Crime & Safety

Crime Nearby: Teacher Accused of Having Child Porn

Notable arrests and convictions across Long Island.

Written by Pam Robinson

A teacher accused of possessing child pornography is scheduled to return to court Wednesday.

Francesco Santodonato, a substitute physical education teacher in the South Huntington school district, was arrested Thursday at his West Babylon home where Suffolk County police said they found child porn on his computer.

3 Arrested on Weapons Charges

Three men stopped for rolling through a stop sign were caught with weapons in their vehicle in South Farmingdale Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The arrests come in the wake of a string of armed robberies in neighboring communities committed by three men but, so far, police have not said whether there is any connection between the weekend end robberies and last week's arrests. 

Arrested were Todd Rympalski, 25, of Bellmore,  Edward Gianino, 25, of Farmingdale, and Thomas Skuza, 27, of Amityville. Each of the men has been charged with four counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Rympalski was also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

$30,000 Worth of Sunglasses Stolen

A Malverne resident from Park Boulevard reported parking a vehicle in the street  and half an hour later, realized that  tailgate window was shattered and three black bags were removed. The bags contained Gucci, Chesterfield and Tommy Hilfiger eye glasses and sunglasses valued at $29,319.62. Nassau County's Fourth Precinct is investigating.

Pair Accused of Drag Racing

Suffolk County Police have accused two men of drag racing in East Farmingdale. First Precinct Crime Section officers witnessed the drivers of a 2003 Nissan 350Z and a 2002 BMW M3 drag racing in East Farmingdale just after midnight Saturday. The arrests were part of an ongoing investigation and the location of the race wasn't disclosed. 

Man Dies After Struggle With Police

Suffolk County Police are continuing their investigation into thedeath of a man in a struggle with police.

According to police, officers from the Seventh Precinct were called to Maryhaven Center of Hope in Middle Island on Wednesday after a resident became uncontrollable and violent. 

Employees at Maryhaven wanted the resident, Dainell Simmons, 29, to be taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for a psychiatric emergency.

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Police said when officers arrived, Simmons fought with police who deployed a taser and pepper spray. During the struggle, Simmons became unresponsive and was taken to Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, where he died.

Several police officers were treated and released from various hospitals for injuries sustained during the struggle.

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An autopsy on Simmons was scheduled to be performed by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.


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