Shelter Island Police Department blotter: Oct. 1, 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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.

ACCIDENTS

On Sept. 20, Madigan N. Teodoru of Shelter Island reported striking a deer on Ram Island Drive with no apparent damage to the vehicle. The deer was dead and the Shelter Island Highway Department was notified for removal.

Police were told on Sept. 20 that a vehicle had been damaged on Sept. 17 while parked in a Menantic parking lot. The damage, which was not observed until the owner returned home to Cutchogue, exceeded $1,000.

OTHER REPORTS

On Sept. 20, a caller wished to document a light on in a Menantic apartment that is supposed to be unoccupied. On the 21st a caller complained about a car parked in front of his property in the Heights.

After observing a male youth entering a police boat on the 21st, an officer determined he had gotten a fishing lure stuck on the bow. A parent was notified.

Responding to a call on the 21st about water leaking from the front door of a shop, police determined there was a septic overflow and notified the owner. 

In response to a complaint, the Rams Head Inn was found to be allowing amplified sound on Sept. 21 beyond the real property line in excess of 50dB(A)s. A summons was issued to the owner.

Music from a St. Mary’s Road residence on that date was lowered in response to a complaint. Police responded to a trespassing complaint in West Neck on the 22nd.

A complainant reported on Sept. 22 having been forced off the roadway the previous night by an erratic driver of a commercial vehicle. A summons could not be issued since an officer did not observe the violation, but the incident would be documented and the driver’s company notified.

Police investigated a bicycle theft from the North Ferry Terminal on Sept. 23. Three subjects were seen near the bicycle on video; an investigation continues.

A 911 call from Hay Beach on Sept. 24 was found to be false, as was one on the 26th. A caller reported a vehicle driving slowly past a Center residence on the 24th, then speeding up and leaving when noticed.

Following a report of a bicycle missing from beside the Chase bank on Sept. 24, police advised the complainant and bank manager that security camera footage would be reviewed.

Police investigated a complaint of a male on a property on the 24th, and advised the person he was not permitted to enter the property or contact the owner.

A broken water pipe in a Center pump pit was shut off on Sept. 25. On that date, police received a report that a tree stand in Hay Beach had been vandalized on or before Sept. 15. The property is lawfully posted; the complainant only wished to document the incident. A noise disturbance from cutting trees and logs in the Center was investigated that day and both parties advised of procedures. 

On the 26th a complainant reported a cashiers check issued to a contractor had been cashed but the work not completed, with no communication since January. The owner of a SUV reported playing loud music at night in the Center was advised to lower the volume and agreed to comply.

Broken glass in a Center roadway on Sept. 26 was cleaned up by a construction company.

Police provided fingerprinting for a Florida gun license application; advised a caller of procedures to deal with a probable scam; conducted welfare checks; provided a requested escort; attended active shooter training; provided lift assists; conducted distracted driving enforcement in the Center on the 22nd and 23rd; performed court duty; assisted with a vehicle lockout; conducted school crossing; completed rifle re-qualification; and assisted in the HUGS (Human Understanding and Growth Services) opioid presentation.

MARINE INCIDENTS

A vessel broke free from its mooring near Little Ram in Coecles Harbor on Sept. 20 and washed up on Taylor’s Island. Sea Tow was notified for assistance. A lost dinghy was reported on that date in Menantic. An ECL (Emergency Check List) check was conducted at South Ferry on the 21st. 

On Sept. 24, police assisted Cornell Cooperative Extension staff seeding approximately 540,000 clams in Town waters.

ANIMAL INCIDENTS

Responding to a complaint of barking dogs in Ram Island on Sept. 19, the Animal Control Officer (ACO) discussed the Town Code with the caller and the owner. An injured rabbit in West Neck was taken to a vet by the ACO for euthanasia on the 20th. 

A rabbit trapped in a basement in the Center was freed by the ACO on the 22nd. A dog was reunited with its owner on the 23. The ACO retrieved a baby squirrel with no mother in sight in Westmoreland on Sept. 23 and will care for it until it can be released. The ACO reunited two dogs with owners on Sept. 24 and brought an injured bluejay to a wildlife rehabber. An injured turkey reported hit by a vehicle in West Neck on that date could not be located. 

A tan pit bull reported at large in the Heights on Sept. 25 could not be located. The ACO reunited another dog with its owner that day. 

ALARMS

A smoke alarm in Hay Beach on Sept. 19 was a false alarm. A fire alarm on Ram Island on Sept. 20 was deemed a false alarm by Shelter Island Fire Department after the chief searched the main and pool house. A basement motion alarm in the Center on Sept. 22 was checked and no sign of criminal activity was found. A Ram Island motion alarm on the 23rd was accidentally activated by a pest control company.

AIDED CASES

On Sept. 20, 21, 23, 24, and 26 Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services responded to calls; eight patients were transported to Eastern Long Island Hospital. On Sept. 25, one patient was transported to Southampton Hospital in response to a call.