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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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.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
Police made six arrests at Crescent Beach during the Shelter Island fireworks celebration on July 9.

Arrested for criminal possession of marijuana and released on $100 station house bail were: Aaron J. Daniels, 30, and Adam R. Daniels, 34, of Great Neck; Julie A. Ruggiero, 33 of East Islip; Kathryn R. Reynolds, 31 of Brooklyn and Anthony J. Peronace, 22, of West Hills, New York. Joseph A. Bocci, 31, of East Norwich, New York, was arrested for criminal possession of controlled substance (cocaine) and released on $250 station house bail.

“The enforcement initiative is to ensure compliance with the law and to maintain a family-oriented environment during the fireworks night for all to enjoy,” Police Chief James Read said in a press release.

SUMMONSES
Jorge N. Molina of Center Moriches was ticketed on South Ferry Road on July 6 for operating a motor vehicle while using a portable electronic device and being an unlicensed driver.

C.B. Godfrey of Southampton was ticketed on Manwaring Road on July 8 for failing to stop at a stop sign.

OTHER REPORTS
On July 6, the police: heard from a West Neck resident concerned that a Chinese lantern aloft near some brush might start a fire but no problems were found; passed on to the Highway Department a report of a downed tree blocking Tower Road; heard from the Highway Department that a large amount of fireworks trash had been left on Shell Beach; responded to a complaint about a verbal altercation with a driver who cut the North Ferry line; and notified Southold Police to be on the lookout for three men in their mid-20s who reportedly left Crescent Beach intoxicated, headed in a small Boston Whaler for Southold.

A caller complained on July 7 that the line for the South Ferry extended to Clark Place and was creating a hazard; police found ferry employees were working traffic and four boats were running.

On July 8 the police pulled a dump truck from the North Ferry line that had been called in as a possible DWI; the driver was warned for no registration and no insurance document. A deer ran into Manhanset Road in front of a police vehicle en route to a medical call; the accident caused minor damage to the right front fender and the deer ran off into the woods. A Menantic caller complained about noise from the Island Boatyard; the owner of SALT restaurant told police a charity event for the fireworks was underway and the music would be shut off at 11 p.m.

A Heights caller worried on July 9 that the caution sign in the Grand Avenue crosswalk might exacerbate traffic conditions there (see “Share the road!” this page).

On July 10 police: removed a downed limb from a Center roadway; spoke with a Center property owner whose neighbor said he was not obeying the town’s irrigation code; and investigated a possible gas leak in a Hay Beach home.

A real estate broker reported a flood at a Silver Beach residence on July 11; water running from the second floor was filling up the basement. Police shut off the water pump. Cleanup efforts prompted a noise complaint late that evening.

Police heard last week of possible missing property from four homes; one in Hay Beach, one in South Ferry Hills, one in Silver Beach and the other in Montclair Colony. Another caller reported items missing from a boat moored in Dering Harbor.

The town’s animal control officer last week caught and returned to their owners two dogs found running loose, but was unable to find dogs reported at large in three separate instances. A complaint about on-going barking was made about dogs at a Ram Island residence on July 11.

Police and the Shelter Island Fire Department responded to numerous false alarms last week; setting them off were a faulty system, a dead battery, a hyper-sensitive motion detector, a construction crew doing soldering and a contractor making repairs.

AT SEA
On July 3, bay constables issued tickets to two boaters: Thomas R. Wahlstedt of Katonah, New York, for having an insufficient personal flotation devices for the number of people aboard his boat in Dering Harbor; and John P. Woodby of New York City, for travelling at an imprudent speed in West Neck Harbor and causing wake that disturbed another vessel.

On July 5, a Menantic caller reported a boat aground in a marsh; a bay constable towed it to a town landing and called on the Highway Department to remove it to the impound yard. Boaters on a grounded vessel off Mashomack Preserve were given a ride to the Merkel basin by a bay constable, who notified the Preserve that the boat would be retrieved at high tide.

On July 8, a 33-foot sailboat ran aground in Silver Beach; its owner was assisted by a bay constable.
Twice last week police conducted training exercises on all police vessels.

AIDED CASES
Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams responded to three aided cases on July 6, including one with the assistance of the Fire Department; two cases on July 8 and one on July 11. All but one, who refused medical treatment, were transported to Eastern Long Island Hospital.