NY DA Criticizes Bail Laws After Repeated Offender Arrested
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney attributes the release of a repeat alleged offender to New York's bail reform laws.
A Long Island man accused of multiple incidents of public lewdness was arrested twice in recent months but released due to New York's bail laws, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
Nicholas Critelli, 20, was arrested on June 4 and again on June 6 for allegedly exposing himself and touching himself in front of women in parking lots in Sayville. He was issued desk appearance tickets for these offenses and released, as the charges were not eligible for bail.
Critelli was subsequently arrested on October 16 for similar alleged incidents on October 1 and October 14 in Centereach and Commack. He was arraigned the following day and released again, this time on supervised release, the District Attorney's office stated.
Tierney criticized the state's bail policies, stating, "The defendant's alleged behavior is abhorrent—and New York's broken bail laws allow him to allegedly do this again and again and again." He added, "Case after case shows the same pattern: My office is not allowed to ask for bail despite the seriousness of the alleged crimes and the documented repeated behavior."
Critelli has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to return to court on November 4. He faces four counts of public lewdness.