LONG ISLAND BRIEFS

BROOKLYN/Jury in cop-killing case adjourns early due to storm

A Brooklyn jury deliberating the fate of Lamont Pride of North Carolina, accused of fatally shooting NYPD Officer Peter Figoski, a West Babylon resident, adjourned early Friday afternoon due to the approaching snowstorm.

A separate jury hearing the case against alleged getaway driver Michael Velez, 22, of Ozone Park, was sent home for the weekend earlier in the day after Velez finished testifying, and both the defense and prosecution rested their cases.

Deliberations in the Pride case will resume Monday. At the same time, attorneys will make their closing arguments in the Velez case.

-- WILLIAM MURPHY

MINEOLA/Deliberations begin in improper influence case against ex-Nassau officer

The jury that will decide the case against a former Nassau County police commander accused of improperly using his influence to stop the arrest of his friend's son was instructed on the law Friday morning, and began deliberations briefly before the judge sent them home for the weekend. The jury in the trial of William Flanagan in State Supreme Court in Mineola will resume deliberations Monday.

Prosecutors say Flanagan, 55, got police to return electronics equipment to John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore after a student at the school, Zachary Parker, stole it in 2009. Parker, who was later indicted by prosecutors and pleaded guilty to burglary charges, is the son of Flanagan's friend, police benefactor Gary Parker.

If he is convicted of the top charge against him, receiving a reward for official misconduct, Flanagan could face up to 4 years in prison.

-- ANN GIVENS

ST. JAMES/Hearing for man accused of stealing cop's gun belt

A Smithtown man will be back in court next month on charges related to allegations he stole a police gun belt and ammunition from a vehicle used by Suffolk Police Chief James Burke.

Christopher Loeb, 26, appeared briefly before Suffolk County Judge Martin Efman in Riverhead yesterday after his attorney and an assistant district attorney met to discuss how they would proceed in his case.

Loeb's attorney, Toni Marie Angeli, told the judge that she and assistant district attorney Spiros Moustakas were going to look into the circumstances surrounding Loeb's arrest. Angeli asked that Loeb's file be marked for medical attention due to anxiety-related issues. He is due back in court March 14.

Loeb was indicted in December on 30 counts related to breaking into more than a dozen cars in St. James on Dec. 14. The charges include fourth-degree grand larceny, fourth- and fifth-degree possession of stolen property, seventh-degree possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Loeb was arrested later that morning.

-- TANIA LOPEZ