Springs Man Back Behind Bars After Sex Abuse Arrest

A Springs man who was arrested by an East Hampton SWAT team in October 2014 after firing a shotgun in his family's house was back in jail on Thursday after being brought up on a felony sexual abuse charge. He was unable to make the $75,000 bail set by East Hampton Town Justice Lisa R. Rana,

Valon Shoshi, 31, who turned himself in to East Hampton Village police on Wednesday afternoon, was charged with sexual abuse in the first degree and with a second felony for violating an order of protection for the alleged victim, who described him to police as her boyfriend. Police are withholding the name of the woman because of the nature of the charges. In addition, he is charged with assault and forcible sexual touching, both as misdemeanors. Mr. Shoshi is on probation.

Police received a 911 call from the Gingerbread Lane house where the victim lives a little after 2 a.m. on Wednesday. When police arrived, they called for an ambulance. The woman was bleeding from her mouth and complained of vaginal bruising. She was taken to Southampton Hospital, where stitches were needed to close the wound in her mouth. A nurse trained in dealing with sexual assault cases checked the woman and reported that the injuries were consistent with her description of the alleged attack.

The woman, with whom Mr. Shoshi had been living, was interviewed by police and detectives, first at the hospital and then at the Cedar Street headquarters later that morning.

She said Mr. Shoshi had been upset because she had told him, while the two watched her 8-year-old son play soccer Tuesday afternoon, that she would not be able to attend an event with him scheduled for Wednesday because she had to work. Police said she told them that he became jealous, suspecting that she was seeing another man and continued to bring the matter up as day turned to night.

After midnight, with her two children asleep, she went to bed, she told police, and Mr. Shoshi allegedly followed, lying down next to her and putting his hand on her face. 

He began yelling, saying "he was going to slit my neck," she said, and calling her names. 

After he let go of her, she told police, she ran into the bathroom, locked the door, and dialed 911 on her cellphone. The dispatcher told her to stay inside the bathroom, but she feared for the safety of her children and left the bathroom, she told police. Mr. Shoshi was gone.

After a series of interviews with her Wednesday morning, detectives contacted Mr. Shoshi, who agreed to turn himself in. He was placed under arrest a little after 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Mr. Shoshi's attorney in this case, Eileen Powers, was not available for his arraignment Thursday morning, so Luis Pagan stepped in. Rudy Migliore Jr., the prosecuting attorney, described the alleged crimes in detail. Mr. Shoshi smiled through most of the process, even laughing softly once or twice. At one point, Justice Rana stopped reading the new order of protection she was issuing for the alleged victim, staring at Mr. Shoshi.

Mr. Migliore pointed out that Mr. Shoshi is in the middle of a five-year probation sentence stemming from the 2014 incident, and also has an open assault charge in East Hampton, this one stemming from a 2015 incident. He asked bail to be set at $75,000.

Mr. Pagan argued that Mr. Shoshi was not a flight risk, and that the alleged victim has previously made similar allegations, then failed to cooperate with the prosecution. Bail was set at $75,000.

The assault charge, from late August 2015, alleges that Mr. Shoshi beat a New York City man unconscious outside Pizza Village in Montauk around 4 a.m.

Justice Rana presided over Mr. Shoshi's 2014 arraignment, which followed his arrest on multiple charges. He had fired a shotgun three times in his family's Gardiner Avenue house. A manhunt ensued, and Mr. Shoshi was arrested after officers surrounded his car outside the One Stop Market in Springs. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a felony charge of reckless endangerment, along with two misdemeanors, leading to the five-year probation.

At the time of the incident, he said that he was distraught over the breakup of his marriage to a woman in his native Kosovo. Prior to returning to Kosovo in 2012, Mr. Shoshi had been an assistant chief of the East Hampton Village Ambulance Association and served for six years in the Springs Fire Department.

Asked what had happened, as he was led from the courthouse in handcuffs on Thursday, Mr. Shoshi said, "It's all a frame-up."

This story has been updated.