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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.

ACCIDENTS
Two vehicles were hit while parked and unoccupied in incidents that caused damage in excess of $1,000: On August 1, Jose Martinez of New York City reported that his vehicle was struck in the IGA parking lot by an unknown car; and John Tehan of Shelter Island reported that his truck was hit in the lot at the Island Boatyard on August 4.

John Lopez of Huntington reported to police on August 4 that his car, while parked and unoccupied on Grand Avenue in the Heights, had been sideswiped causing minor damage.

Derrick D. Smith of Shelter Island reported to police on August 3 that he had swerved to avoid deer on Ram Island Road and struck some shrubbery on private property causing damage in excess of $1,000.

SUMMONSES
Ticketed for speeding last week were: David M. Navarra of Shelter Island on August 1 on North Menantic Road, 45 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone; and Joseph M. Anderson of Mohegan Lake, New York on August 3 on North Ferry Road, 43 miles per hour in a 30-mph zone.

Christopher P. Culp of Brooklyn was ticketed on August 5 on West Neck Road for failure to stop at a stop sign and for driving an unregistered motor vehicle (MV).

Peter M. Lynch of Southampton was ticketed on August 7 on South Ferry Road for operating a MV while using a portable electronic device.
Bay constables ticketed the following people fishing on August 5 for keeping undersized porgies: Garcia Carmelo Vazquez and Rodolfo Garcia, both of Brooklyn, and Nelson Ortiz and Jacobo Ortiz, both of Riverhead.

Beth B. Vadereems of Shelter Island was ticketed by a bay constable on August 5 in the North Channel for operating an unregistered vessel.

Officers also issued 43 parking tickets.

OTHER REPORTS
On August 1: Police received information regarding a sex offender; a West Neck caller reported that several items were taken in a burglary; a Menantic caller reported, for informational purposes, that an air conditioner was removed from a first floor window of her home; and, around 11 p.m., a woman reported that a car had tailgated her from the North Ferry to police headquarters.

A Heights caretaker requested additional police patrols of the area on August 2.

An officer responded to a burglary alarm at a Ram Island residence August 3 that had been accidentally set off by a caretaker. Later, the Shelter Island Fire Department responded to an automated alarm at a Dering Harbor residence that was caused by the homeowner replacing a battery.

Also on August 3: A caller reported losing her phone, but then called back to say she’d found it; a Shorewood caller reported JetSkis towing passengers too close to the swim area off Wades Beach but by the time a bay constable arrived on the scene, no JetSki was observed operating in such a manner; and a dog at large in the Heights was caught by a police officer and returned to its owner.

On August 4, a Heights caller reported a possible fire that turned out to be a box containing rags with different chemicals on them that caused “fire-like conditions” but no structural damage. Later, bay constables: advised the captain of a vessel anchored within 400 feet of the swimming area at Crescent Beach to move to a proper anchorage; assisted the owner of a vessel in Silver Beach by towing it to navigable waters in a falling tide; and told owners of boats tied up at the South Ferry storm moorings to move along.

A Hay Beach caller reported a possible drunk driver on August 4, but an officer canvassed the area with negative results. Early on August 5 a police officer closed a door on a parked car that had been left ajar. Later, a traffic control officer found a backpack while on patrol; a Center caller was advised by police to replace an expired CO alarm that was chirping; and police officers checked incoming North Ferry boats for a possible suspect in a hit-and-run that had taken place in Greenport.

Bay constables and an officer on patrol assisted the U.S. Coast Guard in the search for a vessel reported to be in distress off Gardiners Island with negative results. A caller reported for insurance purposes that he might have dropped his phone into the water near the North Ferry docks.

Police were called to the South Ferry when a driver aboard a boat refused to pay and refused to disembark, stating that he’d purchased a round-trip ticket at the North Ferry and felt he was being taken advantage of. The responding officer explained that the ferries are run by separate companies. The driver apologized and was advised to take North Ferry off the Island.

Later, a caller reported being passed on West Neck Road by a vehicle that crossed the double yellow line and an officer who checked IDs at a Heights location where underage drinkers were reported found no underage persons.

Police also began an investigation into a possible criminal trespass.

Bay constables were busy assisting boaters on August 6: A vessel having trouble anchoring in the deep water off Crescent B each ran over the anchor line of another boat which then hit a third boat causing minor damage, and a Sunfish overturned off Hay Beach. On shore, a  West Neck beachgoer who lost the key to his bike lock needed a ride back to his car.

At a Heights residence on August 6, smoke from cooking set off an automated fire alarm calling the SIFD to the scene. The next day, smoke alarms sounded at a Ram Island house that was being fumigated.

Also on August 7, a caller reported a verbal altercation but did not wish to press charges; a loose dog in Silver Beach was returned to its owner; and a caller complained of heavy traffic on St. Mary’s Road.

Lost and/or found last week were: a necklace, a cell phone, a New York State identification card; a purse; a rowboat that was discovered sunken in Gardiners Bay; two signs from Silver Beach; and a young man who dropped his phone in the water and apparently didn’t think that his mother, not hearing from him for many hours, might be worried.

None of the following noise reports qualified as violations and the offenders piped down when told they were disturbing neighbors: people talking loudly; kids listening to music while playing basketball; and a man listening to music on his patio. Loud tree work that prompted a complaint had been completed by the time the responding officer arrived.

AIDED CASES
Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported one aided case to Eastern Long Island Hospital on August 5; four on August 6 and one on August 7.