Crimes Nearby: Marijuana Plants Worth $3.8 Million Found in Riverhead

The following information was supplied by the East End police departments. A criminal charge is only an accusation and does not indicate guilt.

At around 4:30 p.m., Westhampton Beach police responded to a call reporting that a man with a gun had been doing circles in his truck around the schools looking at kids for about 30 minutes.

Police said they were quickly able to locate the driver, a 39-year-old East Quogue man who was driving a silver pickup truck. Police said they soon learned that he was simply searching for his daughter.

He did, though, have an air rifle in his backseat and was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on school grounds, a violation.

“It was all a misunderstanding,” Lieutenant Trevor Gonce said.

In addition, he was cited for having a suspended license in the second degree, a misdemeanor. Police said his license was suspended due to an alcohol-related offense.

RIVERHEAD

• A sting operation conducted by New York State Police on Monday night led to charges being filed against three clerks for selling alcohol to minors at three separate locations in Riverhead and Flanders.

At the Flanders Deli, on Flanders Road, a 16-year-old clerk from Flanders was charged with one count of unlawful dealing with a child and one count of prohibited sale of an alcoholic beverage.

At the Garden Deli, also on Flanders Road., Flanders. The clerk, a 28-year-old Flanders woman was also issued tickets for one count of unlawful dealing with a child and one count of prohibited sale of an alcoholic beverage.

And at Gulf Gas & Food Mart, on East Main Street in Riverhead, a 60-year-old man from Riverhead, was charged the same as the Flanders clerks.

All three clerks were issued appearance tickets and are due in court at a later date.

• A Calverton man was arrested Sunday after police said he stabbed his girlfriend during a domestic dispute at Tanger.

Paul C. Thompson, Jr., 24, of Calverton, was arrested Sunday at 8:37 p.m. in Mastic Beach and charged with assault in the second degree, a felony, grand larceny in the fourth degree, a felony, petty larceny, a misdemeanor, criminal mischief in the fourth degree, a misdemeanor, and criminal obstruction of breathing, a misdemeanor, police said.

Earlier Sunday, police asked for the public's help to locate Thompson, after his girlfriend was allegedly stabbed by her boyfriend at Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead, and then forced to drive him to another spot before she was able to escape Saturday night, police said.

• Federal agents have charged a Riverhead man after they found 1,689 marijuana plants, worth $3.8 million growing inside his Osborne Avenue home earlier this week.

According to a report on Newsday, Edward Dispirito, 55, of Riverhead was charged along with James Ford, 70, of Seaford, with conspiracy to distribute marijuana after federal agents raided their homes.