Year in Review: 10 Big Three Village Crime Stories of 2012

Each week, Three Village Patch reports on the crimes that take place in the community, from the mundane all the way up to the most severe. Here is a look back at 10 of the biggest crime stories of 2012.

1. Late in November, an email detailing an alleged rape and armed robbery in Stony Brook circulated like wildfire among Three Village residents. Though it took 10 days, police eventually confirmed such a crime had taken place – though they didn't disclose any details – and, on Dec. 1, they arrested a 20-year-old East Moriches man in connection with the crimes.

2. Suffolk County police in May arrested four people whom they say burglarized multiple homes in the Selden, Setauket, Miller Place and Port Jefferson areas. The burglary and arrests caused a half-hour lockdown at Ward Melville High School and Arrowhead Elementary School.

3. During the gas shortage in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, tensions reportedly reached a new level as police arrested a Stony Brook teenager after he allegedly threatened to stab gas station employees.

4. A school bus driver charged with DWI on the Long Island Expressway in October was a bus driver within the Three Village Central School District, a school spokesperson confirmed.

5. Following an alleged drunken driving crash in Holbrook in May that left an East Setauket woman dead, a Centereach man now faces felony manslaughter charges after a Suffolk judge unsealed a seven-count indictment. James O'Donnell, 47, was arraigned on new elevated felony charges of second-degree manslaughter, two counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, two counts of second-degree vehicular assault, and two misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated.

6. Police in June arrested a Stony Brook woman they say stole several pocketbooks from customers' shopping carts at six different supermarkets in Setauket, Stony Brook, Port Jefferson Station, and Centereach.

7. In February, two Setauket banks were robbed within the span of one week, including Chase on Main Street in Setauket and Capital One on Route 25A in East Setauket.

8. Graffiti continues to be an ongoing problem in Three Village. Multiple incidents were reported this year, including anti-Semitic graffiti in Stony Brook in September, tags on historic pillars in Strong's Neck March, vandalism at the Three Village Garden Club's park in Setauket, and more. In some cases the Town of Brookhaven acted swiftly to clean up the mess.

9. In January, a South Setauket man was arrested in Centereach and charged with driving while intoxicated with a previous conviction in 10 years after he was observed driving at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour, according to police.

10. Suffolk County Police in April arrested three teens for allegedly mugging a Domino's pizza delivery driver at knifepoint and making off with his cash and pizzas.