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Boy Abandoned By Dad Fleeing Cops in Grandparent's Care

Orlando Catapano, of Kings Park, picked the child up yesterday after being contacted by police.

The four-year old child who was abandoned in a car on Monday as his father fled police is in the care of his grandfather.

Orlando Catapano, of Kings Park, the boy’s maternal grandfather, picked him up after someone who knew the family contacted police, according to a report on Newsday.

Police said Paul Lucente, 30 of Kings Park, the father of the boy, was a passenger in a car driven by Benjamin Laudonio, 26, of Stony Brook, . When Laudonio was pulled over by an officer,  Lucente fled the scene with his child still in the back seat. An investigation revealed that Laudonio was under the influence of drugs, police said. 

Lucente was later found by police and arrested on endangering the welfare of a child and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance charges.

According to police, heroin was found in the car.

According to the report, the boy was taken back to his grandparents’ house where he played, but also spent some time crying.

“He saw his father run away from police, and he was crying but he wouldn’t let anybody know that,” Catapano is quoted as saying in the Newsday article.

The boy’s mother, Friends reported in January that. A bake sale was held for Williams that same month, to help fray medical and child care costs.

Arraignment for the two men will be on Tuesday at First District Court in Islip. Detectives are asking anyone with information to call 854-8452.

Click here to read the full report on Newsday (subscription required).

KpNibbler April 25, 2012 at 01:14 am
What a scumbag!!! I wish nothing but horrible things and misery on this trash for the rest of his life. That poor kid will be traumatized for the rest of his life...so sad...Any parent who causes harm to a child should be immediately sterilized, never again to have the chance to ruin another life....Good old KP trash...
Blackie Jones April 25, 2012 at 02:38 am
I tried to prevent something like this from happening by calling in an anonymous tip about this dude months ago, something I would normally never do except for the fact that there were children involved...I'm against the War on Drugs but when you involve children that's a whole 'nother issue and no child should have to be raised by a heroin dealer. If you're an adult and you want to pound some beers or smoke a joint or trip balls then whatever, but I draw the line at raising an infant in a heroin den...It's good to see that SCPD and Child Protective Services took my tip seriously enough to do absolutely nothing about it until after the child had already been traumatized. The fact that he still had custody of the kid is a travesty, way to really earn those six figure salaries SCPD
I live in KP April 25, 2012 at 03:38 am
even more sad is that the mother of is kids is still in Recovery from when she was hit by a car.....and well never be the same...
KP fan April 25, 2012 at 09:55 am
"Kings Park father abandoned the child at the scene, cops said. Thoughts?" (facebook post that preceded all of these comments). really Jennifer Sloat? an editor of a news outlet has to encourage this rock-throwing? is this the kind of journalist you have to be??? you have no ethics.
the kid was not "abandoned" using that word was inflammatory. he was left in the car with his friend and a cop, and in all likelihood the father would have been arrested and the child would have been in the station waiting for someone to get him. The father obviously has a substance abuse problem, and yes i agree that many people have skeletons and demons. this man is trying to raise a son and he has a drug problem. Good luck trying to help him. he must help himself. how dare Jennifer Sloat encourage this crap. I am sick of this news"paper". It's unfortunate because it had great potential to be a community source. Dump Sloat.
KP Check Yourself April 25, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Learn how to read. That word was used in the Newsday article as well. If you had the slightest knowledge of the English language and a sense for what Journalists do then you'd realize that she is doing her job properly. There should be no conviction for a man who puts his 4 year old in danger.
Tina S. April 25, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Really? How about wishing that he (along with millions of other people) find the help that they so desperately need to free themselves of this horrible disease. Until more help is given to these people, as well as starting to teach children at a very early age about the dangers of drugs and until we, as a society, can make a difference -- it will only get worse. Everybody thinks "it's not my problem they are scum", but actually it is our problem
KP fan April 25, 2012 at 01:10 pm
You're so off subject it's almost not worthwhile to respond. First, Newsday is no great example, but Patch cant compare even if it was. Second, what Sloat did was encourage people to pass judgement on the Facebook page (which she has since deleted). Third , your own command of the language is pretty minimal (conviction??!!! that is funny). And lastly, you are in no position to judge this man or anyone else. You obviously know nothing about the child or the man and you are likely someone who is far from a decent person or any kind of decent parent.
News media should report the news and provoke thoughtful commentary, not the kind of insults and judgements and mudslinging that Sloat loves to stir up with a combination of inflammatory headlines and suggestions that people express their "thoughts" anonymously and without any kind of moderation to eliminate this trash.
Suzanne Hayes April 25, 2012 at 01:19 pm
When are people going to realize that Heroin = Death. It kills me to know that with all of the KP kids who have died from it just this year, that people continue to try it. I understand how terrible addiction is, why don't they?
M.... April 25, 2012 at 04:26 pm
If you knew so much, why didn't you call the fourth squad detectives? They are very helpful in cracking down this stuff....people - call 854-8400 if you know of someone dealing drugs...it start there!!!
kper April 25, 2012 at 04:50 pm
First of all KP Fan he did abandon his child you think leaving him with a friend who is under the influence is ok never mind the cop can't believe you actually think that's not abandonment
Amanda Mc Namara April 25, 2012 at 06:34 pm
Paul has had an awful lot to deal with the last few months!!! Those of you who are throwing stones and judging should try take a walk in his shoes!!! People take the wrong road in life all the time and make mistakes every day of the year!! Paul is no different. He just turned to the wrong thing to help him through this bad patch in his life!! Until you have walked in his shoes and gone through all he has dont be so quick to judge! Let he without sin cast the first stone!!!
Kings Park Alumni April 25, 2012 at 08:10 pm
I have known Paul since High School, and he was a trouble maker then also, and it goes to show that he has never been on the right path from an early age. Paul needs guidance and his behavior throughout the years has proved this. its very unfortunate that his child had to be involved in this type of incident. I really hope his child recovers well and that Paul gets the real help he needs that has been ignored by so many that were close to him his whole life.
KP fan April 25, 2012 at 08:45 pm
Well then maybe it's Paul's parents that are to blame, not Paul. Maybe Paul is the victim just like the little boy in the car, or it's perhaps Paul's grandparents.. And of course this poor innocent child that we all feel so badly for tpday may end up a troublemaker too (imagine!) and soon enough will take a beating from some of you people when he relies on drugs in the absence of his parents.. Today we feel bad for the 4 year old, but we don't care about Paul. Tomorrow we won't care about the baby and some of us will talk about what a "scumbag" the baby ends up being. Unless we support and help them both. Nah, let's judge.
Robert Vuhl April 25, 2012 at 09:35 pm
Kings Park is a small town. Chances are we all know each other, or each others' siblings/cousins/friends/parents/etc... So let's at least try to be civil here. We don't need to make our town look any worse than it does after the events of the last few years or make Lisa, who is just trying to stick up for her brother, feel any worse about what's happening to him and his son. I'm sure she, and her family, is dedicated to protecting her nephew and trying to help her brother. Hopefully he is not beyond help because his family and son (specifically) deserve better. I am sure he knows that.
It is awful to see what oxys and heroine have done to Kings Park. I've lost far too many of the friends I grew up with to controlled substances like these. I hope as we continue to read and experience these terrible stories we stop focusing on blame and how each "part" of town is different, and instead recognize that Kings Park is a great place to grow up and live. All we have to do is take it back by helping those in need and ceasing tolerance of small experiments with hard-core drugs in our friends/family. We must expect more of them before it is too late.
Henry Powderly (Editor) April 26, 2012 at 01:39 am
KP Fan,
Thank you for your feedback, but our only intention in using the word "thoughts" was to provoke thoughtful commentary, as you said. Thank you for your feedback. If ou would like to send a letter to the editor about our reporting, we would surely run in on our site. All we would require is a real name. - Henry Powderly, Regional Editor
KpNibbler April 26, 2012 at 02:19 am
I'm so tired of being told this is my problem.We all go through difficulties in life...I've had some dark days, but I got myself together and acted like an adult.I didn't turn to drugs because I WAS told from a young age the dangers.I am close in age to this looser and HE chose to destroy his life.To bad, so sad.Show me any man or woman that is doing there best to make it in life, but struggling and I will give them whatever I have to give.But I refuse to feel sympathy for these weak individuals who are too lazy to get a job and bust there butts to do the best they can for themselves and their families. There are too many people out there that make excuses for these slime,they are no better. In the end these cockroaches would steal your last dollar to feed their habit.. I also place blame on the families of these low lives that tippy-toe around the issue instead of beating it down with a sledge hammer. Let this guy drug himself into oblivion before his irresponsibility destroys another person's life. If he can't figure out how completely idiotic and disgusting it is to involve an innocent child in his convoluted world, he doesn't deserve life. This all may sound harsh, but I think the main concern should be the child who has a better chance at leading a healthy and productive life without this baggage. I also would question the fitness of the mother. What's her story before she was hit by a car? They should find this boy a better home before he becomes a statistic.
Chatch April 26, 2012 at 07:10 pm
KP Logic......
Dim Wit April 26, 2012 at 08:53 pm
Paul is a good guy.Joe vitolo is also.just dont trust them around your candy jar....or guaranteed only the black jelly beans will be left.
scott April 28, 2012 at 11:56 pm
bottom line this should not even be news it is no ones buisness but paul and his family . To all these ppl who sit on here and judge people put the computer down and go live your flawless life n stop making ppl who have problems in life even worse .
jojo May 2, 2012 at 03:09 pm
Learn where the u.s government is stationed.. This country is bringing it in by the metric ton...our kids are just the pawns.... people you have to understand anytime "drugs" are involved its needs to be a MEDICAL issue....not CRIMINAL!
George May 8, 2012 at 06:53 am
Can someone please tell me why the patch never follows the outcome of these cases. I know their is alot of work behind it but the public would like to know who gets convicted and who is innocent.
I'm curious how Ben Laudonio gets ROR on the Felony Indictment. I'm glad he is still in jail because of the misdemeanor charges but I can't believe he has not been indicted.
Jennifer Sloat (Editor) June 22, 2012 at 01:44 am
Comments on this page have been deleted due to profanity.
KpNibbler June 22, 2012 at 01:46 am
If this is your best writing skills, looks like you'll be doing my yard work....LOL!! Get a clue, get a education and get a job.... If you really think that someone who gets cancer, through no fault of their own, is the same as a worthless crack addict who can't handle life, then I pity you... Go do some more meth...your worthless and so is your opinion....
Sean January 19, 2013 at 12:12 am
Ive known Paul Lucente as a friend after this incident and had no idea of the tragedy hes faced as a person sorting through his own demons(those we all experience)((and those some of us are lucky enough not too)) he is a more of a man and kind spirit than i've met in a long while, I can say that what took place doesnt have the ugly face that you muckrakers would like to believe, he is a caring father, son, brother and friend that you patchreaders would be lucky to meet and possibly offer a chance to. Good people respect good people, not slanderous new stories. Much luck Paul and family.
Sean January 19, 2013 at 12:15 am
news*

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