DWI arrest after vehicle knocks down power lines
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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.
ARRESTS
Anne M. Sanford, 43, of Shelter Island was arrested Saturday, April 30 and charged with driving while intoxicated, failing to stay in lane and having an open alcoholic beverage in her vehicle, after the Jeep she was driving veered off Dinah Rock Road and knocked down a utility pole, cutting power to parts of the Island for several hours, according to police reports.
Police said Ms. Sanford, driving southbound near the intersection of Highberry Lane just before 9 p.m., failed to negotiate a curve and drove off the roadway, striking bushes and shearing off at its base a utility pole that fell, along with power lines and other wires, blocking the road. Her vehicle kept moving along the road for another 175 feet, crossing into the oncoming lane before striking an embankment on the opposite side and crashing into a traffic sign, police said.
The Shelter Island Fire Department (SIFD) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and PSEG also responded to the accident. Ms. Sanford was transported to Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries and arrested. She spent the night in the Island jail and was arraigned the next day before Judge Mary-Faith Westervelt. She was ordered to return to court on a later date and released on her own recognizance. Her badly damaged vehicle was impounded by police.
SUMMONS
Deidre C. Humphrey of Orient was stopped by police on South Ferry Road on April 29 and issued a ticket for speeding 66 miles per hour in a 40-mph zone.
OTHER REPORTS
An anonymous caller reported a fire at an unoccupied Hay Beach residence on the morning of April 26. The fire was brought under control by the SIFD. An EMS team also responded, standing by during the incident. Police determined that the fire started outside the residence where the electrical service and meter pan are located. Damage continued into the basement area where the electrical panel was located. Detective Sgt. Jack Thilberg said it appears the fire erupted within the service conduit at the point where it entered the home and that there was no evidence of criminal activity.
A Center caller on April 26 requested police assistance in removing a vehicle from her property that had been left there for over a year; police contacted the owner of the vehicle, who agreed to move it.
Police accepted a donation of used equipment on the morning of April 28. Later, a Menantic caller reported that a vehicle left the Recycling Center with an uncovered load of mulch, spilling some of it on the roadway. An officer searched the area but was unable to locate the vehicle.
That afternoon, a Tarkettle resident complained that someone had dumped two boats on his property. Police investigated and learned they were for sale and belonged to a neighbor who had placed them there — without permission — apparently to take advantage of the more visible location. Police advised the would-be boat seller to resolve the dispute with his neighbor.
Got a clothes dryer? Check to be sure the vent isn’t blocked. A basement fire in the Center just after noon on April 29 appears to have been caused by a blocked dryer vent. The SIFD responded and extinguished the fire.
That evening, the owner of an Island storage unit reported suspicious activity; a vehicle had twice approached the rear of the unit and, both times, upon being approached quickly drove off. Police patrolled but were unable to locate the vehicle.
Police checked a report of a burning smell in a Hay Beach residence on the afternoon of April 30; it was determined to be coming from a faulty heater blower motor.
A Center caller complained of noise from an all-terrain vehicle being driven nearby on May 1. A gardener at the residence in question told police he had seen a small motorcycle cross the property. Police patrolled with negative results.
ALARMS
A automated burglarly alarm sounded at a Hay Beach residence on April 30; upon investigation no sign of problems were noted at the unoccupied house. In three instances, household employees inadvertently set off burglarly alarms: at a Heights residence on April 30, and on May 2, at a Hay Beach residence and a Shorewood home.
AIDED CASES
Police assisted EMS teams in transporting aided cases to Eastern Long Island Hospital on April 27, April 30, May 1 and May 2.
SCAM ALERT
Police report that numerous Island residents have been contacted by phone or email by a person claiming to be a representative of the Internal Revenue Service. The caller often claims to be a senior auditor or investigator and generally starts off being polite, but may amp up the pressure and become more accusatory, threatening that an arrest warrant has been issued and agents are on their way.
Do not provide such individuals with any personal information, banking information, credit/debit card numbers or send them any money via electronic wire or by any other means. The IRS recommends the following:
If you know, or believe, that you owe taxes, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
If you know that you do not owe taxes and believe a call was a scam, notify the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.
