Shelter Island Police Department blotter and fire report
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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.
Summonses
Mary E. Lebey of New York City was driving on Ram Island Road on Dec. 27 when she was stopped by police and ticketed for driving at a speed not reasonable or prudent.
On Jan. 2, Larsen T. McDowell of New York City was stopped by police and given a summons on South Cartwright Road for making an unsafe turn/without a signal.
Police conducted 23 traffic stops and distracted driving enforcement on Dec. 24, Dec. 26 through 29, Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 through 4, in the Center, South Ferry, Cartwright, the Heights, West Neck and Ram Island, resulting in 15 warnings and two tickets.
Accidents
Patricia A Saxon of Southampton told police that while driving north on Cartwright Road on Dec. 26 she was unable to negotiate the curve in the roadway due to her speed and hit a rock on the side of the road. Damage in excess of $1,000 was listed in the draft report to the right side and undercarriage of the vehicle. There were no injuries; the vehicle was towed.
Ms. Saxon was ticketed for driving at a speed not reasonable or prudent and for failure to keep to the right.
On Dec. 28, Yenifer Elizabeth Guerra of Greenport was driving south on New York Avenue when a deer ran onto the roadway, hitting the passenger-side front of the vehicle and causing over $1,000 in damage. According to the draft report, the injured deer was put down by police.
Other reports
An owner received a notice on Dec. 22 that the front door of a Center home was open; an officer found all doors and windows secure and no problems.
A caller told police on that date that a vehicle parked in the roadway in Westmoreland was blocking a private drive. An extra patrol was requested. The area was canvassed with negative results.
On Dec. 23, a caller in the Heights reported receiving a check that did not clear his bank account. He was advised that this was a civil matter and that he should follow up with an attorney and small claims court.
Police received a call on Dec. 23 that an order of protection, issued following a domestic dispute, may have been violated.
On the 24th, police received a complaint about a person who directed mail to the wrong PO Box. The post office will follow up.
Police investigated a report of a case of larceny on Dec. 24. The money was found and returned to the owner.
A caller told police that a hunter was walking in the woods in Hay Beach on Dec. 25. An officer located the hunter who said he was tracking a deer.
Police received a report on that day about a vehicle unable to maintain a lane on North Ferry Road; the area was canvassed with negative results.
Also on the 25th, a complainant said he was receiving numerous harassing phone calls; police notified the caller who said she would not contact the person again.
Police were told on the 26th, for information purposes, that someone was taking videos of him while he worked.
A caller reported two trees were leaning on primary wires; although there were no outages, PSEG was notified.
The same day, a lost metal boat dolly was reported at Crescent Beach. The owner thought the dolly might have been dragged into the water by an outgoing tide. The area was canvassed with negative results.
A dog at large was reported on Dec. 27 in Silver Beach; an animal control officer joined in the search. The dog was located by its owner.
A property line dispute was reported in Menantic on Dec. 28. Gunshots in the neighborhood of Gardiners Bay County Club were also called in; the area was searched with negative results.
Also on the 28th, a Center resident told police his neighbor has an outdoor lighting fixture that shines directly into his bedroom. Police sent the report to the Building Department as a possible dark sky violation.
On Dec. 29, police received a request for information about recovering marital property in Hay Beach.
A caller told police on Dec. 30 about finding a tree stand on vacant land in West Neck and said he did not want hunting on the property. The hunter was told to remove the stand and not to hunt on the land. The caller was advised to post the property.
On that date, police received additional information regarding an alcohol-related incident.
A sailboat was reported aground north of Crescent Beach on Dec 30. The owner was notified. A domestic dispute in Cartwright was not declared an emergency.
A Center caller reported smoke coming from a neighbor’s chimney; the owner said that steam was escaping from a vent as a result of restarting the furnace.
Loud music was called in anonymously on New Year’s Eve on Ram Island. An officer spoke to the owner who said the music would be kept at a lower volume. Another anonymous caller reported loud music and talking at a Hay Beach residence on Jan. 3. An officer responded and requested that the outside music be turned off and the noise kept to a reasonable level.
An extra patrol was requested on Jan. 1 after a caller said that he had seen trash containing bottles in the woods on Ram Island and believed that young people were drinking on the town’s property.
That day, a caller reported a vehicle with its hazard lights on in the Center. The driver had stopped to buy firewood.
A dog at large in the Center was called in; the animal control officer recognized the dog and returned it to its owner.
On the 2nd, low hanging wires were reported blocking an entrance to the IGA. Verizon responded. A possible electrical fire was reported in the Center. The Shelter Island Fire Department responded; PSEG was notified, the cable disconnected and breakers turned off at the house.
On the same day, officers assisted the Riverhead police in the search for a missing kayaker. No one was found; South Ferry was alerted and monitoring the marine channel.
On Jan. 3, police provided an escort for a person retrieving property at a Hay Beach residence. That day, a person walking her dog in Menantic, reported an unknown man sitting on the front porch of a vacant home. An officer found the person to be the listed caretaker of the property; he was waiting for a ride home.
In other incidents during the holidays, police conducted traffic duty, responded to six lost and found reports, performed three well-being checks, handled a false 911 call and verified a VIN for an out-of-state DMV.
Alarms
The Fire Department responded to four alarm calls on Dec. 26 and 28 – on Ram Island and in the Center. One was not an emergency and the fire chief advised the owners to service the heating unit and the alarm system. Another was caused by smoke created by steam in the basement; a third may have been set off by a faulty sensor or a blowback; and a fourth was a smoke alarm caused by wood next to the fireplace that caught fire.
A commercial alarm at the Historical Society was tripped accidentally on Dec. 23 and smoke from starting a wood stove in the Center set off another alarm on Dec. 30.
Aided cases
Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported six cases to Eastern Long Island Hospital on Dec. 22, 26, 29 and 30 and Jan. 4.
Fire scorches North Ferry Road residence
By Archer Brown
At 11:20 on the morning of Dec. 29, Shelter Island police officers and members of the Shelter Island Fire Department responded to a called-in report of a fire at a home on 171 D North Ferry Road.
The home was unoccupied and when they arrived, the fire had spread to the side and front of the residence. Detective Sergeant Jack Thilberg said the Fire Department quickly brought the fire under control and extinguished it. He added that an Emergency Medical Services team was on stand-by but no injuries were reported.
The Police Department investigated and said the origin of the fire was caused by a neighbor disposing of fireplace ash outdoors that may have contained live embers. These ignited with leaves and other materials on the ground and, given heavy wind conditions, spread the fire to the side of the residence, igniting the siding materials.
There was no internal damage, Sgt. Thilberg said, just the burned siding on the side and front of the house. Police said there was no sign of any criminal activity and the fire has been classified as accidental.
