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Shelter Island Police blotter — Feb. 9-16

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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.

Except for a few days of icy cold temperatures, the winter of 2020-21 was reasonably quiet until this month. While snow totals this month were generally lower than anticipated, there has been enough ice and snow to cause hazardous road conditions and some downed wires.

PSEG had to respond to a report of a tree lying on wires in the Center on Feb. 10, just after 2 p.m. There were days when icy conditions throughout the Island resulted in police having to notify town and Heights highway departments to put down sand on roadways.

A driver on North Cartwright Road on Feb. 10 at 9:41 a.m. failed to negotiate a turn on black ice and slid into a snowy shoulder hitting several privet hedges. The vehicle driven by Warren Baker of New York City sustained more than $1,000 in damages to the passenger side and the car had to be pulled from the snow by a tow truck. Mr. Baker was not injured.

A chimney fire in a wood stove that likely cooked the exhaust pipe because of a creosote buildup at a house in Silver Beach was doused by a caller prior to the arrival of the Shelter Island Fire Department and police on Feb. 13 at 4:41 p.m. Firefighters determined that the fire was completely extinguished. The owner was advised to hire a company to clean the chimney.

A carbon monoxide alarm was reported sounding at 6:42 p.m., Feb. 13 at a Hilo residence and firefighters determined there was a trace of carbon monoxide in the house, perhaps caused by a gas fireplace. The caller was advised to open windows to let in fresh air.

SUMMONSES

Maikol Navarro Rojas of East Quogue was stopped on South Ferry Road at 5:35 p.m., Feb. 10 when police said he failed to yield at a yield sign. Police said he was unlicensed and ticketed for that as well. He received a summons for a March 22 Shelter Island Justice Court appearance with the option to plead guilty and pay fines in advance of the scheduled court date.

OTHER REPORTS

A Hay Beach resident called police at 5:33 p.m., Feb. 9 about a security camera picking up two individuals on the property. Police said there was no sign that the pair had come near the house and speculated they might have been hunters tracking deer in the snow.

A police officer directed traffic around a disabled vehicle on South Ferry Road at 8:19 a.m., Feb. 9 until the vehicle could be towed.

Police assisted a caller driving her vehicle onto an icy driveway in West Neck at 9:21 p.m., Feb. 9. Police are investigating a report called in at 11:31 a.m., Feb. 11 from a victim of a Facebook Marketplace scam involving the attempted purchase of a chainsaw.

Police received a report from a woman in the Heights that she had received a letter from the New York State Department of Labor about unemployment benefits for which she said she never filed. The call came in at 10:51 a.m., Feb. 11. Police advised her to report the fraudulent claim to the Labor Department.

A caller reported finding a wallet at 10:11 a.m., Feb. 12 and police retrieved it and were able to return it to the owner.

Police assisted a driver on Feb. 14 in opening a vehicle in which the keys had been locked inside.

Police responded to a call to assist a person who had fallen from a chair to the floor on Feb. 14.

Police assisted in lifting a Center resident from the floor to a chair on Feb. 15.

ALARMS

A smoke alarm was reported on Feb. 9 at a Westmoreland house; an employee at the scene said the smoke resulted from soldering of pipe joints.

An employee at a Center residence on Feb. 10 entered a wrong pass code causing an alarm. A wire cut accidentally by a construction crew at a Heights business caused an alarm to sound on Feb. 11.

ANIMAL INCIDENTS

A Silver Beach resident called police at 6:41 p.m., Feb. 10 saying he was delayed off-Island and couldn’t find anyone to check on his service dog. An ACO responded and found that the animal was fine.

A Cartwright resident reported a bat in the house Feb. 12 that was removed by an animal control officer (ACO) and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center for observation.

An anonymous caller called police at 8 p.m., Feb. 12 to report a dog running loose in the Center, but prior to the police arriving, the dog had returned to its residence.

A caller reported a distressed swan at South Ferry at 1 p.m., Feb. 13, but the swan appeared fine when police arrived.

On Feb. 15, a Center resident reported a lost dog at 10:22, but the dog had returned to her home after an ACO had helped to search for the animal.

AIDED CASES

Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported three people to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital on Feb. 9, 10 and 14.