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Overcast and Breezy BREAKING NEWS: NYC teacher from Baldwin charged with sex abuse of minor
Six indicted for two alleged December murders, including a Valley Stream resident
Possible killers of Lawrence victim Harold B. Sermeno identified
Six alleged MS-13 members have been indicted for their alleged role in two murders that took place in Far Rockaway and Lawrence last December.
Obituary
Longtime Kennedy Principal Lorraine Poppe dies
Lorraine Poppe, a beloved and transformational educator for 44 years, died on Tuesday after a long period of declining health.
Three walk away unharmed in Valley Stream plane crash
A small plane reportedly crashed onto the lawn of a Valley Stream home around 10 p.m. on Sunday. The plane's pilot reportedly became disoriented in the fog and crashed when the plane ran out of …
Off-duty NYPD officer, father of five from Elmont is killed in Queens crash
An off-duty New York City police officer from Elmont was killed early this morning in a motorcycle accident on the Laurelton Parkway in Queens. Police Officer Marc St. Arromand, 42, from Elmont …
Homeless man indicted in gas station murder near Baldwin border
Joshua Roston, the man charged with hitting and killing popular South Hempstead gas station manager Cemal Dagdeviren in January, was back in Nassau County April 9 and arraigned on murder and other charges. Roston, a homeless man whose last known address was in Baldwin, had fought extradition to Long Island after he turned himself in to Philadelphia police on Jan. 18. A Philadelphia judge issued an extradition order, known as a governor’s warrant, earlier this month, according to the Nassau County Police Department. Roston faces three counts of second-degree murder, leaving the scene of an incident, two counts of first-degree robbery, one count of third-degree robbery, three counts of petit larceny and two counts of first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick, of the NCPD’s Homicide Squad, said that Roston was charged with three counts of murder because there are many ways to kill someone. “And in this particular incident,” Fitzpatrick explained at a news conference the day the charges were filed, “this conformed into any one of those three categories.” According to the indictment, on Jan. 14, Roston intended to kill Dagdeviren when he struck him as he tried to avoid paying for $22 worth of gas at the Pit Stop in South Hempstead. Dagdeviren tried to stop Roston from leaving the gas station without paying, which he had done a number of times, the NCPD said. The second murder charge alleges that Roston acted in a way that created a grave risk of death to another person. “It was a particularly heinous and depraved way that he ran over Mr. Dagdeviren,” Fitzpatrick said. The third count states that Roston’s alleged robbery of the gas station caused Dagdeviren’s death. If convicted of any one of the murder charges, Roston faces 25 years to life in prison. He is due back in court on May 9. The other charges stem from previous incidents in which Roston allegedly fled gas stations without paying, and the forged instrument charges relate to cases in which he tried to pay for gas with counterfeit money. He was previously convicted of assaulting a Nassau County police officer and has convictions in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and North Carolina for other crimes. “This wasn’t a first-time occurrence for Mr. Roston,” Fitzpatrick said. “He knew what he was doing, and on that day he chose to take a life.” Roston will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement. “An innocent 59-year-old man lost his life because this defendant allegedly chose to run him over rather than pay for $22 worth of gas,” Singas said. “This senseless murder shocks the conscience, and our prosecutors will aggressively seek justice for Mr. Dagdeviren and his family.” Joseph LoPiccolo, Roston’s attorney, had not returned calls seeking comment as the Herald went to press. In interviews with several TV stations, LoPiccolo said his client was innocent of murder and that he fled the gas station in an act of self-defense. “He believes he was fleeing for his own safety at that time,” LoPiccolo said. LoPiccolo also stated that Roston was unaware that he had hit Dagdeviren. “I’ll let that one play out in court,” Fitzpatrick said at the news conference. Roston turned himself in to Philadelphia police once his name and photo from a prior arrest were released on television, but fought extradition to Nassau County for close to three months. LoPiccolo said that Roston went to Philadelphia police in an attempt to clear his name. Hundreds of Baldwin, South Hempstead and Rockville Centre residents mourned Dagdeviren after he was run down. He was remembered as a kind man and a conscientious business owner. “I think it might just give a small level of comfort, a small amount of comfort to the Dagdeviren family, that the guy who did this has been extradited back here,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, a Baldwinite who lives near the Pit Stop, said. “He’s in custody here, the D.A. will take over and make sure he’s prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” Dagdeviren’s son Ceyhun stood alongside law enforcement personnel at the news conference, but declined to speak with reporters.
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Lynbrook mayor Alan Beach names new deputy mayor
In the wake of a heated mayoral election, the Lynbrook village board reorganized at its April 1 meeting, with Mayor Alan Beach naming Trustee Michael Hawxhurst the new deputy mayor.
Legislator to tackle veteran homelessness with new bills
County officials and veterans appeared before the Nassau County Legislature in Mineola on April 3 as Legislator Josh Lafazan, an independent from Woodbury, introduced two new bills aimed at ending …
Restoring Elmont Road Park
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Elmont Road Park was the center of the community. Residents of all ages gathered to play at the park’s sports facilities and playground, but as the years passed, …
Local leaders gather to discuss State of Elmont
The Elmont Chamber of Commerce held its third annual State of Elmont meeting at the American Legion Post 1033 on April 3. The State of Elmont, which used to be a staple in the community more than 25 …
Health
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center opens in central Nassau
Thirty-nine-year-old Stacy Miranda is an ice climber — that is, she scales cliff faces coated in ice. She does so as a member of Climb for Hope, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to …
Neighbors
A ‘souper’ collection in Malverne
In an effort to help stock the food pantry at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Malverne, as well as bringing the community together, the church held its annual Souper Scavenger Hunt last …
Seaford actress to appear in Garden gig
Jacqueline Fisher is only 26, but she is already a show biz veteran. Currently part of the “PAW Patrol Live” national touring company, the Seaford native has been appearing onstage for …
Valley Stream Chabad offers pre-Passover relaxation
Almost 40 women gathered at Temple Hillel on April 3 to decompress from their Passover preparations, which include destroying or selling leavened food, cleaning appliances and setting the table for the first two Seders. During the Seders — which are held on the first and second night of the holiday — Jews eat matzo, read the story of Exodus, drink four cups of wine and sing songs.
GOP candidate to be appointed to Ambrosino's seat on Tuesday
Tom Muscarella, the Garden City Republican tapped by the County GOP to run for convicted Hempstead Councilman Ed Ambrosino's seat, is likely to be seated before he begins campaigning. At next week's Hempstead Town Board meeting, the Republican-controlled board is set to appoint Muscarella to the seat left empty after Ambrosino resigned, over the objections of Democratic Town Supervisor Laura Gillen.
Editorial
We must rethink state testing for grades 3-8
Welcome to another annual rite of spring: the state exams for grades three through eight.
Op-Ed
Catholics must speak up to end abuse
When I see stories of sexual abuse by clergy members, I’m often angry with many people. Mostly, I’m angry with those who allowed the abuse to go on uninterrupted for years . . .
Op-Ed
We’ve got a plan to make L.I. commuters’ lives easier
For far too long, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been a faceless organization, with Long Island Rail Road riders paying for overpriced tickets while receiving subpar service. For years, over 300,000 daily LIRR riders . . .
Randi Kreiss
Uncle Joe would have loved my Aunt Helen
You might think that there’s nothing more to say about former Vice President Joe Biden and the touchy-feely behavior that makes some women “uncomfortable,” but that’s only because you didn’t know my Aunt Helen.