12 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JUNE 2021
IN THE NEWS
WEB BRIEFS LI AT A GLANCE
MANHASSET SCHOOL SUP UNDER FIRE
AMID SEXUAL HARASSMENT PROBE
Members of the Manhasset community are calling
for the resignation of their school district’s superintendent
after an independent investigation found that
he violated the district’s sexual harassment policy.
Dr. Vincent Butera, Superintendent of Manhasset
School District, is the subject of at least six complaints
of sexual harassment made by a female teacher who no
longer works in the district, according to a Manhasset
Press article that was published on May 5.
The teacher sent a letter in September 2020 to the
Manhasset Board of Education, which subsequently
sought independent counsel to investigate the allegations.
The counsel found that Butera violated the
sexual harassment policy and offered
the Board of Education recommendations
for
moving forward,
said Pat Aitken,
president
of the
board, during a board public meeting.
“Appropriate steps were taken consistent with the
recommendations of the independent counsel,” Aitken
said.
-Briana Bonfiglio
3 NYPD COPS BUSTED FOR BRIBERY,
DRUGS
Three NYPD officers from Long Island were charged
for their alleged roles in a towing company bribery
scheme as well as drug trafficking, prosecutors announced
on May 11.
34-year-old Heather Busch, of Massapequa, 36-yearold
Robert Hassett, of Farmingville, and 44-year-old
Robert Smith, of Plainview, were arrested on May 11
and charged with five counts of using interstate facilities
to commit bribery and two counts of conspiracy
to violate the Travel Act. Smith is also charged with
attempting to transport at least one kilogram of heroin
and possessing a firearm during the commission of
that crime.
During the period of the alleged crimes, all three
defendants were NYPD officers assigned to the 105th
Precinct in Queens. Smith retired from the NYPD in
March 2020.
“As alleged, the defendants shamelessly violated their
oaths of office and the public trust by trading their
badges for cash payments,” stated Acting United States
Attorney Mark J. Lesko. “This office will vigorously
pursue corrupt public servants like these defendants,
who exploited their positions as police officers for
personal gain.”
According to charges, starting in September 2016
NYPD Officers Smith and Hassett allegedly responded
to automobile accidents by directing the damaged vehicles
to a licensed tow trucking and automobile repair
business operated by an individual instead of
using the dep
a r t -
ment’s Directed
Accident Response
Program (DARP). DARP requires
all NYPD officers to identify an
appropriate licensed tow trucking business to
respond to the scene of the automobile accident and
remove the damaged vehicles from the scene, and
to ensure that no one particular business received
favored treatment, officers are required to utilize a
computer system that randomly selects a licensed tow
trucking business
-Emily Davenport, amNewYork Metro
NYCLU SUES FREEPORT PD FOR RECORDS
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) filed a
lawsuit on May 7 against the Village of Freeport Police
Department for allegedly denying the group access to
police misconduct records.
The civil rights group said the police department
has denied its Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)
requests for records of misconduct that did and did
not lead to discipline of an officer. The group also said
the department denied its administrative appeal of
that denied request in December 2020. The lawsuit
comes after the repeal of Section 50-a of the state Civil
Rights Law, which previously allowed police officers’
personnel records to be shielded from public scrutiny.
“Freeport PD cannot ignore the fact that 50-a was
repealed, and police transparency is essential to police
accountability,” Susan Gottehrer, Nassau County
chapter director at the NYCLU, said in a statement.
“We will continue to take action to ensure 50-a is repealed
in theory and practice across New York State
by obtaining full documentation of misconduct long
withheld from the public.”
The Village of Freeport did not respond to the Press’
request for comment.
-BB
CANNABIS COMPANY BUYS $42.M
NORTH FORK FARM
A fast-growing cannabis company has purchased a
34-acre property in Jamesport for $42.5 million from
Van de Wetering Greenhouses in one of the largest
purchases in the burgeoning industry. It is the first
known marijuana-related real estate buy on the East
End since New York State legalized adult-use cannabis
in March.
Columbia Care Inc., which already operates a medical
cannabis dispensary in Riverhead, has plans for a
cultivation site at 5784 Sound Avenue with the first
harvest and sales for the state’s medical marijuana
program expected later this year.
The purchase is being completed in two phases, the
second of which will include 740,000 square feet of
greenhouse space, which Van de Wetering currently
uses for growing ornamental flowers and other
plants. The space allows for 200,000 square feet of “incremental
grow capacity, situated perfectly for both
retail distribution to Columbia Care’s three NYC and
Long Island dispensaries and wholesale distribution
to the most densely populated metropolitan area in
the United States,” according to a statement. It will be
one of the largest operating greenhouse sites on East
Coast, the company said.
The total purchase price of $42.5M includes $15 million
in cash and $27.5 million in Columbia Care stock,
the publicly traded company said in its announcement.
-Taylor K. Vecsey, Behind The Hedges
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
