3-2-2008 New York:
Responding to a flurry of warnings among PTA members and superintendents in several Huntington Town school districts, the Suffolk police this week investigated -- and debunked -- reports that a suspected sex offender was seen repeatedly sitting in his car at a school bus stop not far from a Dix Hills middle school.
The Half Hollow Hills school district did the right thing when it reported the man's presence, said Det. Lt. Tom O'Heir, the Second Squad commander.
But after a thorough background check investigators concluded, O'Heir said, that "he is not a sex offender."
The man is wanted by Massachusetts officials on a very low-level arrest warrant that is not serious enough to merit extradition, O'Heir said.
Dix Hills residents were concerned because the man's car, a green Mustang, was registered to an East Northport address, but was often parked in Dix Hills near the Candlewood Middle School on Carll's Straight Path.
Detectives found out that the man has recently been parking his car in Dix Hills because he moved there from East Northport, the police said.
As of Friday morning, "stranger alert" warnings were still posted on the Half Hollow Hills, Commack and Northport-East Northport school district Web sites.
A detailed e-mail message about the man has also circulated to PTA members and school volunteers in the Commack and Harborfields school districts.
"I am alerting you as a member of our school community, that a suspicious individual has been seen in the area of Thornwood Drive," Sheldon Karnilow, the Half Hollow Hills superintendent, said in his Web site warning.
"As there is no record of him through the Megan's Law registry, we are limited in the type and amount of information we can share. The suspicious individual is in his late 20s and drives a dark, late model car."
The Half Hollow Hills superintendent updated his warning on Feb. 26. "Our head of security drove around the area this morning and spotted the unoccupied car and alerted the police. The individual supposedly lives in an apartment close to Thornwood and parks his car on Thornwood," Karnilow said. "The police are aware of his presence and are conducting an investigation."
The Commack school district gave several further details on its Web site. "It has come to our attention that a white male driving a dark green 1995 Ford Mustang has been observed parked near school bus stops in the area," the Commack message says.
"This matter has already been reported to the police, and they are aware of this individual and his actions. To our knowledge, he has not yet spoken to or approached any student."
The e-mail message to PTA members said the man sits in his car on Thornwood Drive beginning at 2 p.m. and remaining there for several hours as children are dropped off by schoolbuses.
"I finally called the police on Friday and they responded and handcuffed him. After about an hour, they removed the handcuffs and released him" because Massachusetts authorities don't want him extradited, the e-mail message said.
The man told the officer that he sits in his car when he wants to smoke cigarettes, because he is not allowed to smoke in his apartment, the e-mail said.
"The officer then had to release him because he did not commit any crime here in New York," the message said.
"I made flyers and put them in the mailboxes of everyone on Thornwood Drive and in the court as there are a lot of children in the area."
Though in this case the man who raised suspicions has no past sex offender history, Lt. O'Heir said, the Suffolk County Police Department encourages residents to keep an eye on their neighborhoods and to report their concerns. ..more.. by JOSEPH MALLIA
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