High School Youths Charged

Three seniors at Southampton High School were caught in the act of burglarizing a Springs residence on Friday afternoon, according to the East Hampton Town Police Department. The three, all aged 17 and residents of Southampton, were arrested on felony charges of burglary and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

Police said the trio, whose last names were not released because they may be eligible for youthful offender treatment, had targeted the house of a 16-year-old East Hampton High School student, whose name was blacked out on the report. He was said to be a former friend of “Eric,” one of the accused.

The three allegedly broke through a side door of the house, tearing it off its hinges. The victim told police it was the second time Eric had targeted him. He said he believed Eric “had broken into my house during the summer, and stole some bongs and weed from my bedroom, but I never reported it.” Because of that incident, he said, along with the belief that Eric may have committed burglaries in Southampton, he broke off the friendship.

On Friday, the 16-year old had no choice about whether to call the police. His mother had picked him up from school early that day, and they pulled into their driveway a little after noon. He told police he immediately noticed that the side door was askew.

As the boy and his mother got out of the car, the three Southampton youths came running out of the house through the front door. He instantly recognized Eric, he told police, despite the fact that he had a gray hoodie over his head. He also recognized another boy, Sean. The third youth was unknown to him.

The 16-year-old pursued one of the fleeing trio and told police he tackled him. “He punched me in the face,” the boy said. “He got free and ran off. My mother called 911.”

The boy went inside and checked his property as police arrived. His wallet, which he said had $560 in cash inside as well two bank cards, was gone. “Two glass smoking pipes” were missing. “I’m also missing two Dickey sporting-goods knives,” he told police, as well as a cap.

As he spoke to police in the driveway, he turned over an Instagram picture of Eric, who was arrested that evening. The other two were picked up the next day. All three arrests appear to have been executed outside of town police jurisdiction, meaning they likely had the aid of Southampton Town police.

Eric was the first arrested and the first arraigned. He told East Hampton Town Justice Lisa Rana during his arraignment Saturday that he had grown up in East Hampton but now lived in Southampton with his mother. “I’m concerned no family member showed,” Justice Rana told the youth. She set bail at $1,500. “You’re not going to have all day to post that bail,” she warned. “If you don’t post that bail by noon, you are going to be in a car, headed for jail in Riverhead.”

Bail was posted at East Hampton Town police headquarters before the trip to the county jail could be made.

When the next youth, Sean, was arraigned Sunday morning, both his parents were in the courtroom. As Justice Rana questioned him, he continually responded to her questions by saying “Yeah.” “Yeah?” she repeated at one point. But the youth continued making monosyllabic responses.

She set bail for him at the same level as Eric’s, $1,500. Sean’s mother asked Justice Rana how long they had to raise it before the youth was transferred to county jail. “You have a couple of hours,” was the answer. “I have $500 with me,” the mother said. Justice Rana agreed to lower the bail to that amount, the same as she then set for the third youth, Michael, whose mother was also present. Both teens were bailed out at police headquarters.

Justice Rana told all three that it was imperative they hire an attorney, as the district attorney’s office could present the matter to a grand jury at any time. Sean’s father said they had already hired Edward Burke Jr. of Sag Harbor and that they were scheduled to meet him that afternoon.

Whether any or all of the defendants receives youthful offender status will be decided by a court, either here or, if they are indicted, in Riverside or Central Islip. The felony charges make it more difficult to obtain that status, which essentially makes the charge disappear from one’s record, under New York State law. A defendant is eligible for the youthful offender designation only once.

Sergeant Lisa Costa of the Southampton Town police did not respond to calls this week.