Mineola, Cedarhurst residents arrested for stealing cars in Elmont

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Three Mineola and Cedarhurst residents were arrested on Aug. 16 for stealing cars from Elmont.

According to Nassau County detectives, officers were on their routine patrol when they received a notification about a stolen car. The officers identified the vehicle, a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, at the intersection of Hempstead Turnpike and Elmont Road. They confirmed that the vehicle was stolen, and the operator was placed under arrest.

Then, during an investigation, it was determined that another vehicle, a 2010 Honda Accord, had also been stolen. The Accord was located in Mineola, and police officers arrested 20-year-old Thomas Allen Lauri, from Mineola, who was operating the Jeep Grand Cherokee; a 17-year-old from Mineola who was operating the Honda Accord; and Jorge Santizo-Launuza, 20, of Cedarhurst, who was a passenger in the Honda Accord.

They were charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and unauthorized use of a vehicle in the third degree. Allen is also charged with aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree. They were scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 16 at the First District Court in Hempstead.