Shelter Island Police Department blotter: April 23, 2024
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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.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
John P. Day, Sag Harbor, was driving on North Ferry Road on April 19 when he was stopped by police and given a ticket for operating a vehicle with inadequate or no brake lights.
Police conducted 12 distracted driving, radar enforcement and traffic stops in Menantic, the Heights, the Center and West Neck on April 17 and April 19, 20 and 21, resulting in seven warnings and one ticket.
ACCIDENTS
Bruce J. Taplin turned off Tuthill Drive on to South Ram Island Drive in his pickup truck on April 15. He told police he took the turn too tight and hit a rock on the southeast corner of the intersection. According to the draft report, there was over $1,000 in damage to the passenger side of the truck. The vehicle was towed off the rock, but Mr. Taplin was able to drive it from there.
OTHER REPORTS
On April 15, a caller reported that a construction trailer had been parked in front of his Longview residence for two weeks. An officer contacted the owner who said it would be moved as soon as possible.
Police responded on the 15th to a complaint that items were missing from her home in the Center. On the same date, an open garage door was reported in Hay Beach. Officers searched the interior and exterior of the residence and found no sign of any criminal activity.
On April 16, Verizon was notified about low-hanging wires in Silver Beach. On the 17th, a caller told the police department about phone calls related to a possible civil issue.
An open door was reported in Cartwright on April 20. An officer checked inside, closed the door and did not notice any signs of criminal activity. Two drivers involved in a road rage incident in the Heights were advised to call the police and not take matters into their own hands.
Also on that date, an extra patrol was requested by a Menantic resident, following information that a certain person had returned to the Island. A visitor to police headquarters reported being a victim of a blackmail attempt and scam.
On April 21, a South Ferry Hills caller told police about a Facebook scam for informational purposes only. An officer assisted a Hay Beach resident to turn off her exhaust fan. A small grease fire inside an oven in the Center was put out by an officer; the Shelter Island Fire Department (SIFD) also responded and ventilated the residence.
In other incidents: police investigated a missing persons report; provided traffic control at North Ferry on two occasions; attended training sessions at police headquarters and Westhampton; confirmed a Vehicle Identification Number; performed a lift assist; and conducted a well-being check.
ALARMS
The SIFD answered two fire alarms on April 15 (location was not provided), and one April 18 in Westmoreland. The first was a false alarm; the second was set off by staff using a cleaning solution around the alarm.
Two residential alarms were activated on Ram Island on April 15 and in the Center on April 21. One was accidentally set off by a heating company. The homeowner said the second was a false alarm.
ANIMALS
Orphaned baby raccoons were reported on Ram Island; the animal control officer (ACO) placed them with a wildlife rehabilitator. A caller saw a truck, traveling at a high speed, hit a turkey in the Center. The ACO was notified about a possible injured turkey. It was later discovered dead on the ACO’s arrival.
A dog was missing from a Heights yard; the ACO assisted with the search until the dog returned home on its own. Three dogs also got out of a Menantic yard; the ACO helped with the search until the dogs came home.
AIDED CASES
Shelter Island Emergency Medical Service teams transported four patients to Eastern Long Island Hospital on April 15, 20 and 21. A person who was injured in a fall was airlifted by helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital on April 16.
