Arrest warrant issued for Isola owner: Failed to appear in court on liquor license charges 

An arrest warrant has been issued for Brad Kitkowski, owner of Isola, the Heights restaurant, on failure to appear before Shelter Island Justice Court on alcoholic beverage commission charges.

Mr. Kitkowski responded to a call from the Reporter on Tuesday by saying that the judicial order is “a clerical issue that the court is taking care of.” 

On Wednesday, Justice Court Clerk Elizabeth Larsen, after conferring with Judge Mary-Faith Westervelt said, “There was no clerical error.” Ms. Larsen confirmed that Mr. Kitkowski had been issued an order to appear in court, had failed to do so, and therefore the arrest warrant was issued.

Shelter Island Police Department Det. Sgt. Jack Thilberg told the Reporter on Tuesday that when an arrest warrant is issued, “It usually means someone has ignored several instructions to appear in court to face charges.”

Mr. Kitkowski was charged on Dec. 30, 2025, with operating an establishment without a valid liquor license, and the bar and restaurant was shut down by the SIPD. The restaurant and bar has been closed since then.

Mr. Kitkowski was then processed by the SIPD and released on an appearance ticket directing him to appear in Shelter Island Justice Court at a later date. According to police, the incident was referred to the New York State Liquor Authority for further review and administrative action.

Sgt, Thilberg said then that the Police Department had been informed by the State Liquor Authority (SLA) that Mr. Kitkowski’s license to serve alcohol had expired on Oct. 31. The officer explained that the SLA doesn’t get involved in enforcement of laws, but turns its investigations over to local police agencies.

Sgt. Thilberg said officers observed alcoholic drinks being sold in Isola on Dec. 30 and shut down the restaurant “near closing time.” 

Speaking to the Reporter the day after the closing, Mr. Kitkowski, who had owned and operated the popular Heights restaurant for nine years, said not paying what he said is essentially “dues” to the SLA was an oversight. The restaurant and bar will re-open shortly, he said, as he completes filing the necessary paperwork with the court and the SLA. As said, the restaurant has been dark since the end of 2025.

He’d had health issues, Mr. Kitkowski said then, which contributed to the oversight of letting his valid license lapse. He had corneal implants in May 2025 and said he has been legally blind since.