Bay Shore couple charged in attempted Dix Hills burglaries

A Bay Shore couple was arrested Monday after they attempted to burglarize two Dix Hills homes, Suffolk police said.

Jose Munoz, 38, was charged with second-degree burglary and second-degree attempted burglary and Yolanda Santos, 30, was charged with second-degree attempted burglary and second-degree burglary, police said.

Police said at about 12:10 p.m. Monday, Munoz rang the doorbell of a home on Knox Place in Dix Hills. No one answered, and Munoz tossed a rock through a rear window into the home, police said. The homeowner, who was inside, confronted Munoz, who fled, police said.

Suffolk Police Officer Ryan West, who had responded to a 911 call from the Knox Place homeowner, was patrolling the area and heard a woman scream from the upstairs window of a house on Village Hill Drive, police said, adding that an intruder had entered the home. West approached the home and the intruder fled, police said.

Canine and aviation units searched the area for another 20 minutes before two people who saw officers chasing Munoz were able to detain him on the Long Island Expressway Service Road near Commack Road, police said.

During the search of the area, officers observed Santos acting suspiciously and later determined that she was Munoz's girlfriend and his accomplice, police said.

Santos also was charged with second-degree burglary in connection with a June 20 break-in of a home on Stonehurst Lane in Dix Hills, police said.

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Both were scheduled for arraignment Tuesday in First District Court in Central Islip.