Crimes Nearby: Money Stolen From Cancer Patient, Cops Said

Editor's Note: The following information was supplied by various town police departments. A criminal charge is only an accusation and does not indicate guilt.

Westhampton-Hampton Bays

 • Josephine O’Brien, 48, of Hampton Bays, was arrested on May 4 and charged with theft of services, a felony, and petty larceny, a misdemeanor.   
According to police, an investigation showed that O’Brien had used someone else’s credit card without permission multiple times to buy food from Francesca’s restaurant in Hampton Bays. O’Brien allegedly bought the food and canceled the transactions after she had obtained the food.

North Fork
 
• A man stole a woman's purse in Greenport and took off running, police said.
According to Southold Town police, on Tuesday night at 12:42 a.m., a 22-year-old woman was walking home on Front Street when a man grabbed her purse. The man, police said, took off running towards Fifth Street and was not seen again. The purse was later found and the woman noticed that her wallet was missing, police said.

A K-9 unit searched the area and briefly picked up a scent of the purse snatcher, police said — though they were unable track him down.

Southampton

• A 52-year-old Hampton Bays man was driving drunk when he was involved in an accident Saturday morning on County Road 39 in Southampton, according to police.

Southampton Town police said they were called at about 12:11 a.m. to the accident at the North Bishop Lane intersection. No injuries were reported, but the right eastbound lane of County Road 39 was closed.

Kevin Fennell was charged with a felony count of driving while intoxicated and a count of failing to use a designated lane, a traffic infraction.  

East Hampton

• Nearly $2,000 in cash was stolen from the Springs home of a woman fighting breast cancer last week.
 
Chris Foran told ABC News that some of the money was for her to use towards her breast cancer treatment and some of the money had been raised for her Heaven Can Wait team that participates in the LI2Day Walk, which helps raise money for breast cancer-related initiatives, like Lucia's Room at Southampton Hospital.
 
Foran reported her house was burglarized on May 7 — sometime between 1:15 and 5:30 p.m., according to a police report. The thieves entered through a back door. Police took fingerprints and pictures, but no arrests have been yet. In addition to cash and change, they also stole several pieces of Foran's jewelry.
 
• An East Hampton man is being held on $10,000 cash, or $50,000 bond, after town police arrested him a felony drunken driving charge on April 27.

According to jail records, Roberto G. Contreras, 38, is also being held on an immigration detainer and a warrant.
 
Police said Contreras was seen swerving in a 1999 Chevrolet pickup truck on Springs Fireplace Road, near Harrison Avenue, at about 12:50 p.m. During a traffic stop, police said he appeared intoxicated.

Back at headquarters, police ran his fingerprints and found that during a previous arrest, he provide a different name — Moreno P. Jimenez — and date of birth to New York State police. Under that name, a DMV check revealed he was previously convicted of DWI in December 2006 and his license had been suspended in January 2007 pending prosecution.
 
Police upgraded the charges against him to a felony DWI and felony aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.