Man Shelter Island Police nabbed after chase faces grand jury action for East Hampton burglaries

William Donnelly Jr., 30 of Montauk, suspected in a rash of burglaries in East Hampton Town and East Hampton Village, faced charges in Shelter Island Town Justice Court Friday of operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs; reckless driving; resisting arrest; second-degree criminal possession of stolen property; third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance; unlawful possession of marijuana;  and numerous vehicle and traffic violations.

He was remanded to the Suffolk County Correctional Facility without bail pending Grand Jury action this week on additional charges related to the burglaries. Detectives from Shelter Island were cooperating with their counterparts from East Hampton Town and East Hampton Village on the further investigation of the burglaries.

The initial call came in at 5:13 p.m. Wednesday, May 16 when neighbors in a community off South Ferry Road last Wednesday night reported a disturbance in the area. Local police arrived and pursued Mr. Donnelly, who was driving a van later determined to have been stolen. He crashed the van on South Menantic Road before fleeing into the woods. Mr. Donnelly, whom police said has friends on the Island, was known to Shelter Island Police because of past incidents in which he was involved.

Police pursued him and contained him in an area where a New York State Police K9 unit located him in a backyard shed. Two Suffolk County Sheriff K9 units also participated in the search.

Mr. Donnelly was determined to be under the influence of, and in possession of, drugs and the van contained stolen property, including seven weapons, rare coins, jewelry and other property later determined to be stolen from the East Hampton area, according to police.