Serving Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Albertson and Searingtown
$1.50
Friday, December 9, 2022
Vol. 71, No. 49
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
SERIAL KILLER SENTENCED
DOWLING RANKED MOST INFLUENTIAL
PAGES 23-38
PAGE 2
PAGE 8
Mistrial for E.W. native Masterson
‘TIS THE SEASON
‘That 70’s Show’ star faced three counts of rape between 2001-2003 BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y A rape trial for actor and North Shore native Danny Masterson has ended with jurors deadlocked on a verdict and a Los Angeles judge declaring a mistrial Wednesday. Masterson, who grew up in East Williston and Garden City, faced three counts of rape involving separate women who have accused Masterson of assaulting them in 2001 and 2003. The “That 70’s Show” star was originally charged in 2020 and released on $3.3 million bail. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. A retrial is scheduled for March 27, 2023. In 2017, Masterson was fired from Netflix’s “The Ranch” amid sexual assault allegations. Opening arguments began on Oct. 18 with deliberations beginning on Nov. 15. Masterson did not testify during the proceedings. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said after the mistrial was declared that “we will now consider our next steps as it relates to prosecuting this case” in a statement. “While we are disappointed with the outcome in this trial, we thank the jurors for their service,” the DA’s office said. “We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for
bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences.” Philip Cohen, Masterson’s lawyer, said: “The vote count says it all, and it is a true testament to our justice system that the jurors were able to see through all the inflammatory noise and focus solely on what was truly important,” The New York Times reported Efforts to reach Masterson’s representatives were unavailing. The Church of Scientology, of which Masterson is a member, reportedly played a significant role in the case against the actor, whose credits include the sitcom “Men at Work” and the 2008 Jim Carrey comedy “Yes Man.” All three women who accused Masterson are former Scientologists, according to Deadline. One of the accusers, known only as Jen. B, said she was assaulted by Masterson as she went in and out of consciousness in 2003, according to the Los Angeles Times. Jen. B detailed on the stand a party she attended in 2003 where she was offered a drink by Masterson. She said she felt nauseous later in the night and was moved by Masterson to his bed after he made her vomit and take a shower, the Los Angeles Times reported. Continued on Page 50
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VILLAGE OF MINEOLA
The Mineola Fire Department joined residents and officials at Morgan Parc over the weekend for their annual tree lighting.
Major crime in Nassau up 38% from 2021 BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z
lice.
The Nassau County Police DeMajor crimes in Nassau County partment said on its website that as of Oct. 10 had already surpassed 5,542 major crimes occurred from 2021’s 12-month total of 5,230, ac- Jan. 1-Oct. 10 this year, an increase of cording to statistics reported by po- 38% from last year.
The county is on pace to report approximately 1,850 more crimes this year, which would bring Nassau’s annual total to nearly 7,400, a projection by Blank Slate Media showed. Continued on Page 51
Visit thewillistontimes.com or theisland360.com for the latest in breaking news.