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Stony Brook Man Arrested for Crime Spree; Port Jeff Women Arrested for Craigslist Rental Scam

Written by Christian Abbatecola  |  17. May 2014

Stony Brook Man Arrested for Burglary and Robbery
A 31-year-old Stony Brook man has been arrested following a day-long crime spree that took place on Thursday, May 15.

According to police, Jeffrey Kohberger (pictured right) approached and grabbed a 22-year-old woman outside a Stony Brook Vitamin Shoppe around 7:15 PM on Thursday and attempted to steal her pocketbook and car keys.

The victim fought her assailant off, but four minutes later Kohberger allegedly approached another victim. This time, the 38-year-old woman was knocked to the ground as she was entering her 2002 Mazda Tribute; the assailant took her keys and fled in the stolen vehicle. 15 minutes later, Kohberger is said to have arrived at a gas station in Port Jefferson which he entered as the clerk was opening the cash register. He knocked the clerk to the ground and stole an undisclosed sum of cash before fleeing once more in the stolen Mazda.

Suffolk officers, with the aid of the canine unit, tracked Kohberger to a Port Jefferson Station Laundromat where he was taken into custody at 8:35 PM. He has been charged with Robbery 2nd Degree, Attempted Robbery 2nd Degree, Robbery 3rd Degree, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 4th Degree, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 5th Degree.

Kohberger was also accused of burglarizing his neighbor’s home prior to the evening crime spree, for which he has been charged with Burglary 2nd degree.

Two Arrested in Port Jeff Craigslist Scam
Two women from Port Jefferson Station have been arrested for falsely offering a room for rent in their home and defrauding multiple individuals of cash taken as a safety deposit.

According to Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct officers, numerous complaints had been lodged by individuals stating that they had been scammed out of money after attempting to rent a room on Clifton Place in Port Jefferson station.

Upon further investigation, police discovered that 45-year-old Lisa Liebetruth (pictured below, left) and 30-year-old Maria Rennick (pictured below, right) had collected approximately $7,000 by actively soliciting people who posted on Craigslist looking for a room in the Port Jeff area. After obtaining a cash deposit from the victims the women would cut off contact, never providing a refund or an actual room for rent.

Liebetruth was arrested on April 29 and charged with Scheme to Defraud in the 1st Degree. Rennick was arrested on May 15 around 9:45 PM and charged with Scheme to Defraud in the 1st Degree and Criminal Impersonation. Scheme to Defraud is a felony accusation.

[Source: Suffolk County Police Department]

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