Two charged in dry cleaner burglaries, police say

A Plainview man was arraigned on several charges Tuesday in connection with the 2014 burglaries of two Nassau County dry cleaners as a Levittown man who police believe helped him commit the crimes was arrested, authorities said.

Rafael Sanchez, 24, of Plainview Road, was being held on bail of $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond after he was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on two counts of third-degree burglary, fourth-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal mischief, said a spokesman for acting Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas.

He had turned himself in on Monday, police said. He is due back in court Thursday, officials said.

Nassau police said a second suspect, Michael P. Kaminer, 21, of Old Farm Road in Levittown, was arrested at his home Tuesday afternoon and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on the same charges.

Their attorneys could not be reached for comment.

Police said that at about 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 26, 2014, an undisclosed amount of cash, clothing and two computers were removed from Melody Day Cleaners, 2050 Hempstead Tpke. in East Meadow, police said. A van was also taken from the store parking lot, police said.

Later that morning at about 6:30 a.m., an undisclosed amount of cash was also stolen from Pampers Cleaners, 505 Plainview Rd. in Plainview, and the suspects got away.

Police said the van that was taken from the Melody Day Cleaners parking lot was found at the scene of the Plainview burglary. They said Pampers Cleaners had been entered through an exhaust duct.

Sanchez turned himself into Second Squad detectives at the Second Precinct in Woodbury around 5 p.m., police said.