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Shelter Island Police blotter: No motorists nabbed in distracted driving checks

REPORTER FILE PHOTO |
REPORTER FILE PHOTO |

Those named in arrest reports or receiving police summonses have not been convicted of a crime. In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.

ACCIDENT
Maria P. Ortiz-Morales of Shelter Island told police on April 7 that the car she was driving had been struck at the Center Post Office by a vehicle driven by Stephanie Needham of Shelter Island. Police reported that the drivers exchanged information and Ms. Needham agreed to pay for damage that was estimated at less than $1,000.

SUMMONSES
Noe Osorio of Flanders was stopped by police on St. Mary’s Road on April 5 and ticketed for speeding 45 miles per hour in a 35-m.p.h. zone, driving an unregistered vehicle, being an unlicensed operator and operating a vehicle without insurance.

Three drivers were stopped last week on South Ferry Road for driving with visibility distorted, or broken windsheild glass: James F. Sears of Center Moriches and Niko Chinea of Shirley were ticketed on April 4, and Anthony Demasco of Burgaw, North Carolina, was ticketed on April 5.

As part of a national Distracted Driving Enforcement Campaign, police on seven occassions last week conducted targeted patrols or set up stationary enforcement positions, but observed no improper use of mobile phones or other portable electronic devices.

OTHER REPORTS
A dog running loose in the Center was picked up by police on the morning on April 6; the owner was notified and reunited with the dog. Later that night, police followed up an anonymous tip from the South Ferry area about someone driving with open containers of beer, but they were unable to locate the vehicle.

Police opened a grand larceny investigation on April 7 prompted by an Islander who reported being scammed by a caller claiming to represent the IRS. Police Chief Jim Read told the Reporter that anyone calling with demands for money is likely a scammer and those receiving such calls should hang up without providing information.

A Hay Beach resident turned in a black Labrador retriever found wandering on the evening of April 7; police turned the dog over to the animal control officer who secured the dog in a kennel until the owner was found. Later that night, police were called to settle a dispute about parking between Cartwright neighbors.

In another dog incident, a German shepherd escaped its electronic enclosure and ran loose for a short time on April 10 prompting a complaint from a passerby. Police and the Shelter Island Fire Department responded to a chimney fire in a woodstove in a Cartwright area home on April 10. Fire officials recommended that the owner have the stovepipe cleaned by a chimney sweep.

Broken glass in a Silver Beach storm door banging on its hinges caught the notice of police on April 11. No criminal activity was detected, but police reported the damage, likely due to strong winds, to the homeowner.

Police assisted three Islanders in dealings with the Department of Motor Vehicles this week, helping a boat owner with a trailer registration, assisting a caller who received multiple notices of new tickets related to a car he’d long ago sold, and resolving for a resident the mystery of registration information for a vehicle she did not own. Despite her attempts to return the paperwork to the DMV, it repeatedly appeared in in her post office box. Police tracked down the vehicle’s owners and forwarded the information to their New York City address.

ALARMS
Workers opening a pool in the West Neck area inadvertently tripped the home’s burglary alarm on April 6. High winds blew open a pool house door at a Shorewood residence setting off the home’s alarm on April 8.

AIDED CASES
Police assisted Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transporting aided cases to Eastern Long Island Hospital, twice on April 5 and again on April 8, and responded April 9 to an aided case in which medical assistance was refused.