'Rolling Thunder' team captures 55 fugitives across LI

A law-enforcement venture that coupled county police with local, state and federal officials has captured 55 fugitives on Long Island, including gang members and convicted sex offenders, authorities said Monday.

"Operation Rolling Thunder" was funded with a $30,000 grant from the state division of criminal justice. The bulk of the arrests took place in late May.

"This has been very effective in getting some very dangerous people off of our streets," Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said.

The arrests included Enrique Sorto, 38, of Central Islip, who authorities said had been on the run for 20 years after being charged with attempted rape and sex abuse.

Sorto, who was arrested in Central Islip, is scheduled to appear in Suffolk County Court on June 22. His lawyer could not be reached for comment.

Others included 10 gang members, 10 parole violators and eight probation violators. The arrests took place across Long Island, but several communities - including Bay Shore, Brentwood, Deer Park and Ronkonkoma - yielded four or five arrests each.

"Fifty-five people who should have been in jail are facing justice because of this program," Levy said. "Our streets will be safer as a result."

The grant allowed the agencies to create teams of eight to 10 officers over a four-day period in May to target certain offenders who had violated their parole or probation.

U.S. marshals, the Suffolk County sheriff, state police, and state parole and probation offices also participated.

"These are not people you want out there without proper oversight from parole or probation," Levy said.

Officials arrived at the list of 55 fugitives by examining a larger list of everyone who had violated parole or probation. They focused on those who had committed felonies or who were members of gangs.

Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan's Law and The Crime Victims Center in Stony Brook, said that the arrests of six sex offenders came as a relief.

"Studies have consistently shown that out-of-compliance sex offenders are much more likely to re-offend, and present a great risk to public safety," she said. Levy said police officials routinely looked over lists of fugitives, even before Operation Rolling Thunder. Still, "When you get that extra grant money, it enables you to tremendously enhance your capacity to get a lot of them in a very short time," he said.