Nassau DA: Ronkonkoma Man Faces Perjury Charges

A Ronkonkoma man who works as a correction officer for the Nassau County Sheriff's Department has been arrested for allegedly making false statements before a grand jury and on sworn documents.

According to Nassau County District Attorney's office, Joseph Donlon, 48 of Ronkonkoma, was arrested Monday along with retired officer John Andujar, 55 and now resides in Florida.

According to district attorney Kathleen Rice, a physical altercation between Andujar and inmate David Page took place on Oct. 21, 2011, which led to Donlon's involvement and other members of the Sheriff's Department. On Nov. 26, 2011, both Andujar and Donlon gave statements on sworn documents alleging the incident began when Page spontaneously attacked Andujar in the jail's transportation unit without any warning.

Page was arrested on Dec. 5, 2011 and charged with three counts of assault in the second degree, and Andujar and Donlon testified before a grand jury on Dec. 13 of that year citing the alleged spontaneous attack. The grand jury indicted Page on felony charge and he was arraigned on Jan. 10, 2012.

However, the case against Page was later dismissed by the DA's office after the Internal Affairs division of the Sheriff's Department conducted an investigation. During this investigation, several witnesses stated they observed Andujar and Page in a verbal dispute that escalated, and Andujar allegedly removed Page's handcuffs and shackles to engage in a mutual fight.

Donlon and Andujar face charges of perjury in the first degree, making an apparently sworn false statement in the first degree, making a punishable false written statement, official misconduct and conspiracy in the fifth degree. The first two of these charges are felonies.

Both men are due back in court on Jan. 13, 2014.