Dareine R. Heller, 35, is accused of injuring an 84-year-old woman while stealing her car in a Walmart parking lot.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Dareine Heller, 34, of Holbrook, was indicted for two counts of Robbery and one count of Assault, for allegedly forcibly stealing a car in East Setauket and injuring its owner.
“As alleged in the indictment, this was a brutal and senseless crime that left an elderly woman seriously injured and traumatized,” said District Attorney Tierney. “My office is committed to pursuing justice on her behalf and holding the defendant fully accountable under the law. Acts of violence against our most vulnerable citizens are a travesty and will not be tolerated in this county.”
According to the investigation, the 84-year-old female victim got out of her running car in an East Setauket Walmart parking lot to move a shopping cart that was blocking her way. During the time it took to move the shopping cart, Heller allegedly entered the vehicle, and the victim unsuccessfully tried to remove the keys from the ignition and her purse from the front passenger seat. When Heller fled in the stolen vehicle, she allegedly knocked the victim to the ground, dragged her, hit a parked car, and knocked down a pole.
The victim was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where she received treatment for her injuries, which included a head laceration that required staples, cuts to her leg which required stitches, severe bruising, as well as significant road rash. When Heller was arrested a few hours later, she allegedly had the keys to the stolen vehicle in her pocket.
Heller was arraigned on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins and ordered held without bail. Heller faces up to 15 years in prison.