Crime & Safety

Crimes Nearby: Pot Farm; Gambling Ring Bust

Notable arrests and criminal activity in the region.

Nassau County and old Brookville Police departments made two arrests and uncovered a pot-growing operation on the grounds of Old Brookville Nurseries late Friday. 

Two East Northport men, Bryan Zembreski, 36, and Anthony Donarummo, 40, are charged with first-degree criminal possession of marijuana after they were found at a marijuana grow farm, Nassau Police said.

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police searched Old Brookville Nurseries at 5300 Northern Blvd. after a suspicious persons call at 9:48 p.m. Police K9 “Thunder” sniffed the suspects out – and found a whole lot more in the process.

Police said Zembreski was discovered hiding in the woods next to four large bags believed to be marijuana while Donarummo was located in heavy brush.

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A further search of the grounds uncovered what police called an extensive marijuana grow farm with plants as tall as 12-15 feet. While the pot was growing at Old Brookville Nurseries, police said it is a very large property and didn’t believe the owner knew about the marijuana operation.

Four from Queens Netted in Gambling Ring Bust

Four Queens residents and another from the Bronx have been indicted after being netted in an illegal gambling ring bust, the Queens district attorney said.

Queens residents arrested include Ridgewood’s Benny Maldonado, 60, Woodhaven’s Rosa Rincon, 56, and Ozone Park’s Saul Montalvo, 44, and Veronica Montalvo, 40. One Bronx resident, Juan Arisa, was also arrested, while Corona’s Daniel Montalvo, 26, was still being sought by police.

The gambling operation was brought down by police following a six-month investigation that utilized wiretaps and physical surveillance.

Brown said the organization allegedly handled more than $1 million per year in illegal bets.

Learn more

Hit-and-Run Suspect was Involved in High School Sex Scandal

The Massapequa suspect accused of the hit-and-run death of an Old Bethpage man and his dog was once a teacher involved in a high-profile sex scandal involving one of his students, Patch has learned. 

Matthew Johnstone, 37, of North Massapequa, a former East Islip gym teacher, resigned five years ago after one of his students claimed he had an affair with her.

Learn more.

Cops Capture Rolex Robber

Nassau County police on Saturday night said a Brooklyn man who allegedly used a metal bar to break into a Welwyn Road apartment to steal a high-priced watch has been arrested in New York City.

Detectives said that in August, Stanislaw Brynskiy of Coney Island stole a Rolex from the Great Neck apartment of someone he knew.  

He was arrested on Saturday in Brooklyn for a separate incident. Brynskiy is charged with second-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief and possession of burglar tools. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Bayside-Douglaston