By JEFF LIPTON
Two were charged with using a golf cart to damage a golf course in Oceanside, and two were accused of breaking into a house in Island Park, police said.
In the first incident, two Oceanside boys, Colby L. Stern, 16, of Freeman Avenue, and Jonathan A. Arcentales, also 16, of Park Avenue, are accused of trespassing on the grounds of the Middle Bay Country Club, at 3600 Skillman Ave., and swiping a golf cart, detectives said. "They went for a joyride around the golf course," Detective Lt. Larry Feffer, 4th Squad commander, said of the vandalism, which took place on July 28 at 5:30 p.m. "They damaged some greens and the fairway. They also hit some structures at the club."
Feffer said that the teens caused about $4,000 worth of damage, mostly to the golf course. They drove the cart recklessly through the course, intentionally crashing into divot bins, steel stands and a water cooler stand and causing damage to a tee area, according to police. The mischief also resulted in extensive damage to the cart, particularly its undercarriage, police said.
The club's security personnel stopped the suspects and held them until police arrived, authorities said. They were taken into police custody at 7:45 p.m., detectives said, adding that no one was reported injured.
The teens were charged with second-degree criminal mischief and third-degree criminal trespass, and were arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on July 29.
"What they did was not a very good idea," Feffer said.
Reached by phone at the country club, the club's manager declined to comment.
In the second incident, two teens from Island Park, Ilyas Bouali, 18, of Nassau Lane, and Joseph Minnieer, 17, of Parma Road, broke into a home on Island Parkway on July 29 at 7:11 p.m. by crawling through a side window, police reported. The suspects stuffed pillowcases with about $600 worth of video games and two sets of DVDs, Feffer said, and then tried to escape with the loot through a rear yard, but a witness called 911, and the teens were arrested by police.
Feffer praised the witness for noticing something suspicious and getting involved. "This witness used good common sense," Feffer said. "People like that can be very helpful. It's how a Neighborhood Watch program works. We ask people to look around their neighborhood, and if they see anything suspicious, to call police."
The suspects were charged with second-degree burglary, and were arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on July 30. All of the stolen property was recovered, police said.
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