(ROOSEVELT, N.Y.) – Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé (D – Freeport) joined her Legislature colleagues, Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder, and Nassau County Detectives Association (DAI) leaders in honoring First Precinct Detective Sergeant Michael Guerra and Detectives Steven McCarthy, Craig Johnston and Ashley Learned as the DAI’s Legislative “Top Cops” on Monday, Oct. 21.
On Sunday, Sept. 22, a woman told police that an unknown man approached her while she was eating at a Roosevelt deli with a friend. He presented a black wallet with a gold badge, claimed to be a detective, and said he was arresting her for assaulting a deli employee. When the victim told the man she did not assault anyone, he handcuffed her before pulling her out of the deli by the arms and onto the sidewalk.
Two women followed them out, recorded the incident on their cell phones, and yelled that the suspect was impersonating a detective and were going to call police, causing the suspect to flee. The next day, after being offered money to keep quiet, the victim reported the incident to police, after which detectives discovered the suspect had previously been arrested in 2022 for assault. The suspect was later apprehended and admitted he was responsible for the incident at the deli.
“While there are so many disturbing elements of this incident, I was heartened by the fact that Good Samaritans went out of their way to help this woman by recording the altercation and confronting the suspect, setting in motion a sequence of events that led to the solving of this crime,” Legislator Mulé said. “I applaud Detective Sergeant Guerra and Detectives McCarthy, Johnston and Learned for their outstanding work in serving the residents of Roosevelt and Nassau County.”
PHOTO CREDITS – Photos by Peter M. Budraitis