By Matthew Monks
Demitrios Keskinidis pleaded guilty to resisting arrest on Feb. 18 during an incident two weeks earlier in his favorite hangout, Twin Donut at 22-48 31st St. “He flailed his arms and kicked his legs in an attempt to avoid being handcuffed,” when police tried to remove him from the premises after he refused to leave, according to the Queens Criminal Court complaint charging him with resisting arrest, criminal trespass, harassment and disorderly conduct. It was his third criminal conviction in a year, according to the Queens district attorney's office. He was arrested twice last year and spent at least two weeks in jail when he was convicted of disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing. For years he has been a problem at the intersection of Ditmars Boulevard and 31st Street, said Inspector David Barrere, commander of the 114th Precinct.”He's abusive to passersby,” Barrere said. “He's constantly drunk in public and he is a nuisance.”He was such a problem that two dozen area merchants wrote the Queens DA last summer asking him to impose stiffer penalties on Keskinidis and his girlfriend, another homeless person named Irene “Book Lady” Stratekes. “We tried to get this individual (Keskinidis) some substantive help, but he refused every time,” said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria). “He has continually harassed and threatened my constituents and, unfortunately, was only given a slap on the wrist every time he was arrested.”One businessman was so fed up that he put up nearly $2,000 to fly the couple back to their families in Greece late last year. Stratekes took him up on the offer first, with Community Board 1 District Manager George Delis arranging her flight in October. Keskenidis left in November but resurfaced two weeks later on 31st Street.Delis, who for years tried to help the man get indoors, welcomed the news of his imprisonment. “It'll do him good,” the district manager said. “I hope he can get his feet on the ground and get his head together. Demitrios needs to be taken off the street – period. He's a danger to himself.” Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
