The Half Hollow Hills Newspaper

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HALF HOLLOW HILLS N E W S P A P E R

Copyright © 2010 Long Islander Newspapers, LLC.

Online at www.LongIslanderNews.com VOLUME TWELVE, ISSUE 50

LONG ISLANDER NEWSPAPERS TELECOMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA BUSINESS OF THE YEAR 24 PAGES

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2010

HALF HOLLOW HILLS

FBI: Day Care Worker Traded Child Porn Work-study student of Reach CYA’s program at Sunquam Elementary School arrested Half Hollow Hills photo/Sara-Megan Walsh

By Sara-Megan Walsh swalsh@longislandernews.com

A Reach CYA gym assistant at Sunquam Elementary School was arrested on child pornography charges last Friday. Michael Hopkins, 23, was arraigned for transportation of child pornography in interstate commerce in Central Islip before Judge A. Kathleen Tomlinson on Feb. 5. The former Five Towns College student was released on $300,000 bond secured by his parent’s Mineola home. “This has really turned us upside down. It’s so upsetting and distressing to learn of something like this,” said Reach CYA Executive Director Roseann Miceli. “Whether it be a teacher or anyone who breaks the trust and the kids, this is horrible.” Hopkins has worked as gym assistant at Reach CYA’s after-school program at Half Hollow Hills Sunquam Elementary School since September 2009 under a federal work-study program. He was arrested following a yearlong FBI investigation into child pornography trading, which Reach CYA was informed of Feb. 3. FBI agents claim to have discovered Hopkins visiting child pornography chat rooms in February 2009 under the username “Mike23NY” and “Craftymofo,” according to an affidavit. In December 2009, police said Hopkins informed an undercover agent he would be meeting a 14-year-old Coram girl for a sexual encounter and implied he had lots of videos. In wasn’t until January that police found Hopkins openly sharing files of girls ages 6 and 9 engaging in sexual behaviors with adult men, according to the

A gym assistant at Sunquam Elementary school was arrested in connection with child pornography on Friday. affidavit. An FBI agent said they downloaded five pictures from him. According to court records, police used a Yahoo e-mail address that Hopkins provided in September 2009 to get an IP address, which they traced by to his parent’s Mineola home. In a Feb. 3 search, police said they found his computer’s peer-to-peer sharing system had a file labeled “tech” which contained approximately 100 images and 30 videos of child pornography.

Hopkins admitted to police he had been trading and viewing child pornography for approximately eight years, finding the images “sexually gratifying,” according to the affidavit. “When we learned of the FBI investigation earlier this week, we were informed there was no evidence he was actively abusing children,” Miceli said on Monday, noting Hopkins had resigned last Wednesday an hour before Reach CYA was scheduled to meet with the FBI. His duties involved assisting staff members in organizing and supervising recreational activities from 3:15 to 6 p.m., five days a week. Under Reach CYA policy, Hopkins was always accompanied by a full-time staff member, Miceli said. “It really comes down to the million dollar question of, ‘How can we know what a person is doing in the privacy of their own home on their computer?’,” Miceli said. The executive director said Hopkins was fingerprinted and underwent a full background check prior to employment, but no previous criminal record was found. Miceli said he had no disciplinary record and she had received no complaints from parents or staff members regarding his conduct. Reach CYA administrative staff members were present Friday night as parents picked up children to answer questions, and a letter was sent home with program attendees. Sunquam Elementary School also sent a letter of notification home with students. Hopkins faces from five up to 20 years in jail if convicted and is being represented by a public defender. His next court date was not scheduled by this newspaper’s publication deadline.

DIX HILLS

Knicks Basketball Legend Dies At 84 Dix Hills resident Dick McGuire served as coach, player, scout for more than 50 years By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com

Seven-time All-Star basketball player Dick McGuire, who spent more than 50 years as a facet on the New York Knicks staff serving as a coach and talent scout, died on Feb. 3 of natural causes at Huntington Hospital. McGuire, a longtime Dix Hills resident, was 84. Born in the Bronx, McGuire was raised in Rocakway Beach, Queens and played basketball for St. John’s University in the mid1940s. While playing at St. John’s under coach Joe Lapchick, the team won the National Invitational Tournament at Madison Square Garden in 1943 and 1944, an unbroken record that earned the team a ticket to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

“Dick was the greatest, both on the court and off. He was a warm and friendly guy. He loved basketball, and was a real team player,” said teammate Anthony Agoglia, former principal of Candlewood Junior High School in Dix Hills. “For me, it was and will always be, a privilege to have played with him at St John’s, and later, against him, when I transferred to St. Francis College.” Following college, McGuire joined the New York Knicks, where he was a seventime All-Star from 1951 to 1959, and is ranked third for all-time assists with 2,950. His jersey, No. 15, was retired in 1992 and hangs in the Madison Square Garden rafters McGuire was a New York Knickerbocker for 53 years and was a part of the team for the last 45 years consecutively. He coached the Knicks from 1965 to 1967, and later swapped spots with Red Holzman and

became the team’s chief scout and an assistant coach. Agoglia said his interest in sports extended to the next generation of players, making him a natural fit in his later role in the Knicks as a talent scout; he attended games to find the next big player as recently as a few weeks ago. “At the end of the school year at Candlewood, the Athletic Department would host a dinner for the athletes and their parents and I would invite Dick as the keynote speaker. He was a real inspiration to the students,” Agoglia said. McGuire most recently served as a senior basketball consultant, who scouted and offered input to the general manager and coaches. He is survived by his wife, Teri, children, Richard Jr., Leslie, Michael and Scott, and seven grandchildren.

Fourth from left bottom row, Dick McGuire, pictured in 1944 as part of the St. John’s University basketball team, was a fixture for the Knicks.

LONG ISLANDER NEWSPAPERS: WINNERS OF FIVE N.Y. PRESS ASSOCIATION AWARDS IN 2008

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