Father and Son Accused in Heroin Ring, Teacher Charged With Touched Two Females, Man Stabs Mother's Boyfriend to Death

As the year comes to an end, here’s a look back at the top 10 most-read stories on Sachem Patch in 2015.

1. Man Has No Regrets After Arrest For Tampering With Long Island Red-Light Cameras: Stephen Ruth of Centereach tampered with red-light cameras, knowing it would lead to arrest, but “did it for the people who come back from war and get abused by these cameras. I did it because senior citizens are getting these, the same ones that went to war for us,” he said in August.

2. DA: Sachem-Area Father and Son Part of Brooklyn-To-Suffolk Heroin Ring: This story covers the arrest of Richard Bruno Sr. and Richard Bruno Jr., of Holbrook, who allegedly dealt heroin and cocaine in Westhampton, Selden, Centereach, Stony Brook and Babylon, according to the DA.

3. Man Robbed at Gunpoint in Smith Haven Mall Parking Lot: A man was walking to his vehicle in the mall parking lot when three men approached him and held him at gunpoint, demanding the items he had purchased from the mall. The robbers fled with a laptop, three gold chains and a leather handbag.

4. Teen Seriously Hurt in LIE Crash: Ryan Brennan, 17, of Deer Park, was in serious condition with a brain injury after he was a passenger in a vehicle that collided with a guardrail after the driver lost control.

5. Shake Shack Coming to Lake Grove: A new Shake Shack is slated to open in Lake Grove and Melville in late 2016.

6. Police: Sachem Teacher Forcibly Touched Teen Girl, Woman at Fire Department Events: 24-year-old Farmingville man Justin Russo, who is a special education teacher in the Sachem School District and volunteer firefighter, was accused of forcibly touching two females, including a 15-year-old, at fire department events in Farmingville and Selden.

7. UPDATE: Man Stabbed His Mother’s Boyfriend to Death in Lake Ronkonkoma: Police: According to police, 31-year-old Rakien Hall stabbed his mother’s boyfriend, 47-year-old Oscar Green, to death, during an altercation at Hall’s mother’s apartment in Lake Ronkonkoma.

8. Police: Lake Grove Man Murdered His Wife: Retired NYPD officer Paul Leitgeb was arrested and charged with second degree murder in the death of his wife after a standoff with police in the Appalachian Trail, where he was found after a weeklong search.

9. Police: Naked Man Waved Machete at People in Costco Parking Lot: Bay Shore resident and truck driver Jose Amaya, 37, was arrested for threatening bystanders and cops with a machete while naked in the parking lot of a Nesconset Costco.

10. Pastor Apologizes for Church Sign Criticizing Same-Sex Marriage Decision: Pastor Pete O’Leary of Christian Church at Holbrook apologized for a sign he posted opposing the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision after the community expressed divided views on the issue.

[Photos courtesy of Suffolk County District Attorney]