Shelter Island Police Department blotter: May 26-June 1
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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.
Tickets
Matthew R. Coleman of East Hampton was driving on South Ferry Road on May 25 when he was stopped by police and given a ticket because his visibility was distorted by his vehicle’s broken glass. He was also ticketed for aggravated operation of a vehicle in the 3rd degree.
On May 28, Aaron Gomez-Flores of East Hampton was given a summons for speeding on North Cartwright Road — 50 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone.
David J. Bartilucci of Shelter Island was driving on North Cartwright Road on May 27 when he was stopped and ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt.
On May 29, Justine A. Gardner of Shelter Island was given a summons on North Menantic Road for driving an uninspected vehicle.
Also on the 29th, Michael J. Scudder of Barkhamsted, Conn. was stopped by police for speeding on New York Avenue — 37 mph in a 25-mph zone.
A Bay constable issued a ticket to Thomas P. Eicas of Shelter Island for taking conchs and whelks in commercial quantities — 79 of them — in Coecles Harbor without a State DEC license.
Police conducted 13 radar enforcement and traffic stops on May 24 through 29 and May 31 in the Center, the Heights, Silver Beach, West Neck and Cartwright, resulting in eight warnings and six tickets.
During the week, traffic control officers issued six parking tickets.
Accidents
Heidy Ruby Melendez Uyu of Riverhead was driving south on South Ferry Road on May 28 when a deer ran onto the roadway and hit the windshield of his vehicle. He veered off the roadway and came to a stop on Heritage Drive. Damage was estimated to be under $1,000. Mr. Melendez Uyu complained of neck pain from the accident and was taken to Eastern Long Island Hospital by an Emergency Medical Services team.
Other reports
On May 26, a caller told police that while she was in line for the South Ferry, a woman holding a homeless sign “aggressively” approached her vehicle asking for money. An officer searched the area with negative results. Employees of both the North and South ferries were contacted and said that they did not see the woman in question.
Police were informed on the 26th that a pile of stone gravel was blocking a roadway on Ram Island. An officer was told the pile would be moved.
On May 27, a caller reported that a fisherman was putting in wood pilings about 200 feet off a Shorewood beach. It appeared that the person was building a fishing trap. A bay constable was notified.
A woman told police on May 27 that she had been aggressively followed by another driver from St. Mary’s Road to the Heights. An officer advised both the caller and the driver to follow the rules of the road.
That day, a caller advised police that a floating dock, which had come loose from one of two anchor points, could be a possible hazard to navigation in West Neck Creek. The owner was contacted and said a caretaker would secure the dock.
Also on the 27th, police received a complaint about loud music in HiLo; an officer responded and the music was turned off without incident.
An email scam was reported for information purposes on May 28. The caller had received an email purporting to be from an Island clergyman, saying that he needed Visa gift cards for people in the hospital.
A buoy at the Dering Harbor entrance was reported off-station on the 28th; bay constables repositioned it.
On May 29, high winds downed several trees — one was blocking traffic on Route 114 in the Center; a tree fell across wires in the Heights and PSEG was notified; tree limbs were blocking lanes on both West Neck and Center roads; and a tree was down across a Center roadway. The Shelter Island Highway Department responded to all five incidents and cleared the areas.
Police conducted Environmental Conservation Law checks in Silver Beach on May 29 and 30 and at Reel Point on Ram Island on May 31. No problems were observed; a total of 24 people were seen fishing.
A Dering Harbor resident reported that a village employee had taken down a construction fence, without his permission but at the direction of the village. An officer advised the caller that the complaint was civil in nature and should be referred to the Village of Dering Harbor.
Police opened a confidential investigation into an alleged criminal act on May 30.
Also on the 30th, a Center caller was told that an eviction process was still on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions and was advised to contact Suffolk County for further assistance. Police also responded to a landlord/tenant dispute in Menantic on that day.
Police were asked about a police raid at a residence on Great Circle Drive on May 30 and were told about a number of unmarked cars and agents around the house. An officer checked the location; there was no police action, just a massage therapist and his staff making a house call.
A caller complained on May 31 that a loud dirt bike was riding up and down the shared driveway next to her Menantic house. She had asked the person to stop with negative results. An officer canvassed the area with no success.
On the 31st, a caller reported floating debris at the Dering Harbor Marina. Police removed a 3-foot piling and some pieces of wood from the water. With the assistance of the Sag Harbor Harbormaster, an officer helped the 10 passengers of two small inflatable boats, which had been caught in the wind and were drifting away from Cedar Beach and into Shelter Island Sound. The boats and passengers were returned safely to Cedar Beach.
Among other incidents, police unlocked two vehicles with the keys inside; assisted three residents in their homes; responded to two lost and found reports; conducted a wellbeing check; taught a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) lesson to 6th graders at the school; attended training; notified the town’s social worker about a case; and provided traffic control during Memorial Day observances.
Alarms
A residential panic alarm in Westmoreland was set off accidentally on May 27, and on May 29 an alarm was activated at a pool entry door on Ram Island — apparently the door had been blown open by the wind.
The Shelter Island Fire Department responded to a residential fire alarm in the Center on the 29th; it had been triggered by accident.
On May 30, an alarm in West Neck may have been activated by a loss of power to the ADT unit.
Animal incidents
Barking dogs were reported on two occasions in the Center. An animal control officer (ACO) observed the area for 60 and 40 minutes respectively and found no violations of the town code.
A caller told police her dog had attacked and injured two smaller dogs; the owner of the smaller dogs sustained a minor hand injury during the incident. The ACO advised the owner to seek vet care for the injured dogs and medical car for his hand. He was also told of his right to request a dangerous dog hearing.
An ACO patrolled Wades and Crescent beaches on three occasions for dogs – one dog was found and its owner given a verbal warning.
An injured snapping turtle in Silver Beach was transported to a vet by the ACO. Another snapping turtle was reported climbing the stairs to a Center house. The ACO took it to the nearest source of fresh water. A sick fawn was reported in Hay Beach; it was located by the ACO but ran away.
Aided cases
Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported six people to Eastern Long Island Hospital on May 26, 27, 28, 29 and 31. A seventh case refused medical attention.
