A 48-year-old undomiciled man was arrested early Tuesday after allegedly bursting into a West Hempstead laundromat, striking an employee and throwing the man's phone to the floor as he tried to call 911. Nassau County police say Kevin Jemerson entered Laundry Palace at 112 Hempstead Turnpike around 1:07 a.m. and approached a 41-year-old employee before the confrontation escalated.
According to News12 New York, the employee fled into an employee-only area to call for help, but police say Jemerson followed him there, struck him and threw his phone to the floor before running from the scene. Officers apprehended Jemerson nearby shortly afterward, per the same report. The Laundry Palace location operates around the clock, which is why staff and customers were present at that hour.
Charges Reflect Break-In and Blocked 911 Call
Jemerson now faces charges including burglary, criminal mischief and harassment, the outlet reports. The specific counts track closely with how New York law treats the alleged conduct: entering a restricted, employee-only section of an otherwise public business with intent to commit a crime can elevate what might be simple trespass into Burglary in the Third Degree, a Class D felony, under New York Penal Law § 140.20.
The alleged destruction of the phone carries its own statutory weight. Under New York Penal Law § 145.00(4), intentionally disabling or removing communication equipment to stop someone from reaching emergency services constitutes Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Meanwhile, the alleged striking itself falls under Harassment in the Second Degree, a violation-level offense under New York Penal Law § 240.26 that applies to physical contact like striking or shoving without necessarily causing documented injury.
No Injuries Reported, Detectives Say
Nassau County Police Department Fifth Squad detectives, who handle investigations in West Hempstead and surrounding western Nassau County communities, reported that despite the altercation and the destroyed phone, no injuries were documented at the scene. Jemerson was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at First District Court, located at 99 Main Street in Hempstead.
Prior Trespassing Cases Pending in Nassau District Court
Online court records reviewed by Daily Voice indicate a man matching Jemerson's name and age is also facing three pending trespassing cases in Nassau District Court stemming from arrests by the MTA Police Long Island Rail Road division, with a court appearance already set for August 31. It remains unclear whether those pending cases or his undomiciled status will factor into his release conditions in the laundromat case.
Under New York's bail reform provisions, non-violent Class D felonies like third-degree burglary and Class A misdemeanors are generally treated as non-bailable offenses, meaning judges are typically required to release defendants on recognizance or non-monetary conditions absent specific statutory qualifying conditions, according to the New York State Assembly. How that framework applies to Jemerson's case, given his open transit trespassing matters, has not yet been reported.
