Police arrested the driver of the car involved in the hit-and-run accident. Nakia Bess, 30, of the Shinnecock Indian Reservation was arrested after he was surrendered to police by his father at the Southampton Village Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, according to State Police Lieutenant Jose Febo.
Mr. Bess faces a slew of charges, including first-degree reckless endangerment, stalking and other charges that will likely come from the hit-and-run accident that occurred on Saturday night, Lt. Febo said.
State Police Lieutenant Jose Febo said that police have a suspect who they believe is responsible for a hit-and-run accident that occurred adjacent to the Shinnecock Indian Reservation Saturday night and left a 66-year-old woman with serious injuries.
Police would not release the name of that individual, but said that he was a “subject of interest” and was wanted for multiple other felonies, including assault of a family member. He was also wanted by New York State Parole officers.
Lt. Febo explained that police were not immediately able make an arrest after recovering the Honda because the car was not registered. Cars operated on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation do not have to comply with the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Safety Law. Often, people on the reservation are driving without licenses, registration and insurance. Although they are supposed to remain on the reservation, they sometimes do wander onto Montauk Highway, he said.
Lt. Febo added that the investigation into the accident was made more difficult because “there were several individuals out there who chose to attempt to overwhelm police assets and forced the situation to a point where we would have required physical force to affect the arrest.” Currently, police are working with the Tribal Trustees to negotiate a peaceful surrender, Lt. Febo said.
As of Monday, Maureen Dean was still listed in serious condition at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Police are looking for a driver who fled the scene of a two-car crash that seriously injured a Southampton woman on Saturday evening.
According to Southampton Town Police, Maureen Dean, 66, was driving east in her 1995 Saturn sedan on Montauk Highway near West Gate Road in Southampton at approximately 6:19 p.m. when her vehicle was struck from behind by a 2004 Honda Civic.
The impact caused her car to leave the road and strike a telephone pole. Southampton Fire Department heavy rescue crews used the “jaws of life” to cut away portions of Ms. Dean’s car so she could be removed by Southampton Volunteer Ambulance crews.
Ms. Dean was picked up by a medevac helicopter from the Suffolk County Police Aviation Unit at the Stony Brook-Southampton college campus and taken to Stony Brook University Hospital. She was listed in serious condition, according to police.
State Police, the County Sheriff K-9 Unit, and Southampton Town Police searched the area for the male driver of the Civic, who had fled the scene before they arrived. Staff from the State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit and the County District Attorney’s Office also responded to the scene.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Southampton Town Police detectives at (631)702-2230.
Alisha Steindecker on Oct 4, 2015