According to the Nassau County Police Department, 23-year-old Nicholas Patrikis, of Huntington, lost control of the 2000 Jeep Wrangler he was driving on Cove Road, hitting a snow bank and fence in front of a home on Royston Lane.
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| RIP Theodore |
Police said he then left the vehicle, scaled the home's fence and broke in. Patrikis ransacked several rooms, destroyed personal property, and stole jewelry, police said.
He is also accused of killing a pet cat, 5-year-old Theodore, which was apparently bludgeoned to death with a frog statue. Police said that afterwards, Patrikis left the home with a kitchen knife, which he used to menace several motorists on Cove Road.
Patrikis is facing several burglary and robbery charges, as well as criminal mischief and aggravated cruelty to animals charges among others.
"It's one of the stranger cases I've had in my career," said Nassau County Police Inspector Kenneth Lack.
Lack said that after stealing the knife from the home, Patrikis headed into traffic on a nearby road.
"He laid down in the middle of the road, stopping several cars," said Lack.
A passerby thought Patrikis was injured and stopped, only to be confronted with the knife. Patrikis then started looking for an escape, and police say he tried to carjack two different women before hopping on board a packed school bus through the back emergency exit.
"He enters the school bus through the rear emergency door, sits with some children in the school bus, where he forcibly takes a back pack and a Nintendo," said Lack.
Patrikis's attorney says it's all completely out of character for him and tells us, evident from his mother standing at his side during his court appearance, his family supports him and believes he need medical help.
"We believe he's suffering from a mental illness. We've asked the court to evaluate him for mental illness," said defense attorney Gregory Grizopoulos.
Patrikis is still in jail.
(7ONLINE - Feb 5, 2015)
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