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Shelter Island Reporter 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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.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
Maureen E. Shulde, 57, of Hampton, New Hampshire, was pulled over on South Midway Road for failure to keep right in the early hours December 28 and was arrested for driving while intoxicated, aggravated DWI, and refusal to take a breath test.

Another driver on the scene attempted to intervene in the traffic stop and was also arrested. Gerald A. Kestler, 52, of Shelter Island was charged with operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content greater than 0.08 of 1 percent and DWI. They were arraigned in Shelter Island Justice Court. She was released on $750 bail; he was released on his own recognizance.

SUMMONSES
Alvaro M. Ortiz Ramirez of East Marion was ticketed for speeding on two roads on December 27. Radar clocked his speed at 54 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone on Manwaring Road, and the responding officer paced his speed on St. Mary’s Road at 48 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone.

Pablo M. Barrera Loja of Port Washington was ticketed on New York Avenue on December 30 for speeding 37 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone.

John Reilly of Shelter Island was ticketed on December 27 for allowing his dog to bark continuously.

ACCIDENTS
Ann Dunbar of Shelter Island was driving on West Neck Road approaching the intersection of North Midway Road on December 21 when a deer ran into her vehicle causing damage to the front passenger side in excess of $1,000.

At the same time, Fredric J. Gurney of Turtonboro, New Hampshire was driving on North Menantic Road approaching the intersection with West Neck Road when a deer ran into his vehicle causing damage to the front passenger side fender and door in excess of $1,000.

George J. Pfriender of Shelter Island was driving on Smith Street on December 28 when a deer ran into his vehicle. The deer did not survive and was removed by the Highway Department. The vehicle was not damaged.

OTHER REPORTS
A Center caller reported a possible brush fire around 9 a.m. on December 20, but when firefighters arrived they discovered fire burning in a rear wall of the residence, possibly the result of an electrical malfunction. The fire was extinguished and PSEG and an electrician were notified.

After reviewing certain phone messages, a Center caller on December 20 requested additional patrols in the area with special focus on youths.

On December 21, Shelter Island School reported property damage and police investigated an incident, civil in nature.

Firefighters were called to a Center home on December 22 after the homeowner left a gas stove on for about 10 hours; they assisted the homeowner in airing out the house.

A Hay Beach caller reported finding a dumpster on his property on December 23; the dumpster was gone by the time police arrived.

On December 23, police followed up with a landlord after a Menantic caller complained of having no heat or hot water in a rental home; police assisted a Center caller with freeing her cat that got locked in a bathroom; and a driver called in to say he’d left his disabled vehicle along a roadway and would remove it the next morning.

Around 3:30 a.m. on December 24, a Center caller reported an intoxicated person was knocking on his front door trying to gain entry to the home. Police searched the area, but were unable to locate the individual.

Christmas Day brought black ice conditions to several roadways; the Highway Department sanded the areas.

At a Hay Beach home on December 25, a living room window suddenly shattered and fell apart; police investigated but found no cause and boarded up the window pending repairs.

A Hay Beach caller reported two deer stuck in a fence on December 28; the deer had escaped before police arrived.

Under the category of shots fired: Silver Beach residents complained of gunshots on Shell Beach but both instances were determined to have been lawful discharges; skeet shooters on Ram Island prompted complaints from neighbors; a Center caller reported hearing numerous shots that turned out to be from hunters driving deer into Mashomack; and a Menantic caller reported hearing gun shots and yelling near his home. Police determined in the last complaint that a neighbor, disturbed by the caller’s barking dog, had set off a fire cracker in an attempt to “shut the dog up.” The caller was advised of the complaint and agreed to pay closer attention to the dog’s behavior in the future.

Also last week, a phone, a wallet and a GPS tracker were reunited with their respective owners, a weapon was turned in, a resident was assisted in an employment matter, a downed tree was removed from a roadway in the Village of Dering Harbor, a resident reported a dog fight that caused injury to her dog and a dead deer was found on Center roadway.

ALARMS
A false 911 call on December 20 came from a defective mobile phone. Later, a hangup 911 call about a person walking in the Westmoreland area yeilded no sign of criminal activity. A false medical alert was inadvertently transmitted on December 20.
Police responded on December 22 to an automated burglary alarm at a Silver Beach residence caused by an unsecured basement door. A Ram Island caretaker accidentally set off a burglary alarm on December 28. An officer patrolling on January 1 spotted an open door at an unoccupied Center residence and notified the owner.

AIDED CASES
Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported aided cases to Eastern Long Island Hospital on December 21, 22, 23, and 31 and twice on December 27 and January 1.