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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.

ARREST
Eric R. Sjursen, 27, of Patchogue turned himself in at police headquarters on October 2 after the Shelter Island Justice Court issued a warrant for his arrest when he failed to appear in court on two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was arraigned at the court and released on $500 bail with orders to return at a later date.

SUMMONSES
Joseph G. McKay of Port Jefferson Station was ticketed on St. Mary’s Road on September 27 for speeding 54 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone.

Joshua B. Gaylord of Wading River was ticketed on North Ferry Road on September 28 for operating a vehicle while using a handheld electronic device.

Patrick Parcells of New York was ticketed on North Ferry Road on September 28 for not wearing a seat belt.

Alexander M. Villanueva of Shelter Island was ticketed on North Ferry Road on September 30 for insufficient turn signal (less than 100 feet) and for having an unregistered trailer.

ACCIDENTS
Police provided details about a boat accident last week off Green Lawns that sent two men to the hospital. Peter J. McDermott was heading south around 30 miles per hour in his 22-foot Grady White with two passengers aboard when he sideswiped a 25-foot Aqua Sport heading southwest at about 25 miles per hour operated by Michael D. O’Brien of Rockville Centre, with one passenger aboard. Both men were transported by Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams to Eastern Long Island Hospital for treatment. Damage was estimated by police at around $8,000.

Scott Overstreet of Shelter Island was traveling south on North Ferry Road near Hedges Road around 6:20 a.m. on October 2 when a deer ran out into the road, striking his vehicle causing damage in excess of $1,000.

OTHER REPORTS
On September 27, a Silver Beach homeowner reported that someone had tried to remove a private property sign from his beach; prompted by a tip, an officer looked for but was unable to find a vehicle that entered a wooded area in the Center; and police investigated a domestic dispute.

A damaged sprinkler head on private property was causing a traffic hazard in the Center on September 28, as vehicles swerved to avoid the spray; police notified the caretaker.

A boat came unmoored in Silver Beach on September 29 and was banging against a bulkhead; the Highway Department assisted in securing it and the owner and Sea Tow were notified.

A caller reported that a truck left a South Ferry boat leaking deisel fuel on September 30; police checked the area with negative results. Also that day, a bay constable assisted a boater whose vessel was taking on water due to waves and rain off South Ferry Hills.

On October 1, a wallet was reunited with its owner; a vehicle causing a disturbance was reported in Silver Beach; a political sign was moved to another location without permission; a vehicle apparently struck a stop sign on Silver Beach, knocking it down and causing a traffic hazard; and an officer responded to a call from a Hilo resident about gunshots that turned out instead to be fireworks.

A caller reported loud music coming from the Ram’s Head Inn on October 1 around 9 p.m.; a manager said it was a wedding celebration that would end by 11 p.m. A fire alarm was activated at the inn near 11 p.m. and police and fire fighters responded and determined the alarm was prompted by a faulty alarm head on the third floor. At the same time, another complaint was filed about noise from the wedding. Police told the caller that guests were in the process of departing. The caller asked that action be taken should there be another complaint at the site.

Police opened an investigation on October 2. Later, an officer on patrol saw that a vessel had been secured at the town dock at Daniel Lord Road for two days; the boat owner said it had broken off its mooring and a contractor hired to tow it had been unable to do so due to bad weather, but that it would be hauled away soon.

On October 3, a caller reported his concern that a neighbor will not abide by a Zoning Board of Appeals resolution for plantings; the applicant said he would comply and police told the caller the matter is not a police concern and future complaints should be directed to the ZBA or Town Board.

Police also looked into a domestic incident and a complaint of trespassing in the Heights.

Rain and winds brought down trees and limbs around the island last week, with police and the Highway Department responding to calls from Town Hall and the Center, Ram Island and the West Neck area.

ANIMAL INCIDENTS
The Highway Department was dispatched after a caller reported numerous turkeys had been struck by vehicles on Smith Street. Deer dead by roadsides were reported by passersby on two occassions. Barking dogs prompted a complaint around 9 p.m. in the Center; the owner was notified further complaints will result in a summons. Two dogs were reported at large. An officer scanned for microchips three stray cats found by a volunteer at the Recycling Center, but none were found. The volunteer is seeking new homes for the cats.

ALARMS
Police responded to two burglarly alarms last week that proved false. A fire alarm that sounded and drew a response from the Shelter Island Fire Department on September 20 was determined to be caused by a faulty smoke detector. The SIFD was unable to determine why a basement smoke detector activated in a residence on October 2. In a call later that day, SIFD respoders found a residence filled with smoke from a fireplace malfunction. The fire was removed from the fireplace; the smoke was cleared and the homeowner was advised to have the chimney checked.

AIDED CASES
SIEMS teams transported aided cases to ELIH twice on September 30 and three times on October 3; medical attention was refused in aided cases on October 2 and October 3.