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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.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

On Sept. 24 at 6:31 p.m., Glenn K. Kushner, 65, of East Hampton was arrested following an investigation into a construction project on the Island. He was charged with grand larceny in the 3rd degree.

According to Detective Sergeant Jack Thilberg, Mr. Kushner is a carpenter who was hired to build furniture for a resident. He never started the project, never returned numerous phone calls over a period of nine months and never returned the construction materials the owner had purchased for the job, according to the police. These included $470 worth of materials and a $5,000 deposit.

Mr. Kushner was held overnight, arraigned in Shelter Island Justice Court and released on his own recognizance with an order to return to court at a later date.

Approximately two hours later, Martin Scheiber, 49, of Shelter Island was arrested and charged with two counts of assault in the 2nd degree, two counts of assault in the 3rd degree and one count of attempted assault in the 3rd degree. The charges followed an investigation into previously reported domestic incidents.

Mr. Scheiber was held overnight, arraigned in Justice Court, released on his own recognizance and instructed to return to court at a future date.

An order of protection was issued on behalf of the alleged victim.

Sarah Payne, 32, of Shelter Island was arrested on Sept. 29 at 5:30 p.m. on an active Bench Warrant. She was processed at the Shelter Island Police Department and released to Suffolk County Police Detectives. 

Summonses

BeiBei Wang of Jersey City, N.J. was driving on West Neck Road on Sept. 27 when she was given a ticket for failure to stop at a stop sign.

On Sept. 28, Roy J. King of Sag Harbor was ticketed on Ram Island Road for driving with no/inadequate license plate lights.

Police conducted 15 traffic stops and distracted driving and DWI enforcement on Sept. 23, 24, 26, 27 and 28, resulting in seven warnings and two tickets.

Accidents

On Sept. 23, Serena R. Chmelar of Summit, N.J. was driving westbound on Smith Street when a deer ran onto the roadway and hit the passenger-side bumper/grill and quarter panel/fender of her vehicle, exceeding $1,000 in damage. There were no injuries.

Clifford P. Case III of New York City was driving northbound on Spring Garden Avenue on Sept. 25 when he hit a vehicle owned by Ricki Allison Stern of New York City, which was parked along the side of the road. Mr. Case said he didn’t see the parked car due to low lighting in the area. Damages to the passenger-side bumper and side panel of Mr. Case’s vehicle and the driver’s-side rear bumper and side panel of Ms. Stern’s car exceeded $1,000.

Other reports

A caller reported on Sept. 23 that young people were skateboarding on the lower back roof of the school and an extra patrol was requested. An officer spoke to several of the skateboarders who said they would not continue to skateboard there.

Political signs were reported missing from three properties in the Heights and the Center on Sept. 23, 25 and 28. Cameras will be installed in at least one location.

Police were told on Sept. 23 about a possible break-in in progress at a Center residence. All doors and windows in the house were secure.

Police unplugged a dehumidifier in the basement of a Center home when the resident complained about the noise on Sept. 24 but was unable to access the equipment.

On that date, a vehicle was reported parked on a Dering Harbor property with no one near it. The vehicle’s owner said he was looking for beach glass and would park in another area.

The next day, an officer on patrol noticed a low-hanging limb blocking one lane of a Cartwright road. He put out traffic cones and notified the Highway Department.

A West Neck resident complained on the 25th that a neighbor was erecting metal fence posts on his property. He was advised to obtain documentation about the property lines and the use of an easement. The neighbor claimed he was not on the caller’s property and was replacing posts that had been taken down previously.

The same day, a small deer ran onto a roadway in West Neck, hitting a vehicle headed southbound. The deer was killed in the accident and the Highway Department notified. Three days later, a deer ran onto North Ferry Road, hitting a vehicle. The deer was put down. There were no damages and no injuries in either accident.

A caller reported for information purposes only that there had been a physical altercation with another person in the Center on the 25th. No criminal charges were pursued.

Police were told that possibly a woman was screaming for help in Montclair. The person turned out to be a youth on a tire swing.

An anonymous caller reported a boat in Coecles Harbor was being driven erratically and was headed towards the marina with several passengers on board. The area was searched with negative results.

On Sept. 26, police were told about a vehicle parked all day on a Center property. The vehicle’s owner said she had parked there because of work being done at her residence.

Police received an anonymous complaint about a large party in the Center where people were not wearing masks, in violation of NYS Executive Order 202. An officer located the party where there appeared to be less than 50 people; all were complying with the mask mandate.

A Menantic caller complained about a number of cars belonging to seasonal renters parked in the roadway. No illegally parked vehicles were found.

An Environmental Conservation Law check was made on Sept. 27 of Hay Beach’s Highberry Lane. There were six people fishing and no violations.

Also on that date, a Dering Harbor caller reported a person, apparently a census worker, had come to the residence, asking for the owner. The caller said the owners were away and closed the door, but called police when the census worker remained in the driveway for about 20 minutes before leaving. Police were unable to locate the person.

A caller reported that his credit card had been lost and used for several unauthorized purchases. It was determined that the crime occurred in Shelter Island, California, not in New York, and the caller was advised to file a report with the  San Diego Police Department.

A loud party was reported in Menantic on Sept. 27 at about 11 p.m. An officer spoke to the owner who said the party would be shut down immediately.

An anonymous caller said she heard someone yell in the Center on Sept. 28. An officer canvassed the area and did not notice any suspicious activity.

On patrol, a bay constable saw a sailboat and trailer stored on a town landing in Cartwright. A notice was left, advising the owner that the boat would be impounded if not moved before Oct. 5.

Among other incidents during the week, police unlocked a vehicle with the keys inside, performed court duty, handled three lost and found cases, attended training at the Suffolk County Police Academy, and fingerprinted a person for employment purposes.

Alarms

The Shelter Island Fire Department (SIFD ) responded with police to two fire alarms, one at a home in Menantic on Sept. 24 and the other at the Chequit Inn on Sept. 26. The first was caused by a gas grill on fire. The gas tank was leaking and was removed by the SIFD. The second was caused by construction on the third floor of the building.

A medical pendant alert was activated accidentally in Silver Beach on Sept. 22.

Animal incidents

An injured turkey in HiLo was reported, but had died when an officer arrived. A sick raccoon was captured by an animal control officer (ACO) and transported to a vet for euthanasia. A dead raccoon stuck in a tree in Ram Island was removed by the ACO.

Dogs at large in Cartwright were called in on two occasions. Both had returned home before the ACO arrived.

Two dogs were reported at large on the pickle ball court in the Center. An officer advised several people that their dogs needed to be leashed and kept off the courts. Signage to that effect has been ordered. A caller said a dog was at large in West Neck; the ACO canvassed the area without results.

A lost dog was reported in Cartwright. The area was searched unsuccessfully but police were informed later that the dog had been found. The owner of a dog at large in the Center was called by the ACO who retrieved it.

Aided cases

Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported seven people to Eastern Long Island Hospital on Sept. 22, 23, 26 and 28 and two cases to Southampton Hospital on Sept. 23 and 27.