Bernard Cooks, 33, was arrested Friday on charges of grand larceny for allegedly stealing from the Sag Harbor 7-Eleven while working there.

By Tessa Raebeck

Sag Harbor Village Police arrested Bernard T. Cooks, 33, of Bridgehampton on Friday, September 5, at 2:42 p.m. on charges of grand larceny in the fourth degree, a felony.

While working at the 7-Eleven in Sag Harbor on August 10, Mr. Cooks allegedly stole $1,085.76 from the register he was manning.

The store manager told police Mr. Cooks took money out of the register and put it in a plastic bag, which he placed in the garbage before returning to retrieve the cash. This occurred at least twice between 6:55 and 7:55 p.m., the manager told police. At the end of Mr. Cooks’s shift, the register was $1,085.76 short, police said.

Mr. Cooks, who is currently on parole for previous offenses, was arrested and transported to police headquarters before being arraigned in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on Friday at 4 p.m.. He was transferred to Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead to await a later court appearance.

Southampton Town Police arrested Mr. Cooks in January 2011 as part of an investigation into crack-cocaine dealing at a house in North Sea. He was convicted of felony charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was released from prison in May 2012 after serving less than a year.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office dropped all charges against him due to an ongoing investigation into the alleged misconduct of a Southampton Town Police officer in the Street Crimes Unit that had conducted the initial drug raids on Mr. Cooks’s house.

By Tessa Raebeck

At least two people were injured in a car accident in East Hampton Village on Sunday afternoon, police said.

Although the breadth of the injuries and the number of cars involved has not been confirmed, police said two people were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital in a medevac flight.

According to police, the accident occurred at around 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of Pantigo Road and Gay Road next to the CVS in East Hampton Village.

As of 11 p.m. Sunday night, East Hampton Village Police were still at the scene and Pantigo Road was blocked off from the CVS Pharmacy to the traffic light at the Egypt Lane intersection.

In addition to East Hampton Village Police, the East Hampton Fire Department and the East Hampton Village Ambulance responded to reports of the accident and the Amagansett, Springs and Bridgehampton fire departments sent ambulances to the scene.

By Tessa Raebeck

Southampton Town Police, in pursuit of an armed suspect from an earlier home invasion, sealed off the Huntington Crossway and the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike on Tuesday evening at about 7:30 p.m., according to multiple reports from witnesses.

Sag Harbor Village Police Clerk Gigi Oberlander confirmed Wednesday that the Southampton Town Police Department had called Sag Harbor police to the scene as backup, asking them to maintain the perimeter because a suspect was at large.

Sag Harbor police assisted in searching several properties, but the suspect could not be found, and the investigation remains with the Southampton Town Police, who declined to comment Wednesday.

Tuesday evening, a Bridgehampton resident told the Sag Harbor Express that police officers were on the Huntington Crossway armed with automatic weapons. Several minutes later, another passerby told the Express they were driving by the scene and saw cops with shotguns. A police helicopter arrived shortly thereafter, other residents said.

Another Bridgehampton resident was notified by a friend in the police department that police were searching for a male suspect armed with a firearm in the neighborhood.

A Sag Harbor police officer, speaking anonymously, said Southampton Town Police were called to a home invasion by an armed man on the Huntington Crossway on Tuesday afternoon. Police could not find the man at that time but were called back several hours later after receiving word that the suspect had returned to the neighborhood.

UPDATE: In a press release issued late Wednesday, Southampton Town Police confirmed they had received a call of a “burglary in progress” at a residence on Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton on Tuesday at approximately 11:31 a.m. Upon arrival, officers were told there was a 26-year-old male upstairs who was a victim of violence. Once the scene was secured, the man was transported by ambulance to Southampton Hospital, where he was treated for non life-threatening injuries.

An initial investigation of the site revealed to police that a man possessing a handgun had forced entry into the residence by violently shoving a 51-year-old woman when she answered the door. After entering the house, the armed man went upstairs and demanded that the 26-year-old victim give him money. The robber then hit the man repeatedly with the handgun and stole multiple electronic devices from the home, before fleeing on foot.

With the assistance of Sag Harbor Village Police and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, Southampton Town Police searched the area but were unable to find the armed man. The Southampton Town Police Detective Unit is undergoing an investigation into the incident. They have ascertained that the residence was not selected randomly, but targeted for the crime.

John Bittrolff of Manorville is accused of murdering two women in the 1990s and suspected in a third murder, in which the woman’s body was found in North Sea. Mugshot courtesy Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

By Tessa Raebeck

A carpenter from Manorville who has been charged with the murders of two women in the 1990s is a also suspect in the death of Sandra Castilla, whose body was found in North Sea in Southampton in December 1993.

John Bittrolff, 48, who is married with two children, was arrested Monday, July 21, and charged with two counts of murder in the second degree. He was arraigned in Central Islip and ordered held without bail.

Mr. Bittrolff is accused of murdering Rita Tangredi, 31, of East Patchogue and Colleen McNamee, 20, of Holbrook, who were both strangled and beaten. They were killed in November 1993 and late January 1994, respectively. Both women are believed by authorities to have been prostitutes.

“The cause and manner of death of both of these women are exactly the same,” Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said in a press conference Tuesday, July 22. “There are significant evidentiary similarities between these two murders, Tangredi and McNamee, that he is now charged with and the murder of Sandra Castilla, whose body was found in North Sea in the Town of Southampton.”

The body of Ms. Castilla, 28, of Queens, who was strangled, was found in the woods on November 20, 1993 off Old Fish Cove Road.

The possible connection of Mr. Bittrolff to her murder is still under investigation, according to authorities.

According to Mr. Spota’s spokesman, Robert Clifford, Ms. Castilla “was not a prostitute but led a similar lifestyle.”

Mr. Bittrolff was charged after his brother Timothy submitted his own DNA evidence to the state police database. The DNA was matched to samples found at the crime scenes and police confirmed that John Bittrolff is the killer of both Ms. Tangredi and Ms. McNamee, Mr. Spota said.

“I just feel really relieved, finally,” Ms. Tangredi’s son, Anthony Tangredi, told reporters at the press conference.

Authorities do not believe Mr. Bittrolff to be the serial killer known as the Long Island Serial Killer or the Gilgo Killer who is believed to have murdered 10 to 14 sex workers over a period of 20 years, with the most recent discoveries of remains found in the spring of 2011. That killer dumped his victim’s bodies along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach and Oak Beach in Suffolk County and Jones Beach State Park in Nassau County.

“The evidence recovered from the bodies of Tangredi and McNamee, the manner in which their bodies were found and the crime scenes are unique to them and very and distinctly different from the Gilgo crime scenes,” Mr. Spota said.

Sag Harbor acupuncturist Michael Gohring was arrested July 12 on charges that he sexually abused a female patient. Mugshot courtesy Southampton Town Police Department.

Click here for the original version of this story.

By Tessa Raebeck

Southampton Town Police arrested Michael Gohring, an acupuncturist in Sag Harbor, on Saturday, July 12, on charges that he sexually abused a female patient he was treating.

Mr. Gohring, 64, a resident and business owner in Sag Harbor since 1987, was arrested at his office, Mikal Gohring Acupuncture & Comprehensive Oriental Medicine, on Noyac Road in Noyac. According to Detective Sergeant Lisa Costa of the Southampton Town Police Department, Mr. Gohring’s legal name on his identification is Michael, but he uses “Mikal” for business purposes.

The patient, who Sergeant Costa identified as a 50-year-old Southampton resident, told police that the acupuncturist had sexually abused her during an appointment while she had acupuncture needles inserted into her body and was thus unable to move. Mr. Gohring was charged with aggravated sexual abuse in the second degree, a Class C Felony, which alleges he violated the patient using his hand.

He was held overnight at Southampton Town Police Headquarters in Hampton Bays and arraigned Sunday, July 13, at Southampton Town Justice Court. Mr. Gohring was remanded to Suffolk County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail, police said in a press release issued Wednesday, July 16. He has since posted bail.

When approached outside his Noyac Road acupuncture office on Tuesday, July 22, Mr. Gohring and his attorney, Robert J. Coyle, who practices in Sag Harbor, said they are in the process of preparing a formal statement attesting to his innocence that will be issued sometime this week.

Mr. Gohring added that he has strong ties to the community and has treated countless local people who can corroborate his professionalism. A poll of Dan’s Papers readers named Mr. Gohring’s practice “Best of the Best Acupuncturist in the Hamptons” several times, most recently in 2013.

According to his website, Mr. Gohring has been practicing professionally 27 years and offers “comprehensive oriental medicine, acupuncture and acutonics treatments.” He lists “women’s health” as among his specialties.

“My training and experience have given me professional expertise in treating diseases and chronic conditions difficult to treat through other disciplines,” his website states.

Mr. Gohring is due back in Southampton Town Court on September 9.

Police have asked that anyone with related information call the Southampton Town Detective Unit at (631) 702-2230.

By Tessa Raebeck

Southampton Town Police arrested a Sag Harbor acupuncturist Saturday, July 12, on charges that he sexually abused a female patient he was treating.

Michael P. Gohring, 64, a resident of Sag Harbor since 1987, was arrested at his Noyac Road business in the village. A patient told police that the licensed acupuncturist sexually abused her during an appointment.

Mr. Gohring was charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse in the second degree, a Class C Felony. He was held overnight at Southampton Town Police Headquarters in Hampton Bays and arraigned Sunday, July 13, at Southampton Town Justice Court, then remanded to Suffolk County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail, police said in a press release issued Wednesday, July 16.

Mr. Gohring offers acupuncture and comprehensive oriental medicine and was voted “Best of the Best” Acupuncturist in the Hamptons by Dan’s Papers’ Readers’ Poll in 2013. According to police, he uses the first name Mikal for his business.

Police ask that anyone with related information call the Southampton Town Detective Unit at (631) 702-2230.

By Tessa Raebeck

County Road 39 was closed by Southampton Town Police on Tuesday at 4:26 a.m. due to a telephone pole and wires on the roadway. The road is closed in both directions between North Sea Road and Dale Road. Major delays should be expected. For more information, call the Southampton Town Police Department at (631) 728-5000.

Asli Dincer, 44, and Melih Dincer, 31, of Riverhead, New York, were arrested by East Hampton Village Police Thursday in connection to threats made against the Jewish Center of the Hamptons.

By Tessa Raebeck

The East Hampton Village Police Department arrested two Riverhead residents on Thursday on charges of making terrorist threats against the Jewish Center of the Hamptons.

East Hampton Village detectives arrested Asli Dincer, 44, and her former husband, Melih Dincer, 31 on Thursday night at John F. Kennedy International Airport, when the two returned to the United States.

Mr. and Ms. Dincer were both wanted for questioning in relation to the threats, which police said had taken place over several months, but they had left the country early in the summer.

The case originated when threats were sent in writing to the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, which were turned over to local police. East Hampton Village Police then coordinated their investigation and the identification of the suspects with detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department and the New York State Police working with the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Police did not reveal the nature of the threats.

The two face charges of making a terrorist threat, a felony, falsely reporting an incident in the first degree, a felony, menacing in the second degree, a misdemeanor, and conspiracy in the fifth degree, a misdemeanor.

East Hampton Village Chief of Police Gerard Larsen confirmed Friday that the two were arraigned at the East Hampton Town Justice Court by Justice Steven Tekulsky earlier that afternoon and bail was set at $50,000 for each.

Tess Burstein, 6, was killed by a car driven by her neighbor Sunday afternoon while crossing the road by her family’s summer home in Water Mill.

By Tessa Raebeck

Six-year-old Tess Burstein was hit and killed by a car Sunday, June 15, while crossing Blank Lane in Water Mill.

According to the Southampton Town Police Department, at around 11:19 a.m. Tess was crossing the road when a Toyota Prius traveling north hit her. She was taken to Southampton Hospital and then to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was treated for critical injuries.

On Monday, a spokesperson from Stony Brook University Hospital confirmed that the girl had died from her injuries at 4:49 p.m. Sunday.

The driver of the Toyota, Maurice Wittenberg, 76, and his wife Harriet, 76, who was also in the car, were not injured in the crash.

The car was impounded for a safety check and no criminal charges have been filed at this time.

Tess is the daughter of Josef Burstein, 46, and Annabel Vered, 43. She leaves behind a 9-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister.

Mr. Burstein is an investment banker with UBS and his wife, Ms. Vered, was an editor at Life&Style, Star and InTouch celebrity magazines before becoming the top editor at the celebrity weekly Closer last year.

The Bursteins split their time between their Blank Lane home and a residence in Manhattan. Mr. Wittenberg, a retired chemist, and his wife, a retired teacher, are their neighbors in Water Mill.

The Burstein family was having a barbecue in celebration of Father’s Day Sunday afternoon when Tess, who was playing in the front yard, ran out into the road to reach her friend on the other side, police said.

Detectives are asking anyone who may have more information or who may have witnessed the accident to call (631) 702-2230.

The tragedy comes a year after the death of 14-year-old Anna Mirabai Lytton last June in East Hampton. The Springs School student was hit and killed by a car driven by Maria Brennan, 73, while riding her bike near the CVS on Pantigo Road.

By Tessa Raebeck

Six-year-old Tess Burstein of Water Mill was hit and killed by a car Sunday, June 15, while crossing Blank Lane in Water Mill.

According to the Southampton Town Police Department, at around 11:19 a.m. Tess was crossing the road when she was hit by a Toyota Prius traveling northbound. She was transported to Southampton Hospital and then to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was treated for critical injuries.

A spokesperson from Stony Brook University Hospital confirmed Monday that Tess died at 4:49 p.m. Sunday.

The driver of the Toyota, Maurice Wittenberg, 76, of Water Mill, and his female passenger were not injured in the crash. The car was impounded for a safety check. No criminal charges have been filed at this time.

Detectives are asking anyone who may have more information or who may have witnessed this crash to call 631-702-2230.

The tragedy comes a year after the death of 14-year-old Anna Mirabai Lytton last June. The Springs School student was hit by a car driven by Maria Brennan, 73, and killed while riding her bike in East Hampton.