Crimes Nearby: Police Seek Suspect In Sexual Assault

Suffolk County Police and Seventh Squad detectives are looking for a man they said committed a violent sexual assault last month in the Shirley/Mastic area.

According to police, the man sexually assaulted a woman during the early morning hours of July 14. He is said to be Hispanic with a muscular build and in his late 20s. He was wearing a white T-shirt and long white shorts that had a square pattern design

Police are offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

• Hit-And-Run Driver Sought

Suffolk Police are seeking the public’s help in finding the driver of a vehicle they said was involved in a fatal hit-and-run with a pedestrian in Centereach.

According to police, Michael Van Hulse, 29, of Centereach, was walking east on Park Street west of Rustic Road when a vehicle struck him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle did not stop and did not report this incident. Police believe the vehicle involved was painted metallic red and may have sustained damage to the windshield and the black plastic panels on the underside of the vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

• Cops: Women Stole Starbucks Tip Jar

A Selden woman was arrested Tuesday and charged with stealing a tip jar from a local Starbucks.

Police said Noel McPhail entered Starbucks, at 1251 Middle Country Road in Selden and grabbed the plastic tip jar that contained cash, and fled to a wooded area located in the back of the store. 

An employee called 911 and provided a description of the suspect that was then broadcast to police in the area.  Employees chased McPhail and a Sixth Precinct Crime Section sergeant saw the suspect running across Middle Country Road. The sergeant followed McPhail and apprehended her.