Shelter Island Police Department blotter: Aug. 16, 2022

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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.

ARREST

On multiple occasions recently, James S. Lenzer, 61, Shelter Island, had called 911 with no legitimate purpose, according to Detective/Sergeant Jack Thilberg. Following a police investigation, he was arrested on Aug. 11 at 8:43 p.m. on Congdon Road and charged with aggravated harassment in the 2nd degree. Mr. Lenzer was processed, released on his own recognizance and ordered to appear in Justice Court at a later date.

SUMMONSES

On Aug. 8, two tickets were issued: Brian G. Raab, Shelter Island, on West Neck Road for driving with visibility distorted by broken glass; and Amy L. Lord Jackson, Charleston, S.C., for speeding on New York Avenue – 42 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone.

On the 9th, Jack S. Rangaiah, Shelter Island, received two tickets for failure to stop at a stop sign on West Neck Road and for unlicensed operation. Alexander S. Cornfeld, New York City, also failed to stop at a West Neck stop sign.

Alexander I. Goncharenko, Santa Monica, Calif., was given two summonses on the 10th for improper passing and speeding on New York Avenue – 40 mph in a 25-mph zone.

Two tickets were issued on Aug. 11 for speeding on North Cartwright Road – Brigid E. Flanagan, New York City – 48 mph in a 35-mph zone; and Doreen Pappas, also NYC – 48 mph.

On the 12th, Beth Santillo, Mattituck, failed to stop at a stop sign on Locust Avenue. Christian E. Houston-Floyd, New York City, and Victor Calderon, Riverhead, failed to stop at signs on West Neck Road.

Three were ticketed on Aug. 14 for speeding on New York Avenue: Shaun Mentani, New York City, 44 mph in the 25-mph zone; Erin G. Caldwell, Lloyd Harbor, 42 mph; and Casey B. Graves, Studio City, Calif., 42 mph.

Also on the 14th, Joseph N. McKee, East Hampton, was ticketed on Shore Road for driving an unregistered vehicle while using an electronic device; Jonathan E. Cohn, Acton, Mass., failure to stop at a stop sign on St. Mary’s Road; and Richard Pulik, Jersey City, N.J., driving with an unregistered limited use license and not wearing an approved helmet.

Bay constables issued six tickets on Aug. 12, 13 and 14: Nicholas W. Gagnon, Key West, Fla., in Shelter Island Sound for operating an unregistered boat and for children on board without PFDs; Colton Kardue, Oceanport, N.J., operating in the swimming area at Crescent Beach; Justin S. Hall, Brooklyn, a child without a personal floatation device (PFD) in Menantic Creek; Christopher P. Durnan, Long Beach, failure to display registration numbers off Crescent Beach; and Mitchel H. Turner, Sag Harbor, failure to wear a PFD, Crescent Beach.

Police conducted 55 radar enforcement, distracted driving and traffic stops in the Center, West Neck, the Heights, Cartwright and Menantic on Aug. 8 through 12, resulting in 40 warnings and 22 tickets.

Traffic control officers issued 49 parking tickets.

ACCIDENTS

On Aug. 7, Matthew N. Bass, Jacksonville, Fla., had to back off a North Ferry boat when his vehicle hit the south side railing on the west ramp. There was more than $1,000 damage to the driver’s-side rear quarter panel and the bumper.

Alice Chen, Flushing, told police she was headed south on Ram Island Road on Aug. 10; using the GPS on her cell phone when she failed to stay right and drove off the roadway, causing more than $1,000 damage to the front, driver’s-side and top of the vehicle. Ms. Chen was issued two tickets — for using a portable electronic device and for failure to keep right.

On Aug. 6, Christopher Lewis, Wilmington, N.C., lost his footing on his boat in West Neck Bay while tending a ski rope and fell overboard. The middle finger of his right hand caught on the outboard engine hood, severing it. Mr. Lewis got back to the boat and took himself to the nearest marina for medical care. He was subsequently taken to the hospital for treatment.

Two minor accidents on Aug. 13 and 14: Stanley C. Beckwith, Shelter Island, reported a cyclist, Frank Dellcorte, Santa Cruz, Calif., had hit the left bumper of his vehicle at Piccozzi’s garage, causing scratches and small dents. Mr. Dellcorte said the pedal assist on his electric bicycle failed to work and he was unable to stop.

Thomas P. Petersen, Shelter Island, was driving north on North Cartwright when a deer hit the front of his vehicle causing minor damage to the driver’s-side headlight. The deer was dead on arrival.

OTHER REPORTS

The animal control officer (ACO) conducted dog patrols of Crescent and Wades beaches on Aug. 8, 10, 12 and 13; three warnings were issued.

An extra patrol of Reel Point was requested on Aug. 8 to enforce parking regulations on the weekend.

On the 11th, a confidential investigation into drugs was opened.

Loud music was reported in Shorewood and Hay Beach on the 12th. In one case, the event was over; in the other the music was turned off.

Officers responded to a fight on a North Ferry boat on Aug. 13; no further information was provided when the boat docked. A caller reported noise and people on a neighbor’s property while they were out of town. Construction workers were working on the home.

Warnings were given to a boat’s owner in Coecles Harbor on Aug. 13 and a second in Silver Beach.  An officer conducted an Environmental Conservation Law check on Ram Island on Aug. 13 and again on Aug. 14. There were no violations; 18 people were fishing. 

A vendor on Shore Road was told on Aug. 13 that his permit had to be approved by the town first. Loud music at SALT was found to be within limits. Music was turned off in the Center after a complaint. The decibel level of music in West Neck was not “enforceable,” a study showed on Aug. 14.

Among other incidents, police performed court duty, responded to six lost and found reports, followed up on two false 911 calls and opened two vehicles with the keys locked inside.

ALARMS

The Shelter Island Fire Department responded to eight calls in the Center, Heights, West Neck and Tarkettle on Aug. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. There was negative carbon monoxide in one, but possibly a problem with the air conditioning. Another was a false alarm. A faulty sprinkler set off a third on two occasions. Steam from a shower activated the fifth. The seventh was the result of an accident; and burned food was the eighth cause.

A residential alarm on Ram Island was set off accidentally on Aug. 9; no criminal activity was found following an alarm in the Center on the 11th; and a panic alarm in the Heights was triggered accidentally, 

Animals

The ACO freed a turkey stuck in a fence. A hawk dropped an injured animal on a Ram Island deck; the ACO was unable to locate it. The ACO was also unable to find a chipmunk reported in a Heights house. A bat was evicted by the ACO from a Menantic home. 

A dog reported missing in Silver Beach was located in the back of the caller’s car. The ACO followed a dog at large in Menantic back to its own yard and closed the gate behind him. The ACO received a complaint about owners not picking up after their dogs in Hay Beach. She told the caller that, while unsanitary, there was no town ordinance against it.

AIDED CASES

Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported five people to Eastern Long Island Hospital on Aug 8, 10, 12 and 13. One person refused medical attention on the 11th, and transportation for another was not required on the 14th.