Three Charged in Assault on Lonely Road

Three men have been arraigned on felony charges over the last eight days in connection with a May 15 beating and robbery of a local man. Capt. Chris Anderson of the East Hampton Town police said detectives identified at least two of the assailants within a week, but held off on acting until the third suspect was identified and located.

Damian Donegal of East Hampton, 20, suffered lacerations, bruises, and swelling on his head and upper body after being punched, kicked, and struck with a baseball bat multiple times during the attack, according to the police, who said it occurred in Northwest Woods, at a dead-end on Rivers Road there.

Detectives picked up Rodney A. Foreman of Riverhead, 22, in that town early on the morning of Nov. 8. He is charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor assault.

Adriel Santiago of Springs, 20, allegedly admitted that he was the one wielding the bat. “I had a bat with me. It was a Slugger,” he reportedly told detectives. Arrested Nov. 7 in Montauk, he is charged with felony assault.

Christian C. Morris, 21, also known as Chris Moore and Ezo Moore, was the last arrested. He turned himself in on Tuesday after police contacted him. He too faces charges of felony robbery and misdemeanor assault. Police said Mr. Donegal had identified Mr. Morris in May from a mug shot. Mr. Morris, a former East Hampton resident, now lives in Riverhead. 

The investigation into the incident may have been aided by a cellphone video taken by someone who has not been charged, according to court documents. Captain Anderson, who spoke to The Star yesterday, would not comment on that aspect of the case.

Police said that marijuana, jealousy over a woman, and a lust for revenge all figured in the alleged attack.

On the day it happened, Mr. Donegal stated to detectives, he had told a friend, “Damn. We need to get some bud.” To that end, he began Snapchatting with Valentia Sanchez, Mr. Morris’s girlfriend, he said. Mr. Morris, police said, became enraged. 

Mr. Santiago, Mr. Foreman, Mr. Morris, and two other men were with the woman during the Snapchat session, in an East Hampton residence. Mr. Donegal told detectives that Mr. Santiago had a grudge against him dating back two months, from a dispute at a party. 

Mr. Foreman, on the other hand, did not know either Mr. Donegal or Mr. Santiago before the incident. He told police that Mr. Donegal and Mr. Morris had exchanged angry words via Snapchat in his presence, and that Mr. Morris and Mr. Santiago both wanted to fight Mr. Donegal.

Mr. Foreman agreed to let Ms. Sanchez and another woman identified only as Daniella drive his girlfriend’s car to meet Mr. Donegal. The two women picked him up and drove to the Chase bank on East Hampton Main Street, where he withdrew $60, then headed up to Northwest. At a beach off Hand’s Creek Road, according to Mr. Donegal, Daniella purchased about an eighth of an ounce of marijuana to divide among them and then suggested they drive to the dead-end at Rivers Road to smoke. 

“I really didn’t want to go there, because it is a sketchy spot, and the cops know about it, but I didn’t say anything,” Mr. Donegal told police.

Meantime, Mr. Foreman told police, the four men, with Edison Collado driving, headed toward another dead-end nearby. “The five of us got out of the car and started running through the woods,” Mr. Foreman stated. It was then that he noticed Mr. Santiago carrying a baseball bat, he said. 

The group took Mr. Donegal by surprise. According to detectives, Mr. Morris punched and wrestled Mr. Donegal from the back seat and pushed him to the ground. Mr. Foreman stated that he punched and kicked the downed man several times while Mr. Santiago struck him with the bat. Mr. Morris and Mr. Foreman went through Mr. Donegal’s pockets, pulling out his wallet and marijuana as the two women stood by. The alleged assailants then sped off in the car Mr. Donegal and the two women had been in.

“Edison Collado was the one guy I remember that was there that didn’t do anything,” Mr. Donegal told police, adding, however, that he thought Mr. Collado had shot a video of the incident.

Mr. Donegal and the two women were walking down the road in the dark when Mr. Collado returned, alone, in his car. “Yo. You ate that,” Mr. Donegal said he was told. The two women got into the car. “He said it was a bad idea to give me a ride,” Mr. Donegal told police. Alone in the dark, he eventually made his way home.

Police interviewed him late that night. Within a week, he had identified Mr. Morris as one of the assailants. He had already identified Mr. Santiago. Mr. Foreman was harder to identify. 

Mr. Santiago was arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court on the morning of Nov. 8. His lawyer, Christian Killoran, called the charges “old,” and asked for low bail, which was set at $500. Mr. Santiago’s parents, who were in the courtroom, posted the bail.

Represented by an attorney from the Legal Aid Society, Wendy Russo, Mr. Foreman was arraigned that afternoon. His legal situation is precarious. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 30 in county court to misdemeanor criminal possession of stolen property and is to be sentenced on Jan. 9. Unable to post $500 bail, he was held in the county jail until Monday, when he was released, as required by law.

Mr. Morris was arraigned Tuesday, also represented by Ms. Russo. Justice Steven Tekulsky, citing his history of ignoring multiple arrest warrants for failure to appear in court or pay court fines, set bail at $1,000, which was posted by Mr. Morris’s father. Legal Aid will not be available for Mr. Morris past his arraignment, since it already represents his co-defendant, Mr. Foreman.

“It was only supposed to be a fight between Adriel and Damian,” Mr. Foreman said at the end of his statement. “We never had any set plans on robbing Damian, but it ended up that way.”