By:Jeff Lipton
Police arrested the suspect, identified as Dino Psaras, and charged him with growing several marijuana plants adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road tracks near his home on Pearsall Place, police said. He was arrested last Friday, authorities said.
The arrest was made after an investigation by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police, Fourth Squad detectives and the Nassau County Narcotics Bureau.
The suspect was reportedly found to be in possession of about 20 marijuana plants, police said. Detective Sergeant Willard Miller of the Fourth Squad said the MTA police were the first to spot the alleged marijuana garden alongside the train tracks. Police were astonished to discover that someone would plant marijuana there, officials said.
The MTA notified police at the Fourth Precinct, seeking assistance, and a patrol supervisor was dispatched to the scene, Miller said. The supervisor directed officers to canvass the neighborhood "to ascertain who owned the garden," Miller said. The investigation led police to the suspect, who admitted that it was his garden. "He said it was for his own personal use, and it was not for re-sale," Miller said.
"The marijuana plants were actually found on the right-of-way of the railroad," said Detective Sergeant John Azzata of the Fourth Squad. Police could not say how long the plants had been growing there before authorities found them.
Azzata said that the plants were confiscated and invoiced, then taken to a Nassau County Police Department lab for further inspection. "That way, if the case goes to trial, the plants would have been tested ... and verified that they are in fact marijuana plants," he said.
Azzata explained that evidence is tested at the Nassau County Police Department's Forensic Examination Bureau.
Psaras was charged with second-degree criminal possession of marijuana, a class D felony. He was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Aug. 14, police said.
Psaras could not be reached for comment, since his phone was disconnected.
The investigation is continuing, police said.
