Northport Court Report: Orders of Protection, Open Containers and More

A night dominated by adjournments saw only a handful of cases get resolved in Northport court.

George R. Tayler
51-year-old George R. Tayler pled guilty to disorderly conduct, a violation of Section 240.20-7 of the New York State Penal Code, during his court appearance. The charge stemmed from an incident that took place at 11a.m. last June 6, 2010 when he rang the doorbell of another man's house, shouted profanities at him, and displayed an object that the other man thought was a knife (it was described as a keychain/nail file by Tayler). He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge, attached with a $250 fine and $125 discharge, which he was given until June 6 of this year to pay. A temporary order of protection filed against him in regard to the individual was waived at the request of the district attorney. In pleading guilty, he also gave up his rights to have the case 

Sean P. Cummings
The case of Sean P. Cummings, who was sentenced to a conditional discharge and separate $125 surcharges after pleading guilty to two separate second-degree harassment violations in , was briefly re-visited this week without his presence in court. One of the employees who Cummings was required not to harm via a temporary order of protection appeared in court and asked that the order be waived, as it would prevent the employee from working at the FEGS facility in Northport where Cummings lived. It was originally decided that the temporary order of protection would not include a "refrain from communication" clause as a way to overcome this problem, but it was apparently not sufficient, as demonstrated by the employee's appearance in court. Judge Senzer accepted the request and waived the order of protection entirely.

Notable Adjournments
One defendant, accused of third-degree forgery and second-degree criminal contempt, had their case adjourned for six months after it was revealed that the defendant was prepared to pay $6,255 in restitution to the accuser. His attorney told the judge that the check would be in the mail within the week. The case was adjourned with contemplation for dismissal until August 28. 

Another defendant's case was adjourned until May 9 to allow the defendant to complete 100 hours of pre-plea community service, to be filed in a pre-sentence report. The charges against him, which include a DWI charge, would be dismissed upon completion of the community service.

A similar agreement was reached for another defendant, who had a pending indictment for third-degree grand larceny, among other charges. This defendant's case was adjourned for a year, during which the accused will undergo an interim probation period to be filed in a pre-sentence report upon completion. A further decision will be made on this case at that time once the pre-sentence report is received.

Village Arraignments
Two defendants were arraigned on crimes that violated the code of the Village of Northport.

The first, William Beener, of Bill Beener’s Tree Service of East Northport, was issued a summons by Northport Village Code Inspector Bud Rudloff for clearing a tree on the property the First Presbyterian Church 2:20 p.m. February 23 without a permit, a violation of Section 277-5A of the code. Beener had been hired by the church to remove the tree.

 A plea of not guilty was entered, and the case was adjourned until May 2 so that Village Administrator Gene Guido could replace the tree and (presumably) determine a cost for its replacement. 

The other defendant arraigned was charged with in violation of Section 88-4C of the Village code after getting caught with an open container of alcohol outside 72 Main Street at 9:52 PM last December 17. The defendant apparently threw the container of Budweiser to the ground upon spotting a police officer, and told the officer that "It slipped out of my hand. I'm not going to lie. I'm taking a friend to the bar. She's turning 21 today. I wanted to get drunk beforehand. You know how it is." The defendant's arraignment was originally scheduled for February 7, but did not appear, and told the judge that it was because the defendant could not get a ride from Centereach (the defendant's residence) to the courthouse. Judge Senzer said it would be chalked up to a misunderstanding. The defendant entered a plea of not guilty and will be due back in court on April 4.

Traffic Cases
A 26-year-old Sound Beach resident pleaded guilty to a reduced 1180(d) traffic infraction. The defendant was charged with going 55 miles per hour in a 35 mile-per-hour zone. The defendant also pled guilty to a count of driving with windows tinted too dark (NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law 375 12-a) after it was revealed that the windows on his 2010 Audi that was ticketed were not replaced. The defendant was sentenced to a $400 fine (with an $85 surcharge) for the first infraction and a $150 fine (with an $85 surcharge) for the second infraction. The judge set a May 2 deadline for the $720 to be paid by.

Two other traffic cases were dismissed upon recommendation of the Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney.

With preliminary jurisdiction over felonies and general trial jurisdiction over misdemeanors, traffic infractions and local ordinance violations, Northport Village Court is in session every Monday at 7 p.m. except state holidays. The Court Clerk’s Office is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. The phone number is  (631) 757-0935.

Village Justice: Hon. Paul H. Senzer
Acting Village Justice: Hon. Ralph W. Crafa
Court Clerk: Valerie Sabia
Deputy Court Clerk: Cheri Lewis
Court Reporter: Allison Garelle

Other important numbers: Suffolk County District Attorney (criminal, traffic & all state offenses)
Northport Village Prosecuting Attorney - Karen Kerr, Esq. 
(local ordinance matters)
Suffolk County Legal Aid Society
Suffolk County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Information Service: