Roxen Road Defendants Enter Not Guilty Pleas as New Charges Arise

The Roxen Road assault case took another turn in Nassau County First District Court this week.

All five defendants were charged with assault with intent to cause physical injury, a misdemeanor, and assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon, a felony, in addition to the original charge of second-degree gang assault.

Defendant William Moore was also charged with a second count of assault with intent to cause physical injury.

Three of the defendants -- and Kevin Coyle -- also entered their plea of not guilty this week, which came as no surprise in court as Diperna's lawyer John R. Lewis Jr. told Patch in July "I believe these boys will be vindicated at the end of the day."

William Nelson and Nolan Kelly, who both turned themselves in to Nassau County Police on Dec. 27, pleaded not guilty on the same date, according to court documents.

All five defendants will now return to court on Jan. 18.

According to police, the assault happened when the wife of the victim was walking her dog on Nottingham Road and was verbally accosted by five to eight young men. She ran home and told her husband of the incident, and the two drove around the neighborhood looking for the men to demand an apology.

They found the group on Roxen Road, which is where the assault took place, police said. Neighbors who heard the disturbance called police at 11:55 p.m. The men fled before police arrived and Nassau County detectives were called in to join the investigation.

The man was transported by Rockville Centre police to Mercy Medical Center where he was treated for broken ribs, multiple contusions and injuries to the face and jaw.