Shelter Island Police Department blotter: March 23, 2026

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 In court, the charges against them may be reduced or withdrawn or the defendants may be found not guilty.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

On March 13, Kevin Ruano Rivera of Greenport was ticketed on Summerfield Place for consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Michael D. Ventura of Shelter Island was ticketed for speed in a zone on March 13, 42 mph on New York Avenue, a 25-mph zone.

Brian G. Nelson of Shelter Island received a summons on West Neck Road on March 14 for having a knowingly obscured licensed plate and unregistered vehicle.

Joseph R. Messing of Shelter Island was ticketed for failing to stop at a stop sign on Manhanset Road on March 14. 

Maria Valeriano Mejia of Shelter Island received a summons on March 16 on Bowditch Road for unlicensed operation and an unregistered vehicle.

On March 17, Irma Pineda Avila de Jimenez of Shelter Island was ticketed on North Ferry Road for unlicensed operation. 

ACCIDENTS

On March 15, Jeffrey Scott Marshall of Sag Harbor was driving northbound on North Ferry Road at Manwaring Road when his vehicle struck and injured a deer, which was dispatched by an officer. No damage to the vehicle was recorded.

Dennis Smith of Southold was driving northeast on Ram Island Road when a deer ran into the roadway and struck his vehicle, causing over $1,000 in damage.

John Michalak II of Shelter Island was driving on North Ferry Road near Smith Street on March 18 when a deer ran into the roadway and struck his vehicle, causing over $1,000 in damage.

OTHER REPORTS

A large locust tree fell on a house in the Center on March 17, causing damage to the porch and roof. No injuries or loss of power were reported. Radar enforcement was conducted at West Neck on March 13 and the Heights on March 18; distracted driving on North Ferry Road on March 14 and the Center on March 15.

First quarter rifle recertification training was completed in Westhampton on March 13. A report of a suspicious person was investigated on the 13th. 

A dirt bike speeding up and down Cartwright Road was reported on March 15; officers could not locate it and an extra patrol was assigned.

A doorbell ringing repeatedly was investigated on March 16 on Ram Island. When video footage showed no individuals at the door, the cause was presumed to be weather. DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) lesson 7 was taught to the 5th grade on March 16. Police deployed cones in response to a large tree limb blocking the roadway in the Heights on March 16.  

Police deployed cones around a large tree that had fallen across a roadway in the Center on March 17. Shelter Island Highway Department was notified to remove a tree across Country Club Drive in Hay Beach on March 17. Lunch with a police officer was conducted at the school on March 18.

A caller requested resources to assist a friend on March 19. A possible financial scam was reported on March 19.

An unlocked door at a store with no clerk inside was investigated on March 19. The owner arrived and explained that the store was closed but there was a problem with the lock.  

In other reports, police responded to a low-hanging cable wire, assisted with vehicle lockouts, conducted school crossing duty, returned a found license plate to the owner, and received a report of a lost passport. 

ANIMAL INCIDENTS

On March 12, the Animal Control Officer collected and safely disposed of dead Canadian geese from beaches at Bootleggers, Kissing Rock, Star Lands and Shell Beach and notified the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation. Additional sick and dead birds were collected on March 13, 14 and 17 at Westmoreland, the Center, Hay Beach and Shell Beach and reported. 

An injured raccoon in Cartwright was collected by the ACO and brought to a wildlife rehabber on March 14.

A Diamondback Terrapin with closed eyes in Cartwright was taken by the ACO to Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons for care on March 16.

On March 17, the ACO collected three baby squirrels from a nest that had fallen into a storm drain in the Center, and will care for them. Police located and returned a lost dog on March 13. The ACO assisted with other searches for lost dogs.

ALARMS

A motion alarm on Ram Island was activated by an employee who did not have the access code on March 13. An alarm called in on March 16 in Menantic was determined to be false by Chief P.J. Lechmanski of the Shelter Island Fire Department. An alarm in Ram Island on that date was caused by workers spraying insulation, Chief Lechmanski determined.

AIDED CASES

Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services responded to cases on March 14 and 15.

One person was transported to Southampton Hospital and one to Eastern Long Island Hospital for treatment.