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Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Attempted Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested

Manorville woman accused of New Year's Eve attempted robbery at Water Mill bank. She is being held in lieu of $52,000 bail.

say they have arrested the woman who tried to rob the in Water Mill. She was picked up after a court appearance on an unrelated charge.

Stella Vassallo, 28, of Silas Carter Road in Manorville was arrested Thursday and charged with attempted robbery in the second degree. Police said the arrest stemmed from an investigation of . Vassallo entered the bank and handed the teller a note demanding cash, but fled the bank without any proceeds, according to police. The chatter on the police radio frequency after the incident indicated that the would-be bank robber told the teller she would be returning with a gun.

Police said that following the attempted bank robbery they received separate reports of a woman asking cashiers at gas stations on County Road 39 for several hundred dollars worth of scratch-off lottery tickets, then leaving with the tickets without paying. The first instance was at a Gulf station Dec. 31 at about 8:35 p.m. and the second instance was Jan. 2 at about 7:30 p.m., according to police. Police did not say where the second instance occurred. The investigation into these incidents revealed that the suspect was the same woman wanted for the attempted bank robbery, police said.

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In investigating Vassallo, detectives discovered she was due in First District Criminal court in Central Islip on unrelated charges on Thursday, police said. According to court records, Vassallo was arrested on Jan. 4 by Suffolk County Police and held on $250 bail. During her court appearance she pleaded guilty to loitering for the unlawful use of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. She was conditionally discharged for one year and is to pay a $200 fine by March 16 and an additional $200 for a court fee and a surcharge. Town police arrested her after the court appearance and transported her to Southampton Town Police headquarters in Hampton Bays, where she was held overnight to await morning arraignment.

In addition to attempted robbery, Vassallo was charged with two counts of petit larceny for the lottery tickets, police said.

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During the arraignment at , Vassallo was remanded to the Suffolk County Jail in Riverside in lieu of $52,000 bail.

The town police are encouraging anyone with any additional information concerning the attempted bank robber or larceny of lottery tickets to call the detectives division at 631-702-2230 or the crime tips hotline at 631-728-3454, or to e-mail crimetips@southamptontownny.gov. Police said all information will be kept strictly confidential.

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