Greenport man arrested in Suffolk sting, child exploitation charges filed

Suffolk County police say a Greenport man used social media to arrange an in-person meeting at Topgolf in Holtsville with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl, then sent an indecent photo and later had child pornography found on his phone.

Corey Hooks, 37, of Fifth Street in Greenport, was arrested Monday after detectives with the Suffolk County Police Department Digital Forensic Unit said he responded to Topgolf Holtsville on May 26 to meet the girl. Police said the contact began online and escalated quickly from social media messages to a planned meeting at the year-round entertainment venue at 5231 Express Dr N, where climate-controlled hitting bays make it a busy family destination.

Investigators said the case did not stop with the attempted meetup. Police said a further search of Hooks’ phone turned up child pornography, adding to allegations that already included promoting a sexual performance by a child, possessing a sexual performance by a child, attempted endangering the welfare of a child and attempted dissemination of indecent material. Hooks was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct in Selden pending arraignment.

Hooks was arraigned Tuesday, June 2, in First District Court in Central Islip and pleaded not guilty, according to court records. The case now moves into the court process with charges that carry serious consequences because they combine online exploitation, a planned face-to-face encounter and digital evidence recovered from a phone.

The arrest underscores how Suffolk County investigators are using digital-forensics work to track cases that begin on social media and can move into the physical world before a child is harmed. In this case, police said the key warning signs were plain: a suspect believed he was speaking to a minor, sent an indecent image, and then showed up for a meeting at a public venue in Holtsville.

For parents and teens across Suffolk, the allegations are a reminder that online contact can turn dangerous fast when an adult pushes a conversation toward secrecy, private messaging or an off-line meeting. Police say specialized units such as the Digital Forensic Unit are central to interrupting that pattern, and this Greenport arrest is the latest example of how quickly an online exchange can become a criminal investigation.