Darius Petty, the 35-year-old East Hampton man who was accused in September 2024 of kidnapping and robbing three young men at gunpoint in the parking lot of the East Hampton Senior Center, and who was sentenced in June to three years in prison after accepting a plea bargain, was released from custody in July for a monthlong “grace period” before his incarceration. On Tuesday morning, Suffolk Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei agreed to extend the time for one additional month.
After pleading guilty on June 25 to a reduced charge of attempted robbery — he was originally charged with five violent felonies and could have faced up to 25 years in prison — Mr. Petty, who’d been in the county jail since September, asked Justice Mazzei to consider allowing him a few days of release. The grace period, he said, would allow him to check on his 10-year-old son before beginning his prison sentence.
Justice Mazzei initially denied the request, but eventually agreed to reconsider, and ordered Mr. Petty released from custody on his own recognizance on July 29. He was to report back for sentencing on Aug. 26.
Mr. Petty walked into the courtroom, as instructed, on Tuesday morning, dressed in a light blue polo shirt, and signed in with a court officer five minutes before Justice Mazzei took the bench at 9:30 a.m. Mr. Petty was accompanied by another man, who looked around the same age, and they took seats in the back of the courtroom, where they waited.
The convicted man was called up to the courtroom rail around 11:15 a.m., after all the day’s other cases had been heard. John Halverson, his attorney, presented the court with a letter from an employer for whom Mr. Petty has been working since his release, which stated that he’d been working 10-hour days and had become “a valuable member of the team.” Mr. Halverson requested another adjournment, to allow his client to continue working and to spend more time with his son.
Justice Mazzei agreed to one final adjournment, commenting that while Mr. Petty had abided by all the terms of his release, and kept his promises, he would have to begin his sentence “at some point.” Mr. Petty thanked the court before leaving the room with Mr. Halverson and the man who had accompanied him to court.
He is due back on Oct. 1, when he will be formally sentenced and begin his prison term.
