The TIMES of Huntington • Northport • East Northport
Cold Spring Harbor • lloyd Harbor • lloyd nECK • HalESitE • HUntington bay • grEEnlawn • CEntErport • aSHaroKEn • Eaton’S nECK • Fort Salonga–wESt Volume 11, No. 50
March 26, 2015
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principal, ESl head to retire on June 30 By rohma aBBas
‘By Default’ opens at Gallery North
also: town of brookhaven Home and garden Show, Easter happenings
Bittersweet goodbye
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Two longtime Huntington school district administrators touting a combined tenure of nearly four decades are retiring at the end of this year. The school board voted to accept the retirements of Huntington High School Principal Carmela Leonardi and Carmen Kasper, the district’s director of foreign language, ESL and bilingual programs, at a meeting on Monday night. The two are opting into an early retirement incentive offered by the district. Leonardi has been at the district for 24 years and Kasper for 15 years. Both women, who sat next rEtirEES continued on page a22 Photo by Rohma Abbas
huntington school district staff offer a standing ovation to Carmen Kasper, left, and Carmela leonardi, right, at a school board meeting on monday night.
DA: Cop shooter could get life behind bars Blue Devils ready to wreak havoc
Lax team looks ahead to new season
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Leftenant pleads not guilty to charges By BarBara Donlon
A shot in the neck was close to fatal for a Suffolk County cop injured in the line of duty, according to details of the struggle with his alleged shooter, law enforcement officials recapped last week. District Attorney Tom Spota released new details surrounding the March 11 shooting of Suffolk Police Officer Mark Collins in a news conference on Friday afternoon. The DA said after investigators spoke with Collins, they found out the play-by-play of what happened that night in Huntington Station. The suspect, Sheldon Leftenant, 22, of Mastic Beach
was indicted by a grand jury in Riverhead on Friday shortly before the news conference. Leftenant pleaded not guilty to attempted aggravated murder of a police officer, resisting arrest and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The suspect could be facing up to life in prison if convicted of the charges, Spota said. Collins, of the 2nd Precinct’s gang unit, pulled over the vehicle where Leftenant, who is allegedly a member of the Tip Top Boyz gang, was a passenger. After being asked to get out of the vehicle, the suspect fled out of the right rear passenger door and Collins chased after him.
Photo by Barbara Donlon
suffolk County District attorney Thomas spota speaks at a press conference last week in riverhead.
“Collins gave chase, he had his police-issued taser in hand,” Spota said. “He never drew his weapon.”
The officer continued to chase Leftenant when he cornered the suspect, after da continued on page a22