A Levittown woman and a Huntington Station man who met in the detox center at Nassau University Medical Center robbed two banks, one in Ronkonkoma on Tuesday and another in Melville 11 days ago to pay for heroin, Suffolk police said. (See also: “Buy Heroin Here: Steps Away From A Detox Program, Addicts Find Drug Dealers And A Place To Get High“)

Nicole Feist gave the teller at the New York Commercial Bank on Veterans Memorial Highway a note demanding cash, brandished a silver semi-automatic pistol and pointed it at the teller at 10:41 a.m., according to detectives. The teller gave the 24-year-old woman cash from the drawer before she fled in a grey Volkswagen Passat driven by Ryan Fabian, 27, police said.

“Both are addicted to heroin and decided to do bank robberies to fuel their heroin addiction,” said Detective Sgt. Robert Doyle, commanding officer of the Major Case Investigations Unit.

Detective Timothy Sheehan of the 5th Squad Narcotic Enforcement / Special Operations Team heard a description of the suspects and vehicle that was broadcast on police radio and apprehended them in five blocks away in the Econo Lodge parking lot.

Feist and Fabian, who has a prior bank robbery arrest, were both charged with two counts of first-degree robbery: one count each for today’s robbery and for the robbery of the Madison National Bank in Melville on Friday, July 3. They were also charged with heroin possession and additional charges are pending, police said.

Feist will be held overnight at the Fourth Precinct in Hauppauge and Fabian will be held overnight at the Seventh Precinct in Shirley. Both will be arraigned on Wednesday at First District Court in Central Islip.