Shelter Island Police Department blotter: July 18, 2023

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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.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

As a result of a police investigation of a domestic dispute, Alfredo A. Valdes, 37, of Shelter Island was arrested on July 12 at 5:37 p.m. and charged with harassment in the 2nd degree and criminal mischief in the 4th degree.

Mr. Valdes was arraigned in Shelter Island Justice Court, released on an appearance ticket and instructed to return to court at a later date.

Summonses

Frank M. Gutman, Kings Park, received five tickets on South Ferry Road on July 14 for driving an uninspected and unregistered vehicle, for aggravated unlicensed operation in the 3rd degree, for driving without insurance and with improper plates.

Also on the 14th, Justin P. Ouellette, Mattituck, was given two summonses for operating an uninspected and unregistered vehicle.

Mark Keerans, Shelter Island, was stopped by police on Smith Street and received three tickets for making an improper or unsafe turn without signaling, driving a vehicle with a suspended/revoked registration and for aggravated unlicensed operation in the 3rd degree.

On the 15th, Can Aydoner, Astoria, the driver of a Mr. Softee ice cream truck, was ticketed on Shore Road for violating a “no parking/standing/stopping on a highway” regulation. The driver was advised to conduct business at the designated area.

Police conducted 17 distracted driving and traffic stops in the Center, Menantic, Cartwright and South Ferry on July 11 through July 15, resulting in 11 warnings and 11 tickets.

On July 15, the animal control officer (ACO) issued a town code ticket to Brett Kincaid, New York City, for allowing a dog on Crescent Beach between Memorial and Labor Days.

Bay constables issued two tickets on July 15 – both to Stephen Gafford, Oakdale, N.Y., for traveling at an imprudent speed within 100 ft. of a stopped patrol boat off Jennings Point and another for failure to display validation stickers.

During the week, constables conducted 10 marine inspections off Mashomack; assisted a speedboat that was taking on water; advised six boats in Ram Island and Silver Beach to move to approved anchorages; checked on an overdue boater; and verified that a potentially illegally moored boat in Shorewood was legal.

Other reports

The animal control officer (ACO) conducted four patrols of Wades and Crescent beaches on July 11, 12, 13 and 15. There were five warnings and one ticket.

A driver complained on July 11 that a cyclist on West Neck Road was in the middle of the road. When he gave a courtesy honk, the cyclist came alongside the vehicle and pounded on the window. The driver kept on going and called the police to document the incident.

A caller told police there was damage to a sign on Presbyterian Church cemetery property. She noticed it on the 10th and reported it the next day for documentation purposes. A Cartwright caller also wished to document the behavior of a person police did not consider criminal at that time. The caller was advised, however, to call 911 if the person showed up at the residence or made frequent phone calls.

On July 11, officers conducted a survey of kayaks at Wades Beach with expired permits. Another kayak was impounded at Congdon’s town dock for not having a permit.

An officer on patrol noticed missing stop signs at the Sunset Beach crosswalks. The Suffolk County Public Works Department apparently got confused and the signs were replaced.

The next day there was a complaint about a very loud group of young people in front of the Chequit. An officer advised 10 to 15 people to lower their voices; they subsequently left the sidewalk.

Police canvassed the area for a boat reported acting erratically near North Ferry on the 12th; there was no match. A prior domestic dispute in Menantic was called in on that date.

Also on the 12th, a caller complained about a drone flying over her residence and a neighbor’s and was concerned about her privacy. An officer explained there are no regulations in the town code regarding flying drones.

Police received a report of a flashing spotlight aimed at the West Neck shoreline on July 14. The caller thought it might be a distress signal from a sailboat. The sailor explained to an officer that he had drifted away from his anchorage and was looking for another suitable location. A caller complained that construction vehicles were parked illegally on her property along a South Ferry Hills roadway. An officer found only one truck parked legally.

A Tarketttle caller complained that, for the second time, a bucket of clams he left hanging off the bulkhead had been taken by someone. Police video cameras in the area saw nobody in the vicinity of the dock.

A youth party beach check was carried out by police on Ram Island on two occasions on July 15; no party was located.

On the 16th, an Environmental Conservation Law check on Ram Island had no violations; three people were fishing.

Clam pots were reported lifted off a dock in the Center on July 16. A vehicle was identified, but the driver said he did not remove any pots from that location and was just driving around in that area.

In other incidents: police appeared in court; responded to two false 911 calls; filed eight lost and found reports; unlocked two vehicles with the keys inside; verified a VIN (vehicle identification number); provided a lift assist; and helped a cyclist with first aid for minor injuries.

Alarms

The Shelter Island Fire Department answered five alarms on July 11, 12 and 16 in West Neck, Ram Island and the Center. Two were false alarms; one was due to construction; low batteries set off another; and a large piece of wood in a wood burning stove activated the fifth alarm.

The problems with a commercial alarm in the Center were resolved on July 16.

Animals

The ACO assisted with a search for a lost dog in Silver Beach until it returned home on its own. An owner located another missing dog in the Center. The ACO attempted to identify a dog at large in the Center. There was no microchip; a New York City vet who administered a rabies shot had no further information. The owner finally called the ACO and retrieved the animal from headquarters.

A sick raccoon in South Ferry Hills was taken to the vet for euthanasia. Another injured raccoon in Menantic was brought by the ACO to a wildlife rehabilitator.

A caller said a neighbor’s chickens were in his Cartwright yard. The ACO said there was nothing in the town code about “trespassing chickens.”

Aided cases

Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services teams transported five people to Eastern Long Island Hospital on July 10, 12, 15 and 16; one case was taken by ambulance to Southampton Hospital on July 10.