Darius Petty, of East Hampton, charged with kidnapping 3 men at knifepoint during robbery

An East Hampton man was charged Wednesday with kidnapping three men at knifepoint earlier this month and ordering them to withdraw $300 from an ATM before he fled with the cash and other belongings, officials said.

Charged with three counts of second-degree kidnapping, one count of first-degree robbery and one count of first-degree attempted robbery, Darius Petty, 34, entered a plea of not guilty and was ordered held on $1 million partially secured bond, $200,000 bond or $100,000 cash bail by Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei, according to court records.

Petty is due back in court Oct. 9 and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count.

Law enforcement officials said that at 6:42 p.m. on Sept. 3, Petty approached the three men in a parking lot at the East Hampton Town Senior Center, asking if he could use one of their cellphones. After using the phone, Petty brandished a knife — holding it to the driver's throat, while demanding money from each of the men, who were seated in their vehicle, authorities said.

According to a statement Wednesday from Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, Petty then entered the rear passenger side of the vehicle, holding the knife to the throat of the front-seat passenger, and demanded the driver take them to an ATM at a deli on Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton. There, the district attorney's office said, Petty forced one of the victims to try and withdraw cash — only to have that attempt prove unsuccessful.

The district attorney's office said Petty then forced the trio to another ATM location, this time at a bank in East Hampton Village. The driver was able to make a $300 withdrawal at that ATM, officials said.

Following the withdrawal, Petty then ordered the driver to take him to Boatheaders Lane in East Hampton, where Petty fled with the cash and other belongings, the district attorney's office said.

Petty was arrested on Sept. 4 by East Hampton Village police.

Reached by phone Wednesday following the arraignment, Petty's attorney, John Halverson, of Patchogue, said: "We deny the charges, we've entered a plea of not guilty and we look forward to fighting this."

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”