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Shelter Island Police blotter

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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.

ARRESTS
Kreshnik Smajlaj, 34, of Yonkers was stopped by police on Shore Road around 2 a.m. on May 28 for failure to maintain lane and was arrested for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver’s license. His vehicle was seized and he was released on $250 station house bail and directed to return to Shelter Island Justice Court at a later date.

Lea Burkhardt Winkler, 21, of Montauk, was pulled over by police on West Neck Road around 1 a.m. on May 29 for driving without headlights and failure to stop at a stop sign. Upon further investigation, police said, she was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated and driving with a blood alcohol level of greater than 0.08 of 1 percent. She was arraigned in Shelter Island Justice Court before Judge Mary-Faith Westervelt and released on her own recognizance.

Michael J. Cordara, 20, of Massapequa was stopped at a police checkpoint on South Ferry Road around 10 p.m. on May 29 and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs and unlawful possession of marijuana. He was arraigned before Judge Westervelt and released on $500 bail.

Brock B. Houghton, 50, of Alhambra, California, was stopped at the same checkpoint after midnight on May 30 and charged with driving while intoxicated and driving with a blood alcohol level of greater than 0.08 of 1 percent. He was arraigned before Judge Westervelt and released on $1,000 bail.

SUMMONSES
Constantino Gonzales-Guzman of Copiague, was stopped by police on Waverly Avenue on May 24 and ticketed for driving with inadequate stop lamps.

Z Khodjimurodov of Brooklyn was stopped by police on Shore Road on May 29 and ticketed for having an open alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.

ACCIDENTS
Rudy O. Cruzventura of Southold was backing into a parking area on Stearns Point Road on May 25 when his pickup truck accidentally struck a parked vehicle owned by Michael J. Rauch of Coram, causing damage to the front hood, grill and fender that police estimated was in excess of $1,000.

On May 28, Dennis J. Korchinski of Fairfield, Connecticut, was backing out of a driveway on Smith Street and accidentally struck the driver’s side of a parked car owned by Philip Rabito of Rockville Centre, causing damage to the rear fender and door that police estimated was in excess of $1,000.

A minor motor vehicle accident occurred May 29 when a car driving eastbound on Manwaring Road was struck by an unknown object; a police search for the object yielded no results.

OTHER REPORTS
A power outage was reported by a Heights resident on May 24; PSEG was notified.

Also on that day, police opened an investigation into possible illegal drug activity.

That afternoon, a caller reported a downed tree blocking one lane of traffic in Hay Beach; an officer moved it to the side of the road.

A small terrier found by a passerby was turned into police that day; it was reunited with its East Hampton owner who was advised to license the dog on the Island if it remains here for 30 days or more.

That evening, a Heights caller alerted police to people sleeping in a car; no such vehicle was found.
Dog walkers beware, summer restrictions for dogs on beaches are in place. A dog walker on a West Neck beach was stopped May 25 and warned that dogs must be on a leash or in “reasonable control,” meaning in close proximity, at all times. A Montclair Colony resident twice complained to police on May 29 that children were riding bikes followed by their unleashed dogs; the parents were warned that dogs must be leashed.

A Heights caller notified police on May 26 about possible counterfeit money. Later, Island police assisted Nassau County Police in an unsuccesful attempt to reunite a purse with its owner. Police notified PSEG of a downed wire in the Heights.

A Center resident complained to police about dogs that had been barking overnight until 2 a.m. on May 27; a warning was issued to the dogs’ owner.

A 911 call from a Heights residence on May 28 was deemed a false alarm when it was determined the phone number from which the call was made was not assigned to anyone living there.

Police responded to a distress signal from a disabled boat floating into the path of a North Ferry vessel on May 28. The boat, which had run out of fuel, was towed by police to Pipe’s Cove where a supply of fuel was brought onboard.

Photos posted on Facebook of undersized shellfish prompted police on May 28 to investigate a West Neck clam digger who was found to have a valid permit and to be keeping only legal size catches. On Westmoreland, a resident called police May 29 concerned about unknown people clamming on his property; he was informed that clammers with permits are allowed to work below the mean high water mark.

May 29 was a busy day; in addition to the arrests noted above the following incidents were reported:
• A Heights caller complained about a car parked in a roadway with no occupants; by the time police arrived, the car was gone.
• Police recovered lost property on the Ram Island Causeway; around the same time, a caller reported to police that she’d lost an item after visiting a gas station.
• An anonymous caller reported loud music in Hay Beach; police observed that the music was at a suitable level.
• A Hay Beach caller reported that loud music had been coming from Blue Canoe restaurant in Greenport around two o’clock that morning.
• Youths walking in the Center told police that someone had thrown firecrackers at them from a passing car; police checked the area with negative results.
• A Center resident phoned police around 8 o’clock p.m. worried about a friend who had not returned when expected from an errand by bicycle to a liquor store; he phoned back moments later to say his friend had returned.
• Loud singing from a group partying on a porch in the Heights prompted a compalint from a neighbor who told police he believed the house is being rented by the night. Police found the noise level was acceptable and advised the caller to notify the bulding department regarding possible violations.
• A neighbor complained to police about a loud party at a Silver Beach residence around 10:30 p.m.; police located the owner (with guests in his pool), who apologized and agreed to turn down the music.
• Police assisted a caller in locating a lost iPhone.
• Just before midnight, a person called police worried that dogs barking nearby for several hours might be hot and have no water. The owner was notified and reported that his wife was home with the dogs. The dog warden was asked to follow up with the owner to discuss the noise ordinance for barking.
Monday was quieter:
• In the morning, a caller reported being concerned for the welfare of a snapping turtle in West Neck Road; by the time police arrived, the turtle was gone.
• Police officers performed traffic control for the ferry line in the Heights.
• Someone in the Heights found a purse containing credit cards, a passport, a smartphone and cash; police reunited the purse with its owner.
• In the Cartwright area, a person called police to request that they ask his neighbor to lower the bass on his stereo; the neighbor agreed.
• Someone turned in an iPhone found at North Ferry.

ALARMS
Automatic burglary alarm systems were inadvertently activated every day last week except May 28.

Fumes from cleaning products activated a basement smoke alarm at at Ram Island residence on May 24; the Shelter Island Fire Department determined the call to be a false alarm. A faulty pull box triggered a false fire call at the Reporter offices on May 25.

AIDED CASES
Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported aided cases to Eastern Long Island Hospital on May 24, May 26 and May 27.

A person who fainted on a West Neck beach refused medical treatment on May 28.