Police: Man arrested after robbing Subway right near his home

A Lake Ronkonkoma man was arrested Tuesday about three hours after he robbed a Subway restaurant just down the block from his house, police said.

Craig Erick, 26, of Smith Road, entered the Subway on Hawkins Avenue in Lake Grove at 5:10 p.m., approaching the counter, flashing a knife — and demanding money from a store employee, Suffolk County police said. When the employee hesitated, police said, Erick walked behind the counter and took cash from the register.

The Subway is located at the corner of Hawkins and Smith, a few hundred feet from where Erick lives, police said.

Police used an aviation unit and canine teams to track Erick, finding him and arresting him at his home at 8:16 p.m.

He was scheduled for arraignment on a first-degree robbery charge Wednesday in First District Court in Central Islip.

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.”