New Option For Addicts Facing Charges

Suffolk DA Timothy Sini was joined my members of the judiciary and defense lawyers to announce a new legal option for defendants suffering from substance abuse.  Photo/Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

Suffolk County unveiled a new program Monday that aims to help people who are suffering from drug addiction get treatment.

Several county judges and criminal defense lawyers joined Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini to announce the creation of the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery and Education or C.A.R.E, program. The program allows defendants who are charged with relatively minor misdemeanors and have substance use disorders to participate in a drug treatment program in exchange for the dismissal of the pending charges against them in Suffolk County.

“This is the latest in our tool box to address the opioid epidemic and the drug epidemic here in Suffolk County,” Sini said.

The program is open to defendants charged with petit larceny, criminal possession of marijuana in the fourth or fifth degree, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal trespass in the second or third degree, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct or first-degree loitering. Defendants must also have no history of violence or gang involvement.

Sini said the C.A.R.E. program was the result of collaboration between his office, the county judiciary and the Suffolk County defense bar.

“Their input definitely shaped how this program is going to be implemented,” Sini said. “This is going to increase the number of defendants who have the opportunity to experience evidence-based treatment.”

Sini added that, based on statistics gathered between April and June, the C.A.R.E. program would be “more inclusive” than the county’s current drug court model. Figures showed 22 percent of the defendants who qualified for the proposed C.A.R.E. program during the three-month period were African American, and 20 percent were Latino.

Defense attorney Laurette Mulry, of the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, praised the new initiative for “addressing inequity in the justice system due to race and poverty.”

Eligible defendants who decide to take part must agree to receive drug treatment for 90 days. If participants successfully complete the treatment, their cases are dismissed and sealed.

Suffolk County District Administrative Judge C. Randall Hinrichs called the C.A.R.E. program a “new approach to misdemeanor drug cases” because access to treatment is not contingent on a plea agreement.

In the current Drug Treatment Court defendants suffering from substance abuse are required to enter a guilty plea in exchange for treatment. It also requires defendants participate in a minimum of 12 months of treatment for misdemeanor charges.

Both Sini and Hinrichs said the requirement of a guilty plea has been a disincentive for addicts to get treatment.

If a participant in the C.A.R.E. program is arrested on new charges, does not engage in the treatment program or does not report to court, then the defendant will be offered a guilty plea in the Drug Treatment Court.

Hinrichs said Judge Derrick Robinson, who presides over the county’s Drug Treatment Court, would also preside over the C.A.R.E. program.

Have You Seen 'Em Yet? QwikRide is Rolling

You can’t miss the brightly colored electric carts that have begun ferrying people around Huntington village. The first two to hit the roads are sponsored by The Paramount, Huntington Chamber of Commerce and Huntington Village Business Improvement District. 

The first Qwik Ride shuttles took to the streets of Huntington village Saturday night in an effort to relieve congestion in public parking lots.

 The free app-based shuttle service features two, six-person electric golf carts that will be used to pick up riders from outside of town and bring them into more crowded areas of the village during peak evening hours.

Qwik Ride, which recently started offering similar service in congested Patchogue village, is designed to free up parking in the heart of Huntington village by getting employees’ of village businesses to park their cars in outlier locations like the Town Hall parking lot or the municipal lot adjacent to Rite Aid at the western end of the village.

“The goal is to move employees to distant parking. When there are less people circling for spaces in the village, there’s no gridlock,” Qwik Ride co-founder Dan Cantelmo said in June.

He added that the business has had success in Patchogue.

“People want it. There’s a need for it, and the best part, it’s free.”

Qwik Ride’s business model relies on advertising. The Paramount, Huntington Chaber of Commerce and the Huntington Village Business Improvement District have already attached their brands to the first two carts in town.

Qwik Ride plans to expand the hours of the service in the coming weeks to include both daytime and evening shuttles.

An official ribbon cutting for the service is planned for late next week.

Greenlawn Firefighter 'Jumps For Goose'

Greenlawn Fire Department Lieutenant Eric Proctor completed a 24,000-foot HALO jump on July 7 in honor of Christopher Raguso.

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

The death of Commack resident and Air Force Master Sergeant Christopher Raguso on March 15 during what was to be his final tour of duty battling ISIS near the border of Iraq and Syria sent shockwaves through his community.

In addition to his service in the New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing, Raguso, called “Goose” by his friends, was a Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department at Engine 302 in Queens and a Lieutenant for the Commack Fire Department at Station 4.

Fire departments from around the Town of Huntington found different ways to honor the 18-year veteran of the volunteer fire service, but one fellow firefighter decided to take honoring Raguso’s sacrifice to new heights.

Greenlawn Fire Department Lieutenant, Eric Proctor, completed the “Jump for Goose” on July 7, a 24,000-foot HALO, or high altitude low opening, skydive event that fundraised for Raguso’s wife, Carmela, and two young daughters.

Eric Proctor, 31, of Greenlawn, wore Master Sergeant Christopher Raguso’s uniform shirt during the “Jump for Goose” fundraiser.

Proctor, who worked as an FDNY EMT with Raguso’s brother-in-law Anthony Dichiara, said he wanted to find a way to help the Raguso family after witnessing the positive impact that Chris had on so many people.

“In the fire service we’re all family, so I wanted to do something to help,” Proctor said.

The avid skydiver decided to combine his passion for jumping out of airplanes with his love of the fire service to create the fundraiser.

Master Sergeant Christopher Raguso, a Commack and FDNY firefighter, was killed in action on March 15 in a helicopter crash near the Iraq-Syria border.

“I wanted to take the HALO jump and make it about something bigger than just a bucket list item to check off,” Proctor said. “Chris gave so much to us that it felt really good to give something back.”

Proctor met with Carmela Raguso to make sure that the family was comfortable with the idea.

“Everything was about her, her family and Chris, and I wanted to make sure that this would be a respectful and honorable event,” Proctor said.

The extreme altitude of the HALO jump meant that Proctor needed to wear specialized oxygen equipment, something he had never done before in his more than 200 previous skydives.

“It was a long way down,” Proctor laughed. “The unlimited visibility was unbelievable… it really puts things into perspective for you.”

In addition to the specialized equipment, Proctor was presented with Raguso’s uniform shirt by Carmela to wear during the jump, along with another veteran’s purple heart.

“Putting on that uniform before the jump was a humbling and chilling experience… buttoning up that shirt was probably the most serious part of the day,” Proctor said.

Christopher Raguso with his wife, Carmela, and two young daughters.

Proctor said he would continue to raise funds to support the “Jump for Goose” event until Nov. 1, and that 100 percent of the money raised will go towards helping with the education of Raguso’s daughters.

“Something terrible happened, but it brings people together,” Proctor said. “The best thing that we can ask for is to be there for Chris’ family in the years to come and remember and honor an American hero.”

Anyone who would like to donate to “Jump for Goose” can visit Gofundme.com/jumpforgoose for more information.