A Robbery Suspect in Cuffs After Manhunt
A man accused of pistol-whipping a Springs man during a robbery on Soundview Drive in Montauk early Sunday was arrested following a manhunt in Amagansett later that morning.
Jarryd J. Cox, 31, of Mastic and his alleged accomplice, Keirsten Escobar, 22, of Islip Terrace were arraigned on multiple felony charges the next day in East Hampton Town Justice Court. Mr. Cox was sent to county jail without the possibility of bail; bail for Ms. Escobar was set at $200,000, an amount she was not able to post.
Capt. Chris Anderson of the East Hampton Town police said Monday that Ms. Escobar had lured Tai Truong of Springs into a desolate area off Captain Kidd’s Path, apparently to have sex. It was then that Mr. Cox attacked him with a loaded pistol, according to Rudy Migliore Jr., an assistant district attorney. Police allege that Mr. Cox then stole Mr. Truong’s watch, jewelry, and cash, and fled in a green Ford Explorer.
Police were contacted at 10:45 a.m.; it was not clear whether it was the victim or a Soundview Drive resident who dialed 911.
Using a description provided by the victim, East Hampton Town police searched for Mr. Cox and Ms. Escobar with the help of state park police, the East Hampton Town Marine Patrol, and East Hampton Village police.
The Explorer was spotted approaching Amagansett on Montauk Highway soon after police had received the 911 call. Police said Mr. Cox tried to get away by driving into the Amagansett Fire Department grounds, and then crashed his car into a fence behind the firehouse before continuing on foot into the woods and fields north of there. The gun was found in the car, police said.
A manhunt that included local, state, and county police, a state police K-9 unit, and the county’s aviation unit ended when police caught up with Mr. Cox at the Balsam Farms stand on Town Lane in Amagansett, where they said he had been trying to blend in with customers.
Both defendants are facing matching multiple felony charges, including two classified as violent felonies — robbery and criminal use of a firearm — each of which calls for a minimum of five years in state prison upon conviction.
Because Mr. Cox has two prior felony convictions, he is not eligible to have bail set at the local level. He served five years in state prison on a 2009 felony conviction and has also been previously convicted of robbery. Represented on Monday by Brian Francese of the Legal Aid Society, he entered a denial to the felony charges and pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanors. (A defendant cannot enter a plea on a felony charge in a local court. That can only happen in state court, after an indictment.) Mr. Cox waived his right to be released if not indicted by Friday. Ms. Escobar also denied the felony charges.
Rudy Migliore Jr., an assistant district attorney, pointed out that Ms. Escobar had a prior arrest on a felony drug possession charge, but that the charge was later adjudicated at the youthful offender level, so she has no criminal record. Under state law, she would have to be released from custody by tomorrow, if not indicted. Mr. Migliore indicated during the arraignment that the case could well be presented to a grand jury by the end of today. Mr. Francese told the court that Ms. Escobar lives with her mother and her daughter.
“These are extremely serious allegations,” Justice Steven Tekulsky said as he set bail.
If convicted as charged, beyond the required five-year minimum sentence called for by the two violent felony charges, Mr. Cox could face additional time, under state law, as a recidivist criminal.
According to Captain Anderson, the meeting between the two defendants and Mr. Truong was not by chance, but was facilitated through the internet.
Asked about the charges as he was being led out of the courthouse, Mr. Cox said, “There was no assault,” adding that Mr. Truong was “a liar. It’s all going to come out.”
Mr. Truong was taken to the hospital to be treated for head injuries and was released.