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Felony Charges for N.J. Pair

Thu, 08/22/2024 - 11:37

Two Jersey City residents were set to return to East Hampton Town Justice Court on Thursday in a virtual follow-up after both were arraigned on July 26 on charges of possessing stolen property; one was additionally charged with felony drug possession.

According to police reports released this week, Francisco Leonpopa, 24, and Melissa Rossi, 22, were allegedly in possession of a J.P. Morgan Visa credit card at Duryea’s in Montauk on July 25 without consent of the cardholder. Later that day on South Emery Street in Montauk, police said Mr. Leonpopa was found to have three vials of a substance that later tested positive for crack cocaine. The drugs weighed over 500 milligrams, according to police.

Police charged Mr. Leonpopa with a class-D felony for drug possession and two class-E felonies for possession of the stolen property. Ms. Rossi was charged only with one class-E felony for possession of stolen property.

The next day, East Hampton Judge Steven Tekulsky released both Mr. Leonpopa and Ms. Rossi on their own recognizance and scheduled the virtual follow-up.

Convicted Man Given Grace

Darius Petty, who last year was accused of kidnapping and robbing three young men at gunpoint in the parking lot of the East Hampton Senior Center, and was sentenced in June to three years in prison, was released from custody in July for a monthlong “grace period” before his incarceration. On Tuesday, Suffolk Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei agreed to extend the time for an additional month.

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On the Police Logs 08.28.25

After leaving his house early Saturday, a Montauk man found a stranger asleep in his guest room when he returned late that afternoon. The intruder told police he was “unsure how, when, or why” he’d got there, adding that he’d been drinking the night before.

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Teen Cyclist Hurt in Collision

A 15-year-old bike rider was injured on Aug. 19 after colliding with a Chevrolet pickup truck by the side of Montauk Highway in East Hampton.

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He ‘Just Needed to Stop’

A Florida resident faces two felony drunken-driving charges after Sag Harbor Village police, responding to a welfare check, found him lying on a sidewalk early on the morning of Aug. 20.

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