🌱 Riverhead Daily: Mother Charged After Crash: PD + Runaway Safe

Hello, people of Riverhead! It's me, Diane Witek, your host of the Riverhead Daily.

First, today's weather:

Breezy and much colder. High: 19, low: 11.

Here are the top stories today in Riverhead:

1. Riverhead Mother Arrested After Crash Critically Injures Her Child: Cops: The Riverhead mother of a 4-year old girl critically injured in a Flanders crash Thursday was arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, police said. Amy Wesolowski, 34, was driving a 2005 Toyota RAV4 with her daughter, Gracelyn Perkowski, 4, when the car collided with a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan driven by Sonya Fezza, 29, of Water Mill, police said. Wesolowski was arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, a misdemeanor, endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, and aggravated DWI with child, a felony, and was held for morning arraignment, police said. (Patch)
2. The charred structure on East Second Street, where five family members perished in a fire on the third-floor apartment, will not be demolished until the investigation is formally closed. Suffolk County Police Arson Squad said a full report will be ready by the end of February. A preliminary investigation determined the cause was noncriminal in nature and believe the blaze was caused by a discarded cigarette. (RiverheadLOCAL)
3. Anthony Salinas, 17, known as a frequent runaway, has been safely returned to Timothy Hill Children's Ranch in Riverhead. Salinas was reported missing on Dec. 24 from the facility, located on Middle Road. No foul play was suspected, police said. (Riverhead Patch)

Today in Riverhead:

• AAECF’S Dr MLK Realizing the Dream Exhibit. (10 a.m.)
• East End Food Institute's Indoor Farmers Market. (9 a.m.)
• RMLI Toy Train Outreach Program and Clinic. (11 a.m.)
• Classic Stones Live. (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• East End Food Market: "Spend your morning with us this Saturday with live music from @classicjam1. 🎶🎸 * Jeff Bellanca found his passion for music and began to teach himself how to play the guitar at the age of 14. He grew up on Long Island." (Instagram)
• Suffolk County Sheriff's Office: "Yesterday was #wearblue day for #NationalHumanTraffickingAwarenessDay, but that doesn't mean the awareness has to end. January is #NationalHumanTraffickingAwarenessMonth so keep educating yourself on the signs of #humantrafficking."(Facebook) (Website)
• Steven Fleischman, Neighbor: "I was one of the neighbors who assisted in the resuscitation of the poor little girl; there were so much stuff that was on top of here." (Patch)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• AAECF’S Dr MLK Realizing the Dream Exhibit. Located at 330 Court St., Riverhead and online. (Jan. 15)
• East Wind Wedding Showcase. Located at East Wind Long Island, 5720 NY-25A, Wading River. (Jan. 16)
• FREE WEBINAR | “Romanesque Architecture in Tuscany.” Presented by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero. Online event. (Jan. 18)
• Live Music. (Jan. 21)
• Add your event.

Announcements:

• Behind The Scoreboard — Babe And A Young Fan. (Details)
• Add your announcement.

For sale:

• Vinyl Records for Sale. (Details)
• Add your item.

Gigs & services:

• Animal Communication & Animal Reiki. (Details)
• Add your gig or service.

Loving the Riverhead Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you around!

— Diane Witek

About me: Impassioned Writer, Website Designer, Social Media Marketer and newly proclaimed Baker. Lover of nature and animals of all kinds.