Man Charged In Robbery; Pair Had Gun, Drugs In Home With Child: PD

FLANDERS, NY — Two people from Farmingville were arrested after a September armed robbery in Flanders, police said.

According to Southampton Town police, on Wednesday, police arrested Demario L. Weston Jr, 22, and Tiana MacDonald, 24; the arrests came as a result of a multi-agency investigation into the armed robbery, which took place at the El Quetzal Deli, located at 790 Flanders Road, on September 23 at around 12:01 p.m., police said.

Responding officers interviewed a clerk at the establishment, who reported that a man had entered the building, pointed a gun at her, and demanded money, police said. The clerk further reported the man then physically attacked her, striking her with the gun multiple times, before stealing and absconding with $6,000, police said.

In the months that followed, the Southampton Town Police Department's detective division, along with assistance from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s East End Drug Task Force, developed probable cause to identify and arrest Weston Jr, police said.

On Wednesday Southampton detectives, along with the EEDTF, utilizing the Suffolk County Police

Department's emergency service unit, executed a search warrant at a residence in Farmingville where they located and arrested Weston Jr., police said.

During the execution of the search warrant, a second person, Macdonald, was subsequently
arrested, police said.

An illegally possessed handgun was recovered, along with a quantity of illegally controlled substances, police said.

Weston was transported to the Southampton Town Police Department, where he was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, a B felony; two counts of second-degree robbery, a C felony; one count of second-degree assault, a D felony; and one count of criminal possession of a firearm; an E felony, all pertaining to the 2024 robbery at the deli, police said.

During the execution of the search warrant, several conditions were observed which led to additional charges for Weston, police said.

Those condition included the possession of an illegally possessed firearm and a quantity of illicit narcotics, all with a child present in the residence, police said. Weston was additionally charged with three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a B felony; two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor; one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug, a C felony; one count of second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor;, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a C felony; and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, police said.

Macdonald was arrested and charged with three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a B felony; two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor; one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug, a C felony; one count of second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a C felony; and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, police said.

Both parties were processed and held at Southampton Town Police Department, police said.