Kenneth Eckof of Mastic Beach charged with burglarizing 7 Suffolk County businesses, police say

A 70-year-old Mastic Beach man has been charged with burglarizing seven Suffolk County businesses in a month-long spree from late-May to June, Suffolk police said Wednesday.

Police said that following an investigation by Sixth Squad detectives, Kenneth Eckoff was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with seven counts of third-degree burglary.

Police said the spree began with the burglary of a carpet store in Lake Grove on May 22 and said the last break-in occurred Sunday at a laundromat in Farmingville.

"During each burglary," police said in a statement, "Eckoff removed front door glass and stole money from registers."

Police did not detail how much money was stolen during the burglaries.

The list of businesses burglarized include:

• Carpet Depot, 2970 Rte. 25, Lake Grove on May 22 and June 8
• Villa Grazie Pizza, 1665 Rte. 25, Centereach on June 2
• Rainbow, 27 Centereach Mall, Centereach on June 5
• Jiffy Lube, 1064 Rte. 25, Selden on June 12
• Cochella Nail Spa, 3076 Rte. 25, Lake Grove on June 14
• Islander Laundromat, 1021 Portion Rd., Farmingville on June 25

Police did not detail what evidence led them to connect the burglaries or lead them to arrest Eckoff, who is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday in First District Court in Central Islip.

It was not immediately clear if he is represented by counsel.

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.”