By Angela Marshall
Guns out, Nassau County undercover police officers stormed the dead-end street last Thursday. They arrested the Kellys' new neighbor, Rod Ewert, 30, of 37 Lincoln Court. He had moved in the previous Sunday.
Ewert was one of seven Hell's Angels members arrested last week and charged with first-degree robbery in connection with an alleged beating and robbery at the club's Hempstead clubhouse in February.
Daddy, I want to move, Kelly recalled her daughter saying after Ewert was driven away.
Six families from Lincoln Court told similar stories of a quiet neighborhood turned upside-down at the village Board of Trustees meeting Monday night. They want help. They want something done with the landlord of 37 Lincoln Court.
It's really, really, really, really urgent, said Theresa Giganti of 30 Lincoln Court.
Rain kept most of the neighbors inside during the time of the arrest, but Giganti saw a brief splash of sunshine and decided to take her children for a bike ride. No sooner had they exited the house then the block filled with cars and men with guns.
I was just standing there not knowing what to do, Giganti said.
This isn't the first time police activity has disrupted neighborhood play.
Last year, the previous tenant of 37 Lincoln Court's upstairs apartment was allegedly dealing drugs on the street, according to neighbors who took to the microphone. Giganti said cars would drive up to the house, honk and the tenant would come out just long enough to complete a sale.
Residents of the neighborhood began to stay inside. They called police, village officials, anyone they thought might be able to help. Rockville Centre's building department issued five summonses on May 17, 2001, for failure to maintain the property, debris and more.
Warren Kelly, deputy commissioner of the Rockville Centre Police Department, said the neighbors' suspicions about drug deals occurring at 37 Lincoln Court were never substantiated and that Rockville Centre police never arrested the tenant.
The home is owned by an absentee landlord, Carmine Rocioppi, who has not appeared in village court to answer the summonses. He was sent a letter last week by Acting Court Clerk Christine Tarpinian saying that failure to appear at his next hearing, May 9, would result in an arrest warrant being issued.
The neighbors said for months they asked Rocioppi to get rid of the previous tenant and when the apartment was vacated nearly four weeks ago, they hoped their nightmare was over.
Ava and John Town, who live on the first floor of the house, soon learned it wasn't.
When John heard commotion outside his door last Thursday, he opened it to see a man with a 9 millimeter on the other side. Get back in your house, he was told.
The Towns told the village board that Ewert is a longtime friend of the landlord.
Maryann Lawrence of 33 Lincoln Court asked the board to change laws that allow absentee landlords to own two-family homes in the village. Two-family homes, she said, should be owner occupied.
We can only beg for your support and ask for your help, Lawrence continued.
Mayor Eugene Murray told the residents, We're going to keep an eye on that place more than ever.
Commissioner Kelly agreed, saying, I want to assure you we will do our best to rid the problem from your block.
