By Carol Moran Jan 29, 2014 4:45 PM
A Westhampton Beach Village
Police officer was suspended—for the fourth time in his tenure with the
department—without pay on Wednesday, four months after he was arrested by
Suffolk County Police and charged with fourth-degree stalking, a misdemeanor,
according to court documents.
The Board of Trustees voted
unanimously to suspend Joseph Pesapane without pay for 30 days pending the
outcome of a disciplinary hearing. Board members also voted to hire Steven
Kasarda, an attorney with offices in White Plains, to act as the hearing
officer.
Mr. Kasarda will draft a report
based on the testimony during the hearing and will make a recommendation to the
board, which, with advice from its counsel, will make the ultimate decision
over a possible punishment, board members said.
While village officials did not
name Mr. Pesapane during a special meeting held on Wednesday afternoon at
Village Hall, and referred to him in a resolution only as an employee of the
village, multiple sources confirmed that he was the subject of the disciplinary
action.
Suffolk County Police confirmed
on Wednesday that Mr. Pesapane was arrested on September 29 and charged with
fourth-degree stalking, a misdemeanor. The alleged incident occurred three days
prior at around 3 a.m., according to court documents. A Suffolk County Police
spokesperson said the department could not share additional details about the
incident, including where it occurred, in order to protect the victim’s
privacy.
Mr. Pesapane was arraigned in
First District Court in Central Islip on September 30 before Judge G. Ann
Spelman and released on his own recognizance. Judge Spelman also issued a
temporary restraining order, according to court records. The charges are still
pending.
Mr. Pesapane was suspended from
the Westhampton Beach Village Police Department three times during an
investigation into his role in a 2009 incident that involved another officer’s
missing handgun. He and fellow officer Officer Michael Bruetsch, who retired
last year, were charged with lying to Suffolk County Internal Affairs Bureau
investigators regarding the handgun that went missing from police headquarters.
When reached on Wednesday, Mr.
Pesapane directed all questions to his attorney, Craig Fleischer. But when
asked about the criminal charge, Mr. Pesapane said: “My comment on the
situation is that the complainant has no credibility whatsoever. This is a lie
and a falsehood.”
Mr. Fleischer, an attorney with
the Hauppauge firm Keahon, Fleischer and Ferrante, did not immediately return a
call seeking comment.
Westhampton Beach Mayor Conrad
Teller said he was aware of Mr. Pesapane’s arrest, but he declined to comment
further. Westhampton Beach Police Chief Ray Dean declined to comment.
Online records show that Mr.
Pesapane was paid $126,440 in 2013.
