Shelter Island Police Blotter: One arrest, three accidents reported this week

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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.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

Police officers, the Shelter Island Fire Department and an Emergency Medical Services team responded to a report of an accident on Bowditch Road on Feb. 12 at 8:45 a.m. Following an investigation, police determined that Aidan L. Monte, 24, of Shelter Island and his passenger, Annamarie Ruscica, 23, of Shelter Island, were driving eastbound on Bowditch when Mr. Monte’s vehicle crossed over the center line into the westbound lane and then off the roadway, hitting a utility pole. The vehicle overturned and slid upside down into a wooded area where it came to a stop.  

Mr. Monte and Ms. Ruscica were both injured and transported by ambulance to Eastern Long Island Hospital. Mr. Monte was arrested for driving while ability impaired by drugs, reckless driving, imprudent/unreasonable speed, failure to keep right and unlawful possession of marijuana in the 2nd degree. He was in police custody during transport to the hospital and released later on an appearance ticket. 

Detective Sergeant Jack Thilberg said in a release that the investigation remains active at this time, although speed and reckless driving were contributing causes for the accident.

Summonses

Richard C. Malone of Watermill was driving on St. Mary’s Road on Feb. 11 when he was stopped and ticketed for speed not reasonable and prudent.

On Feb. 13, Alex A. Tenkarian of Sag Harbor was given a summons on North Ferry Road for driving an unregistered vehicle.

Police conducted 14 traffic stops and distracted driving enforcement in the Center, West Neck and the Heights on Feb. 11 through 14 and on Feb. 16 and 17 resulting in two tickets and four warnings.

Accidents

On Feb. 13, Jamie A. Gatto of Branford, Conn. was on the ferry lane about to board a North Ferry boat when Stephen H. Fay of Shelter Island backed out of a parking place at the North Ferry Company and hit the passenger side, midsection of Mr. Gatto’s vehicle. There was over $1,000 in damage, including damage to the passenger side rear of Mr. Fay’s vehicle. There were no injuries.

Suzzanne Whitmore of Amagansett was driving south on South Ferry Road on Feb. 17 when a deer ran onto the roadway, hit her vehicle and caused over $1,000 in damage to the driver’s-side front of the vehicle.

A minor accident, also on Feb. 27, occurred when Peter Paul Gulluscio of Shelter Island attempted to drive around Shelter Islander Carol Sieni’s vehicle, parked in the Presbyterian Church lot. He was on his way to exit the lot when, in reverse, he hit Ms. Sieni’s vehicle at low speed, damaging the front bumper and causing some damage to his rear bumper.

Other reports

Civil documentation was provided on Feb. 11 regarding a fence taken down in West Neck.

Police responded to a domestic dispute in the Center on Feb. 12. On that day, a Center landlord reported ongoing issues with tenants and was advised to contact an attorney.

On the 13th, a complainant was at Police Headquarters to document a child custody matter.

A caller reported on Feb. 13 that a vehicle was stuck in the mud in the Center; police assisted the caller in contacting AAA.

On Feb. 14, a Heights caller reported a domestic dispute and on the 15th an officer assisted a resident with a heating system problem.

An officer monitoring traffic in the Center on Feb. 16 was approached by a passing motorist who said she had found a dog at large on South Ferry Road. An animal control officer returned the dog to its owner.

A person called police on Feb. 16 to report a dead deer beside a house. An officer dragged it to the road and notified the Shelter Island Highway Department. 

A call reported on Feb. 16, for information purposes, about receiving multiple text messages from an unknown source, and had been trying to contact the sender with negative results.

On the 17th, an officer followed up on an anonymous call about a possible abandoned bicycle on a Menantic roadway and discovered that, earlier, the bicycle and its trailer had broken apart. Close to midnight on that day, a caller, alone in the house, reported hearing noises in the basement. An officer searched the interior of the home and found no signs of any criminal activity.

In other reports, officers conducted D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) programs on resistance strategies to 4th and 5th graders, attended rifle qualification training and carried out a well-being check.

Alarms

The Shelter Island Fire Department responded to two fire alarms on Feb. 15 and 17 in Hay Beach and the Center, respectively. The first was set off by burning food; the second was a false alarm due to smoke from cooking.

A commercial alarm was reported at the Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy on Feb. 11; the door alarm had been set off while entering the code. On the 13th, a burglary alarm was activated at a home in Shorewood, The caretaker notified police that a friend of the owner had entered the wrong passcode.

The fifth alarm of the week on Feb. 15 was a residential one in the Center; an officer found the location secure. 

Aided cases

Shelter Island Emergency Medical Service teams transported two people to East-ern Long Island Hospital on Feb. 14.