Woman charged in bank robbery attempt

A woman charged with trying to rob a Water Mill bank last month was arraigned on robbery and petty larceny charges Friday.

Southampton police said Stella Vassallo, 28, of Silas Carter Road in Manorville, has been arrested and charged with second-degree attempted robbery and two counts of petty larceny in the theft of scratch-off lottery tickets from local gas stations.

Vassallo was arrested Thursday at First District Court in Central Islip, where she was appearing on an unrelated charge, police said.

She was arraigned Friday at Southampton Town Justice Court and is being held on $52,000 bail at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, police said.

Police said the attempted bank robbery was on Dec. 31. about 12:30 p.m. She walked into the Suffolk County National Bank in Water Mill on New Year's Eve and handed a demand note to a teller, but fled without any money, Southampton police said.

The lottery ticket thefts were on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, police said.