Shelter Island Reporter police blotter
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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.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
Bruce J. Taplin, 54, of Shelter Island was arrested on September 13 and charged with growing marijuna outdoors near his Worthy Way home after an investigation prompted by a tip. Mr. Taplin was charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the 4th degree and given a ticket to appear at a future date in Shelter Island Justice Court. Police confiscated about a dozen marijuana plants.
“The investigation remains active, and it is anticipated that the criminal charges will be upgraded following analysis and weight determination from the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory,” Detective Sergeant Jack H. Thilberg said in a news release.
Lindsey Purcell, 35, of Shelter Island was stopped on North Ferry Road shortly after midnight on September 8 for failing to maintain lane and failing to keep right of the center line, and was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
She was kept overnight at Shelter Island police headquarters and arraigned the following morning at Justice Court by Judge Mary-Faith Westervelt, who released her on her own recognizance with orders to return to face charges at a later date. Ms. Purcell is charged with DWI, operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content greater than 0.08 of 1 percent; failure to keep right, failure to maintain lane and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
SUMMONSES
On New York Avenue, the following drivers were ticketed: Christiane D. Downing of Brooklyn, for speeding 42 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone on September 8; Carolyn A. Rusin of New York City, for speeding 43 in a 25 on September 10; and Sabrina A. Vanderputt of Brooklyn, for operating an unregistered vehicle on September 11.
Armando Patzan-Patzan of East Moriches was ticketed by a bay constable on September 11 for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle after he was found driving on the beach from Highberry Lane to Hay Beach point without a town issued beach driving permit.
ACCIDENT
Grace E. Kempton of Staten Island was driving on West Neck Road around 10 p.m. on September 9 when a deer ran out and struck her vehicle causing minor damage to the left headlight. The deer ran off.
OTHER REPORTS
On September 6: a Silver Beach caller reported that a sailboat had run aground; a Hay Beach resident called off police response to an automated alarm set off inadvertently; and police asked a Center resident to shut off loud music.
Later, the Shelter Island Fire Department responded when a Center caller reported the smell of propane in the kitchen; firefighters were unable to detect gas. SIFD shut off the gas at the tank.
PSEG was called on September 7 to repair an electric wire; the Highway Department was called to remove a downed limb on a Hay Beach road; and, when a Hay Beach caller reported smoke coming from a light fixture, the SIFD removed the fixture.
A Dering Harbor caller reported a Jet Ski platform had floated against her dock on September 8. A Menantic caller reported a suspicious vehicle parked in her driveway; it turned to be a driver fixing a flat tire.
On September 9, a Center caller asked for help relating to checks written by another; the responding officer notified the check writer that the caller would press charges if he did not make good on the checks. Police also restored a wallet to its owner that had been turned in.
Bay constables provided a safety escort for paddlers in the Great Peconic Race around the Island on September 10. Police removed from West Neck Road a seagull that had been struck and killed. A caller was advised to take up in civil court a complaint that she was not given the full amount of her security deposit back for a home rental.
A dog loose in a Center yard on September 10 was determined by police to not be a stray and a report of a downed tree on a Hay Beach road was handled by the Highway Department.
In the wee hours of September 11, a Center caller said two males were banging on her window and door; an officer arrived within one minute and searched the area with negative results. Later that morning, a deer found stuck in a soccer goal netting at Fiske Field was freed by the animal control officer, but had to be dispatched due to extensive injuries. A Ram Island caller reported what appeared to be a dead dog in her pool. The responding officer determined it was instead a silhouette used on the lawn to deter geese.
In the Center on September 11, police freed a raccoon that had gotten stuck in a dumpster. A caller reported an item of lost property. And an officer responding to a Center burglary alarm found no sign of a break-in.
A dog reported to be running at large in the West Neck area on September 12 could not be found. An alarm for basement doors was activated in South Ferry Hills, but no sign of trouble was found and the caretaker was notified. A Hilo homeowner reported a burglary at her residence; police are investigating.
Also that day, a caller reported he was not permitted by the owner of a Center property to retrieve items left behind when he worked there; the items eventually were removed. A caller reported an on-going problem with a neighbor’s barking dogs; police advised the dog owner that future incidents may result in enforcement action.
AIDED CASES
Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported an aided case to Eastern Long Island Hospital on September 9, and attended to a case on September 10 that did not require transport.
