To say 2012 was a strange year could be the understatement of the year – between Hurricane Sandy, strange arrests and various crimes, Babylon saw a year quite unlike any other before. The following were among the top-viewed police & crime stories during this year.
Babylon Drunk Driver Had Four Times Legal BAC Limit, Charged With Murder
Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota charged Babylon resident Michael Grasing with a slew of charges in July after a late June crash that killed Lindenhurst teenager Brittney Walsh. Grasing allegedly had a BAC of .30, nearly four times the legal limit of .08.
Calling his actions a depraived indifference for human life, Spota called for Murder in the Second Degree along with 10 other charges. Currently, Grasing is in jail awaiting trail.
Nassau County Cop from Babylon Shot Dead
Nassau County Police Officer Arthur Lopez, an eight-year veteran of the force and Babylon resident for many years, was shot and killed by a man after pulling him over on the Cross Island Parkway in October. The suspect, Darrell Fuller, left his vehicle, shot another man – 52 year old Raymond Facey and stole his vehicle.
The alleged murderer led police on an intense manhunt of a Queens neighborhood before surrendering to police after a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Fuller awaits trail for two counts of murder.
Gang-Related Shootings in West Babylon
During the late summer and early fall, the northern most area of West Babylon faced a slew of gang-related shootings, according to police. Between August 26th and September 26th, one man was killed and several others injured by shootings.
Police later described the crimes as all being related, especially due to their close proximity to each other near Centerwood Street along the West Babylon/Wyandanch border.
Village Home Searched by Suffolk Police
Residents spotted a police search at the home of a Babylon resident in early May as part of a bigger investigation. The search found large quantities of heroin, Xanax, marijuana and other narcotics as well as some weapons.
Police charged Christian Repetto of Babylon with nine counts of illegal weapons possession and drug possession charges.
Two Prostitution Rings Busted in West Babylon
A year of strange crimes for a usually quiet area had two similar illegal activities busted up within months of each other.
In June, Suffolk Police raided a West Babylon home at 750 Sunrise Highway and arrested 45-year-old Jinyu Yuan of Flushing on charges of illegal activities, including prostitution, run out of her massage parlor at that address.
Later in September, another prostituion ring fell in a crack down in West Babylon at the Green Health Spa on Route 109. Three women – Xiu-Fang Ye, 40; Liying Han, 24; and Lina Yang, 31, all from Flushing were charged with different crimes, Ye's being the most serious – prostitution.
