By Karenlyn Barone, Jacquie Rath and Mike Schnitzel
Unlikely coincidences cloud tale of Lynbrook trustee's traffic tickets
In the past week, a strange series of events involving a Lynbrook village trustee has included allegations of a high-speed car chase, a supposed effort to evade police, and a fellow trustee reportedly hiding in bushes and taking photographs. In the wake of all the confusion, what remains is the fact that Lynbrook Trustee Richard J. Clifford was issued two tickets for traffic violations on Nov. 30.
The fact that Clifford, a retired New York City police officer, had recently asked to be considered for the Rockville Centre police commissioner's job and that he has been embroiled in ongoing political discord in Lynbrook had conspiracy theorists in both villages buzzing. Was Clifford set up and, if so, by whom?
One of the more remarkable aspects of the drama was Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Jack McKeon's refutations of his account in Newsday of the alleged high-speed chase. "Newsday got it wrong," McKeon said, referring to an article that appeared on Wednesday in which he said that Clifford led Rockville Centre police on a chase through local streets.
In a phone interview with the Herald on Wednesday, McKeon denied the published statement, saying, "All we have here is a series of traffic infractions." McKeon confirmed that Clifford was issued a ticket for speeding and another for making an illegal U-turn.
Clifford is more surprised than anyone at the attention his tickets have drawn. "I don't believe this is going on," Clifford told the Herald on Wednesday. "I committed a traffic infraction, and the political climate in Lynbrook has blown things up more than they should have. The officer was doing his job, and gave me a summons for a traffic infraction."
In a statement at the village board meeting on Monday, Clifford said, in part, "When I arrived home on [Nov. 30], a plainclothes Rockville Centre police officer, driving a white Nissan Maxima, was at my house. He issued a ticket for the U-turn and a speeding ticket, and that was that. What has transpired since then is nothing short of defamatory and insulting false rumors about my character. ... There are a few people in our community who believe that democracy gives them the right to be malicious and to defame. They are sadly mistaken. Their actions only reveal their own depraved character."
Adding to the confusion was the allegation that Trustee David Penso and former Trustee Kevin Kelly were on the scene when Clifford was issued the tickets, and that Penso photographed the incident. When asked if he was waiting in the bushes near Clifford's house with a camera, Penso said, "No. I was a block away, and I had my digital camera, because I always keep it in my car. Outside of Richie Clifford's house there was a marked Rockville Centre police car, an unmarked Rockville Centre police car, and former Trustee Kevin Kelly. I was right out in the open. I was speaking to the trustee and the people who live in [a neighboring] house. I was not hiding behind any bushes."
Penso admitted to taking a photo of Clifford being issued the summonses, but did not elaborate on his reasons for doing so or what brought him and Kelly to Clifford's neighborhood just in time to witness and photograph the incident. "I hope that the Herald does not put a spin on any of the events, because I will hold them accountable," Penso said .
Kelly did not return calls for comment.
When asked about his interest in the police commissioner's job, Clifford said, "In September, Commissioner McKeon fell unexpectedly ill, and it was my understanding that his position might become available in the future. ... McKeon recovered from his unexpected hospital stay, and the request for consideration became a moot point, as far as I was concerned."
Comments about this story? KBarone@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202
