.

Neither the 36-year-old female bus driver nor the driver of the dump truck were injured. The dump truck driver was cited for disobeying a stop sign and for an equipment violation, police said.

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