Nassau burglaries: Man charged with more than 15 in Lawrence, Woodmere and Cedarhurst, police say

A 59-year-old man, believed to be homeless, was arrested Sunday and charged with a string of burglaries in Lawrence, Woodmere and Cedarhurst dating back to December 2021, Nassau County police said Monday.

Police said officers responding to a 911 call reporting a suspicious person near the intersection of West Broadway and Derby Avenue saw Edwin Griffin "exiting the rear yard of a residence” with a nail gun and an electric bicycle at about 4:45 a.m. During the course of the arrest, police said Griffin was “violent and combative” — and said the officers sustained injuries.

Griffin and one officer were transported to a hospital for assessment and treatment of undisclosed injuries, police said.

Police said the subsequent investigation linked Griffin to the following burglaries that occurred:

• May 4 at 40 Washington Ave., Cedarhurst;
• May 3 at 110 Cumberland Place, Lawrence;
• April 3 at 343 Summit Ave., Cedarhurst;
• Jan. 4 at 226 Oakwood Ave., Cedarhurst, 335 Forest Ave., Woodmere and 315 Forest Ave., Woodmere;
• Jan. 3 at 120 N. Wood Lane, Woodmere;
• Jan. 2 at 138 Hards Lane, Lawrence;
• Dec. 3 at 235 Broadway, Lawrence;
• Oct. 27 at 19 Pine St., Woodmere;
• Oct. 20 at Oakwood Ave., Cedarhurst;
• June 29 at 544 Monroe St., Cedarhurst;
• May 15 at 6 Lakeside Dr. W., Lawrence;
• Jan. 4, 2022 at 317 Linwood Ave., Cedarhurst;
• Dec. 17, 2021 at 218 Linwood Rd., Cedarhurst.

In all, Griffin was charged with 15 counts of third-degree burglary, three counts of third-degree attempted burglary, petit larceny, second-degree assault, two counts of obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and three counts of criminal trespassing, police said.

Griffin was held at his arraignment Monday in First District Court in Hempstead on bail of $200,000 bond or $100,000 cash. His attorney, Gregory Grizopoulos, of Mineola, said "The allegations are that nobody got hurt and there was no contact with anyone. So we'll see how the evidence plays out." 

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”