Two people were safely rescued from a Hortons Lane home when a fire broke out on the porch Thursday evening and quickly began to spread from strong winds.

A homeowner and her brother who were inside the home were examined by EMTs but were not treated for any serious injuries, according to Southold Fire Chief Craig Goldsmith. A pet cat also made it out of the home safely.

Stephanie Pinerio and Merv Jones, who live next door, heard a noise they initially suspected was their dryer in their basement. As Mr. Jones checked the basement, Ms. Pinerio went to the kitchen and they saw the fire simultaneously.

As Ms. Pinerio started to dial 911, Mr. Jones said a Southold patrol officer was already driving past and the officer raced inside. He said he saw the officer pull two people out of the back of the house.

“He went straight in and got them out,” said Mr. Jones, who has lived on Hortons Lane for about two years after moving from Greenport.

Southold police Chief Martin Flatley said highway patrol officer Pete Onufrak spotted the fire while on patrol and assisted the occupants.

The fire started on the porch. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

Mr. Jones said he first saw a chair on the porch on fire. Strong winds quickly spread the fire throughout the porch.

They said they were scared the fire could spread to their house, especially since the trees were so close between the two properties.

“It was so scary, it was terrifying,” Ms. Pinerio said.

The Southold Fire Department received the call around 10 p.m., Mr. Goldsmith said.

As firefighters arrived, Mr. Goldsmith said the front of the structure was fully involved.

He said the home is an old wooden structure and many of the interior doors were shut when the fire began.

“That made a really big difference in keeping the fire contained to the front of the house,” Mr. Goldsmith said.

Mr. Jones said the damage could have been worse if not for a closed door that separated the front and back of the house.

“Anything past that front room, if you open the door, you would never know there was a fire,” he said.

The damage was largely contained to the front of the home. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

Another neighbor described hearing what sounded like gunshots at first before realizing a nearby house was on fire.

Fire department officials remained on scene for approximately two hours to ensure hotspots were swiftly extinguished, the chief said.

Mr. Goldsmith praised the first responders for their efforts at containing the flames.

“They did a great job at slowing the progression and knocking the body of the fire down,” he said.

He indicated that the cause of the fire appears to be accidental but noted that Southold Police detectives are investigating the cause.

“They did some interviewing, and it doesn’t appear to be suspicious,” Mr. Goldsmith said.

Neighbors said the house has a second floor apartment in the back as well. That did not appear to sustain damage.

Firefighters from the Greenport and Cutchogue Fire Departments assisted. About 60 firefighters responded to the scene.

Top photo caption: The front of the home engulfed in flames Thursday night. (Credit: Courtesy of Southold Fire Department)

tsmith@timesreview.com

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Walter Alvizures-Gomez, 24, of Greenport was arrested Saturday around 4:55 p.m. and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, drinking alcohol in his motor vehicle while on the highway and driving without a license, according to Southold Town police.

Mr. Alvizures-Gomez was stopped for tailgating along Route 25 and Skunk Lane in Cutchogue. The aggravated DWI charge stemmed from a blood alcohol content of .18 or higher.

• A Manorville woman who failed to obey a police officer directing traffic at a motor vehicle accident was stopped and found to be driving with a suspended license, according to police.

Brianna Mahoney, 22, was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor, around 5:53 p.m. Monday, police said.

The officer was directing traffic at the corner of Albertson Lane and Route 48.

Two passengers in the vehicle were issued appearance tickets for possession of marijuana.

• Jose Medrano of Greenport was arrested Saturday around 3:31 p.m. for driving without a valid driver’s license.

Mr. Medrano was involved in an accident near La Capricciosa Brick Oven Pizza in Greenport. His license had been suspended for refusing to submit to a chemical test from a prior DWI, police said. His vehicle also failed to have a court-mandated interlock device installed, police said.

• An East Marion woman told police Sunday around 9:21 a.m. that an unknown person entered Dart’s Tree Farm in Southold through an open front window and removed 42 jars of jams and jellies, valued at $252; six Murph’s bloody mary mixes, valued at $30; and a $30 “Open” flag.

• A Mattituck woman reported a theft from her vehicle in Greenport Friday around 11:23 p.m.

The woman’s car was parked in the Adams Street municipal parking lot. She said she had left her vehicle unlocked and that no force was used to enter. A $400 mixing board and 400 guitar picks, valued at $100, were reported stolen. An investigation is underway, according to police.

• A Riverhead man told police last Wednesday around 10:39 a.m. that $1,450 worth of black pallet forks had been removed from 1485 Sound Ave. in Mattituck. He said the incident occurred between last Monday and last Wednesday.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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Tracey Bernitt, 52, of Brooklyn was arrested Monday around 12:15 p.m. for driving while intoxicated after she led cops on a high-speed chase along Route 25 in Orient. A police officer located Ms. Bernitt’s vehicle traveling west on Route 25, and initiated a traffic stop, engaging his lights and sirens in a marked police vehicle. Ms. Bernitt failed to comply, police said, and a pursuit involving multiple marked units ensued. Supervisors terminated the pursuit for public safety reasons and all units backed off. Her vehicle was found a short time later, at which point she was interviewed, determined to be intoxicated and subsequently arrested. She was also charged with failing to obey police officers and running a red light. Ms. Bernitt was arraigned at Southold Justice Court, according to a press release.

• A 21-year-old Southold man was placed under civilian arrest last Wednesday around 10:33 p.m. for allegedly slapping another Southold man, who also has an address in Brooklyn, in the chest. The victim said the man threw K-Cups and booklets at him, spitting on both his chest and face.

• An investigation is underway after a man with addresses in Riverhead and Greenport entered the apartment of a Southold man last Monday around 5 p.m. The Southold man told police he came to check on his apartment and found the other man’s hospital discharge papers and cellphone inside. He said he had not given the man permission to stay in his apartment and, accordingly, signed a criminal trespass affidavit. Police were unable to locate the suspect.

• A Mattituck woman told police last Saturday around 3:19 p.m. that a green “Bailie Beach Road” street sign, valued at $100, had been stolen from its Mattituck location the evening before. An investigation is underway and the town highway department was notified for replacement.

• An investigation is underway into the theft of a mailbox from a Cutchogue woman’s home. The woman told police she had installed the mailbox in front of her Pine Tree Road residence within the last week and only noticed it missing when she contacted police, around 3:40 p.m. Saturday.

• A Lake Grove man allegedly threw a beer glass on the ground at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. in Peconic Saturday around 2:12 p.m., after a security guard instructed him to return the glass before leaving the premises. The security guard told police he saw the man walking out of the brewery with a small group of people and asked that the glass be returned. The man then threw the glass on the floor, breaking it, according to the guard. When questioned, the man denied throwing the glass. The security guard did not want to press charges, but wanted the man removed from the property.

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A towing company is challenging a Southold Town Police Department decision to remove them from the rotation of approved towing companies.

According to a lawsuit filed Sept. 16 in Suffolk County Court, Phil Wilkinson, who owns Wilk’s 24 Hour Towing & Recovery Inc., alleges that the police department acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” when his company was removed from their list in May.

In the filing, Mr. Wilkinson claims that he applied and was approved for the police department’s list in December 2015 and was advised in May that the company was being removed from the list, but wasn’t given a reason why.

According to the guidelines set forth by the police department, grounds for removal from the rotation include unavailability — three refusals in a three-month period will be subject to review for retention on the list — and overcharging for services.

Under the code, adopted in 2008, mileage rates are capped at $4.50 per mile and tow operators must be available 24 hours per day, including weekends and holidays, and must respond within 45 minutes.

The code does require towing companies to have a location within Southold Town and notes that they serve at the discretion of the police chief, with no contract implied by placement on the list.

In the court filing, Mr. Wilkinson argues that while participating as an approved vendor, his company never refused a towing assignment and was never unavailable to respond.

He alleges that he asked the department for specific reasons for the company’s removal, but “STPD failed and refused to respond to the request.”

Police maintain the list of about six towing companies to deal with abandoned and disabled vehicles, respond to accident scenes or impound vehicles that are illegally parked or involved in crimes, according to Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley.

He deferred further comment to town attorney Bill Duffy, who said in an interview that the decision was made after the town received “several complaints” about the company.

“They were supposed to have a local place of business in the Town of Southold that they operate out of,” Mr. Duffy said.

Though the court document states that Wilk’s 24 Hour Towing & Recovery Inc. is a New York Corporation “with a place of business in the Town of Southold,” no address is provided in the 24-page document.

New York State Department of State Division of Corporations records show the company was registered using Mr. Wilkinson’s home address in Riverhead. A Google search of the company supplies three addresses: one is for a Kroemer Avenue storage yard in Riverhead, another is a Mattituck residence owned by an East Moriches couple and the third is for a vehicle lot located behind Eastern Energy Systems on Sound Avenue in Mattituck. It’s unclear if Mr. Wilkinson had been leasing space from that property owner.

“He was using somebody’s address. You need to keep your equipment there and dispatch from there,” Mr. Duffy said. “They were operating out of Riverhead, so people were waiting a long time to get dispatched and then being charged for the tow to Riverhead, instead of a local spot.”

The court filing does not seek any monetary compensation but instead asks for the company to be reinstated on the list.

It makes additional claims that several other companies on the list do not comply with the police department guidelines, though it’s unclear if the town is reviewing those vendors as well.

Mr. Wilkinson referred a request for comment to his attorney, Eric Bressler of Mattituck, who said Monday that it was his policy to not comment on clients’ pending cases.

tsmith@timesreview.com

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The driver of a black Infiniti led police on a short pursuit in Greenport and fled the scene after crashing into several parked vehicles Monday night, according to Southold Town police.

Police were unable to locate the driver.

Police attempted to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation in the parking lot of Layyah on Front Street. The vehicle then fled before crashing into the vehicles in front of 527 Madison Ave. around 9:30 p.m.

The damaged vehicles were still parked on the road Tuesday morning. A woman who lives on Madison Avenue and was home at the time described the chaos that ensued.

“We heard the crash and first we thought it was in the front of the house,” said Sonja, who declined to give her last name. “But then as everyone started coming out, police and everything was back here chasing.”

The Infiniti wrapped around Madison Avenue and hit a Volvo, which led to a chain reaction, the woman said. A Nissan and Honda Civic were damaged as a result of the initial collision.

The woman said her car somehow avoided damage.

“I’m the only one that didn’t get hit,” she said.

She said she was outside for nearly two hours before heading back in after 11 p.m.

“It’s been crazy,” she said. “It was a lot worse last night.”

Police Chief Martin Flatley said the pursuit lasted about two minutes and was contained to a couple blocks in Greenport Village. He said all of the occupants in the car either fled during the chase or at the completion.

Southold and Riverhead’s K-9 units were unavailable at the time, he said.

The Infiniti was impounded and the investigation is ongoing, he said.

Photo caption: The damaged vehicles on Madison Avenue in Greenport Tuesday morning. (Credit: Mahreen Khan)

mkhan@timesreview.com

The damaged bumper of the Volvo. (Credit: Mahreen Khan)

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While enforcing environmental conservation laws from the Orient Point cable crossing to Mattituck Breakwater on Saturday and Sunday, Southold Town bay constables confiscated large amounts of undersized blackfish, sea bass and porgies. They also found fishermen exceeding fish bag limit quantities Sunday around 12:41 p.m. near Rocky Point Road in East Marion. Multiple summonses were issued, according to a press release.

• Marlena Sinnott, 21, of Mastic Beach was arrested Saturday around 10:36 p.m. near Route 25 in Cutchogue for driving while intoxicated and failing to use the designated lane. After receiving a report of a vehicle driving all over the road, police stopped Ms. Sinnott for failing to maintain her lane and determined her to be intoxicated.

• An employee of Greenport High School reported to police last Tuesday around 2:13 p.m. that she noticed an unauthorized charge of $126.44 on the school’s Home Depot credit card. The woman contacted Home Depot, which canceled and replaced the card, requested a police report and credited the school for the missing funds, according to police.

• A woman with addresses in Mattituck and Cutchogue told police last Tuesday around 4:31 p.m. that someone had entered her Track Avenue home that afternoon while she was out. The woman said when she returned home, items in her house had been disturbed, but nothing was taken. She requested extra patrols in the area.

• Police left a message for the owner of a boat that was reported to have broken from its a mooring and was beached in front of 2525 Bayshore Road in Greenport last Wednesday around 10:54 a.m.

• A Shirley woman was issued tickets Friday around 6:56 p.m. for not having a valid driver’s license. Police stopped the woman after a caller reported she was failing to maintain her lane while headed east on Route 48 near Cox Neck Road in Mattituck. Police found the vehicle, observed the woman failing to maintain her lane and pulled her over. She did not show signs of impairment, police said, but a NYS DMV check determined that she did not have a valid license. The woman parked on the shoulder of the road, awaiting a licensed driver.

• A Cutchogue woman reported Saturday around 10:47 a.m. that she was the victim of a fraudulent credit card charge. The woman said a Macbook Pro costing $1,845.54 was purchased online using her card and was picked up at the Apple store at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove. A detective was notified and the woman was given ID Theft paperwork to complete.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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Southold Town police responded Sunday around 8:06 p.m. to an electrical fire at a residence along Soundview Avenue in Southold. The owner of the property reported the fire to have started in his electrical panel box. Police said the primary power line came in contact with the cable/phone line, causing it to send an electrical current.

The cable company and PSEG were notified of the incident.

• A Greenport man told police Friday he had been robbed at knifepoint by a woman who he had just met.

The incident occurred around 4 a.m. while the victim was seated in the woman’s vehicle that was parked in a Greenport parking lot. The victim, who was intoxicated, told police he walked from his home to the 7-Eleven and began a conversation with the woman. He said he bought beer at the convenience store and drove with the woman to the beach on Sixth Street to drink.

The woman then told the man she wanted to go back to the store and have him buy her a $20 scratch-off lottery ticket, which he did. The man then said the woman grew agitated and asked him for money while brandishing a knife in a threatening manner, which he said made him fear for his life. He said he gave the woman his remaining $13.

Detectives were notified and will be conducting an interview with the man to determine the next course of action regarding criminal charges against the woman. The investigation is ongoing, police said.

• A Greenport man reported to police Friday around 1:18 p.m. that a $250 red snowblower had been removed from his canvas storage shed.

• An Orient woman told police last Thursday around 1:45 p.m. that a gray muffler valued at $10 had been taken from her backhoe located somewhere along Route 48 in Peconic.

• A man with two addresses in Greenport reported last Wednesday around 7:08 a.m. that someone broke into one of his residences and removed multiple items. The man said that between 7 p.m. last Tuesday and 7 a.m. last Wednesday, someone used a basement Bilco door to gain access to his home and took a $200 42-inch LG TV; a $100 32-inch Hitachi TV; a $75 Panasonic DVD player; two Amazon Fire TV Sticks, valued at $50 each; and a $5 chain. An investigation is ongoing, police said.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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Since the Southold Town Police Department began the accreditation process through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services in 2017, police advisory committee chair John Slattery says it has made important strides.

For example, Mr. Slattery said, in response to criticism of the department’s transparency with regard to crime statistics, its website now provides crime statistics on a quarterly basis.

But during a meeting with Town Board members Tuesday, he said the department can — and should — be doing more to ensure that law enforcement personnel are properly trained, efficient and trusted by the public.

“Don’t get me wrong. I think we have the greatest police department on the face of this earth,” Mr. Slattery said. “I would be more comfortable if we had somebody from the outside looking at it on an ongoing basis.”

He asked Town Board members to consider passing a resolution to not only support the accreditation process, but adopt a time frame and budget for implementation.

According to data from the state, the other four East End Towns — East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island and Southampton — have all received accreditation. Smaller departments, like Sag Harbor Village Police, are not accredited through the state.

James Abbott, a police advisory committee member and former deputy Suffolk County Police commissioner, said that the lack of accreditation could be a vulnerable spot in the future for a host of reasons, including liability if an officer, for example, is accused of malfeasance.

Councilman Jim Dinizio, liaison to the PAC, said the process will help the department set and follow standards. “We learn about our jail, we learn about our dispatch, our buildings. They have to be up to a certain standard — and are they? I suspect from what I hear that they may not be,” he said.

Councilwoman Jill Doherty said that, despite some initial hesitation, she now fully supports the process and said it could serve as a check and balance on the 51-member department.

“The [recommendation for] 51 officers came from a study done over 20 years ago. Is that correct for our town the way it is now? Does it need to be updated? All of these things will come out of that,” Ms. Doherty said.

How to fund the accreditation process remains a top issue in moving forward.

“We just need, as a Town Board, to be more committed to getting this done,” Mr. Dinizio said.

Supervisor Scott Russell urged PAC members to work with Police Chief Martin Flatley to develop a budget and find a way to offset the cost. It had been estimated at a minimum of $150,000, since it involves compiling documentation and labor that would require the attention of a full-time sergeant, according to officials.

“Treat it like a capital plan,” the supervisor said, asking to see a proposed timeline, tasks and costs broken down by year, so they can be considered during each budget process. “t[That] would be a lot easier to absorb,” he said.

tsmith@timesreview.com

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Jean Bernard Laurent, 36, of Commack was arrested last Thursday around 5:45 p.m. for driving while intoxicated on Route 48 in Cutchogue near Depot Lane. Mr. Laurent was stopped for speeding, determined to be intoxicated and arrested.

• Gillian Gargiulo, 35, of Farmingdale was arrested Friday around 7:56 p.m. on Route 25 in Peconic. Ms. Gargiulo had an active bench warrant in her name.

• A Southold woman told police around 6:47 p.m. Monday that the vehicle of an individual living on Clearview Avenue was constantly parked in front of her residence and on her lawn. Police located the vehicle’s owner, a Southold woman with two addresses, and advised her to move it into her driveway. The woman moved the vehicle without incident and apologized for parking in front of her neighbor’s residence. Southold Town code enforcement was notified of the incident and advised other vehicle owners to refrain from parking there.

• A Southold woman told police Saturday around 11:29 a.m. that multiple items had been stolen from her vehicle and pocketbook. She said her car keys, valued at $350; her passport, valued at $100; a BJ’s card valued at $50; a brown purse valued at $30; a NYS driver’s license, valued at $25; and her Social Security card, valued at $20; as well as her wallet and multiple credit cards had been taken from the scene. A detective was notified of the incident.

• The Cutchogue Fire Department, assisted by Southold police, extinguished a chimney fire on Little Neck Road in Cutchogue Sunday around 6:23 p.m. The caller, a Cutchogue man, had used a fire extinguisher on flames at the base of the chimney, police said. The top of the chimney, however, was still ablaze, prompting CFD members to access the roof in order to extinguish the fire, according to the report. The fire was determined to be accidental, caused by creosote build-up in the chimney.

• A Maspeth man notified police Friday around 3:39 p.m. that his 1968 Irwin Sloop sailboat was missing from his mooring in Pipes Cove Basin, outside Sixth Street in Greenport. Southold police advised the man that Shelter Island and Southampton bay constables would be notified if they heard any news of the boat. The man was advised to contact salvage companies on the North Fork. Southold bay constables had not heard of any missing sailboats as of the time of the report, according to police.

• A Cutchogue man with a home in Mattituck notified police last Thursday around 4:32 p.m. that $55,000 has been taken from his Chase bank account between last Tuesday and last Wednesday. The man said his Chase checking account and two Chase savings accounts had been compromised, and large amounts of money had been fraudulently removed from them. The man said he had contacted the bank and was advised to pursue the matter further by way of police documentation. A detective was notified of the incident.

• A Southold man reported damage to an A/C unit, valued at $200, located at North Road Deli on Route 48 in Southold last Monday around 6:15 p.m. The man wished to have the incident documented. An investigation is underway.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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A police blotter item in the Nov. 14 print edition of The Suffolk Times incorrectly listed a driving while intoxicated charge against a Greenport woman near Queen Street.

Southold Town police arrested Douglas Ely, 63, of North Andover, Mass for DWI on Nov. 5. The police report listed Melinda Hanold as the caller who alerted police to a possible drunken driver. She was not arrested in a separate incident, as The Suffolk Times’ blotter indicated.

The Suffolk Times regrets the error.

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Douglas J. Ely, 63, of North Andover, Mass., was arrested last Tuesday around 4:39 p.m. for driving while intoxicated. Officers responded to a report of a gray vehicle with Massachusetts plates driving all over the roadway, heading eastbound on Route 48 in Greenport. Mr. Ely was located near Queen Street by an officer who saw him driving in an unsafe manner, crossing lane markings on the road. He was then determined to be intoxicated.

• Police are investigating after a Greenport woman called last Tuesday around 3:34 p.m. to report multiple items missing from her backyard. She told police four brown wicker outdoor chairs, valued at $100, and one silver glass-top outdoor table, valued at $200, went missing last Monday around 3:30 p.m.

Editor’s Note: See related correction on the print version of this story.

• A Shelter Island Heights woman suffering from an unknown illness was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center after a motor vehicle accident last Thursday around 10:38 a.m. An officer who was following the woman westbound on Route 25 said she was driving approximately 10 mph and continued traveling straight at the intersection of Love Lane, where the road curves onto the property of Mattituck Presbyterian Church , striking a fence. The woman was confused and disoriented, according to police, and was unable to provide information about the accident.

• Kelvin Euceda, an undomiciled man, was arrested Monday around 11:49 p.m. for assaulting a Greenport Village man. Police responded to reports of an assault on Front Street in Greenport and said their investigation found that the Greenport Village man was walking along the sidewalk when he was attacked by Mr. Euceda.

The suspect apparently struck the Greenport Village man in the face and head several times, with a closed fist, leaving him with a swollen left eye and a partially dislodged front tooth. He refused medical attention. Police located Mr. Euceda in the Adams Street parking lot, where they arrested him. 

He was charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault.

• A Greenport man reported to police Tuesday around 2:11 a.m. that while he was sitting in his vehicle in the Adams Street parking lot, behind Noah’s restaurant, he witnessed a male wearing a tan trenchcoat smash the windows of a white 1999 Ford Econoline E250. The witness said he saw the suspect use a wooden board to smash the windows. Police canvassed the area, a detective sergeant was notified and K-9s responded. The investigation is ongoing.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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Safety was the focus Tuesday at Greenport’s school board meeting, at which district officials pitched a draft of an updated districtwide safety plan and more than 20 Greenport Elementary School students in grades four through six were inducted into the AAA School Safety Patrol.

The students are responsible for directing their peers in heavy-traffic areas at the beginning and end of the school day. They are trained in safety, first aid and CPR, said elementary school principal Joseph Tsaveras. Greenport was the first North Fork school district to establish a safety patrol, in October 2018.

The patrollers are trained by Southold police officers Richard Buonaiuto and Gregory Simmons. Mr. Tsaveras said both officers are also involved in the school’s DARE program and monitor the campus daily.

The students, who donned bright yellow sashes, were inducted after reciting the Patrol Member Pledge, which was led by Mr. Buonaiuto.

“The fact that you’re wearing a sash that signifies that you’re playing — you’re not playing, you’re taking on a leadership role among your peers to help the adults to make sure that your peers are safe at all times,” Superintendent David Gamberg said. “You didn’t have to do this, but you volunteered to, and we’re very proud of you.”

Roseanne Gianmugnai, program founder and elementary school teacher, and Mr. Buonaiuto thanked the patrollers who served in the 2018-19 school year and presented them with participation certificates. Ms. Gianmugnai said they have helped her to develop the program throughout the year.

“These members brought ideas to the program, digging into levels beyond our original plan,” she said. “They presented … to the entire elementary school and visited classrooms to present the safety patrol poster contest. They thought of ways to improve their goal and presented them to their officers.”

Greenport students set to join the safety patrol. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

Five students were chosen to lead the safety patrol as head officers. They were selected based on merits received by teachers, organizational skills and respect toward others, Ms. Gianmugnai said.

The safety patrol will be on duty in and around the Greenport school building when traffic is heaviest — 8:30 to 8:45 a.m. and 2:40 to 2:50 p.m. Two students will be present at the crosswalk each day, Mr. Tsaveras said.

SAFETY PLAN

Before the safety patrol presentation, Mr. Gamberg said a draft of the new districtwide safety plan, which meets State Education Department requirements, will be available online for public comment for 30 days.

The new plan outlines the ways the district responds to an emergency event. However, Mr. Gamberg said the version on the district website is just a general overview of the plan and that specifics related to an emergency evacuation will remain confidential.

He said district officials crafted the revised safety plan with the Southold Town Police Department. “Communities out west, in western Suffolk and Nassau County — it becomes much more difficult to have a good, close working relationship with your police department,” he said. “We are very fortunate.”

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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A toxicology report showed the operator of a 39-foot Cobalt that struck a bulkhead two weeks ago, killing a Riverhead woman onboard, did not have a blood alcohol content above the legal threshold to warrant a criminal charge, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

Southold Town police initially charged Frank Distefano, 48, of East Northport with boating while intoxicated after the fatal crash on Nov. 10 in Mattituck. Police had indicated additional charges could also be filed. Evidence would typically need to be presented to a grand jury to add any upgraded charges.

An arraignment on the BWI charge was originally scheduled for Friday, but that did not happen.

In a statement to The Suffolk Times, a DA spokesperson said: “The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office secured a court order to test blood which was drawn from the suspected operator immediately upon his arrival to the hospital. The toxicology report indicated that the blood alcohol content was under the legal threshold for a criminal charge.

“This crash remains under criminal investigation, including a thorough, forensic analysis of all the available evidence. Law enforcement is asking anyone with information to call the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office at (631) 853-4161.”

The crash claimed the life of 27-year-old Kelley Blanchard and seriously injured her sister Megan, who is 29.

Services for Ms. Blanchard were held Monday as she was laid to rest. Megan was able to attend the services.

A 41-year-old Jamesport man, Nick Soullas, was also injured in the crash.

Mr. Distefano was treated at Stony Brook University Hospital for his injuries.

Southold police Chief Martin Flatley said Friday he was unsure of the district attorney’s timeline in the case, but added that they are actively investigating.

Police responded to the scene near Old Salt Road in the area of James Creek in Mattituck at about 9:17 p.m. Nov. 10. The boat had slammed into the bulkhead fronting Great Peconic Bay. The vessel was approximately 150 feet from the shoreline with four people onboard when first responders arrived.

Police had said there was “substantial damage to both the bulkhead and the vessel indicating that the collision occurred at significant speed.”

Photo caption: The damaged bulkhead pictured the afternoon after the crash. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

joew@timesreview.com

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A Southold man reported to police around 1:23 p.m. Sunday that a $150 PSE camouflage bag containing his hunting license, hunting permits, valued at $20, $300 Steiner binoculars and a pair of gloves and a hat, valued at $30, were taken from the bed of his pickup truck while he was hunting near Main Bayview Road in Southold, according to Southold Town police.

The man said that when he returned to his vehicle, he noticed the bed cover latch was open. An investigation is underway.

• A Cutchogue man reported to police around 12:27 p.m. Sunday that his $400 13-foot homemade galvanized gray trailer had been stolen. The man said he leaves the trailer parked in the right of way next to Pine Tree Road in Cutchogue. An investigation is underway.

• A Cutchogue woman reported to police last Wednesday around 4:35 p.m. a possible case of identity theft.

The woman said that she had received an email from someone who she thought was representing Apple, prompting her to respond with her social security number, date of birth and credit card information. The woman said she complied and was alerted of a virus on her computer later that evening. The woman contacted her bank, Trans Union, and established a credit monitoring.

She was notified by Bank of America that a fraudulent line of credit had been opened in her name.

• Extra patrols were requested in the Wunneweta Road area of Cutchogue Saturday around 8:52 p.m. after a resident claimed she heard gunshots coming from the south side of her home. The woman said she had heard gunshots around the same time last Saturday as well. A responding officer reported that he had not heard any gunshots.

• Four people were injured last Monday around 4:03 p.m. in a car accident after a Mattituck man traveling eastbound on Route 25 failed to notice that the vehicle of a Cutchogue man was stopped on the roadway, as he was waiting to perform a legal left hand turn onto Bridge Lane. No further information is available regarding the nature of the injuries, but damages to the vehicles were reported.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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Police responded Saturday around 10:36 p.m. to the report of a Cutchogue woman, who said she saw a 2000 white Honda Civic parked in the Adams Street parking lot in Greenport that appeared to be overheating with a subject inside. The subject, the woman said, was not responding to her knocking on the window. Upon arrival, police observed the vehicle’s engine revving and smoke coming from the engine compartment. They identified vehicle’s occupant, who was passed out in the driver’s seat with his foot on the gas pedal, as Walter Alvizures-Gomez of Greenport. Mr. Alvizures-Gomez would not respond to police banging on the driver’s side window, resulting in them breaking the window, unlocking the door, removing him from the vehicle and shutting the engine off. Police determined him to be intoxicated and found multiple open Heineken bottles in the vehicle. Mr. Alvizures-Gomez failed field sobriety tests and was arrested.

• On Saturday around 4:54 p.m., an officer observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed, pulled the driver over near Sound Avenue and Shirley Road in Mattituck and determined that he was operating the vehicle with a suspended license. The driver, Patrick McCann of Medford, Mass., was placed under arrest and later determined to be intoxicated. Mr. McCann failed the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test and refused further testing.

• Two Colts Neck, N.J., women with addresses in Greenport reported multiple items stolen from their home Saturday around 10:04 a.m. The women said that when they arrived at their home, located near Gull Pond Lane, they found the sliding door had been smashed and two of the beds had been made up with sheets from the closet. Among the items stolen or damaged were a $300 sliding door, a $100 dresser, a $50 table, a $50 window and a chest of drawers. A detective was notified of the incident.

• A Cutchogue man, who is also the Cutchogue Cemetery superintendent, called police last Wednesday around 3:13 p.m. to report acts of vandalism at the cemetery. He told police that over the previous three days, he’d found multiple beer bottles, a 12-pack of beer and a used condom approximately 50 feet from the cemetery entrance. He stated that a landscaper had also found tire tracks in the grass on the property, saying it looked like someone had been doing doughnuts with a truck. He further told police that he has dealt previously with kids riding ATVs and dirt bikes toward the back of the property, and also reported that two headstones had been knocked off their bases in the cemetery’s eastern section, just before the traffic circle. A detective was notified.

• A man with addresses in Mattituck and Greenport reported last Tuesday around 3:04 p.m. that two BF Goodrich tires, valued at $25, and two Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS black rims, also valued at $25, had been removed from the front yard of his Mattituck home. The man said the items were put in the yard last Monday, adding that he noticed them missing last Wednesday.

• A Greenport woman reported to police last Monday around 12:59 p.m. that she had been the victim of identity theft. The woman said that $1,469 had been removed from her bank account by an unknown individual. An officer provided her with identity theft paperwork and instructions. A detective was notified.

• A Greenport man damaged multiple pieces of property last Tuesday around 8:56 p.m. when, according to police, he fell asleep at the wheel and collided with signs, a fence, a tree and a utility pole. Injuries were reported.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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Antoine Lawrence, 34, who has two addresses in Greenport and one in Riverhead, was pulled over last Thursday around 2:44 a.m. for operating his vehicle without headlights and then arrested for driving while intoxicated. Mr. Lawrence, who was reportedly uncooperative with police, was arrested near Main Street and Bay Avenue in Greenport.

• A Manorville man contacted Southold Police Saturday around 3:58 p.m. to report multiple items stolen from the CVS on Route 25 in Mattituck. The man said that at approximately 3:19 p.m., an unknown female suspect entered the store, leaving shortly after without paying for a Sharper Image weighted blanket, valued at $130, and three Embassy watch sets, valued at $20 each. The man told police he had security footage of the suspect, which an officer viewed and kept a copy of for the police station. An investigation is ongoing.

• A man with two Mattituck addresses reported to police last Thursday around 12:48 p.m. that multiple landscape lights had been damaged at a location along Route 25 and Elijahs Lane in Cutchogue. The man told police that at approximately 3:51 a.m., someone damaged three LED lights on business property — two large black LED lights, valued at $800, and one small black LED light, valued at $200. The larger lights were reportedly ripped from the ground and the smaller one from a wooden post. The man estimated total damages amounting to $1,800. He provided police with security footage of the suspect, who police have not yet been able to identify. The damaged property was collected and will be tested for possible fingerprints. An investigation is ongoing.

• An East Marion woman sustained injuries after losing control of her vehicle and striking a utility pole near Rocky Point Road in East Marion last Tuesday around 9:29 a.m., according to police. The woman was traveling westbound on Route 25 in Southold when she adjusted the visor obstructing her view. At that point, police said, the woman lost control of her vehicle and struck the pole. She was complaining of chest pain and transported to Eastern Long Island Hospital accordingly by members of the Orient Fire Department for further medical evaluation. Damages of more than $1,000 were reported.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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A Southold Elementary School student was approached at a bus stop two weeks ago by a man who offered to give her a ride to school, according to Southold Town police.

The incident occurred at approximately 8 a.m., when a black man in a four-door gray car offered to drive the girl to school by saying she had missed the bus. The girl refused and the man drove off, according to a Dec. 5 letter from Superintendent David Gamberg to Southold families.

“The safety of your children is of utmost importance to us,” Mr. Gamberg wrote. “We are sending this letter as a precaution and to encourage you to continue to speak to your child about staying safe, specifically about ‘stranger danger.’ ”

Mr. Gamberg’s letter listed safety measures parents should discuss with their kids.

Elementary school principal Ellen O’Neill reported the incident to police last Wednesday, according to a police report. Police interviewed the student, who said the man approached her on either Monday or Tuesday of the previous week.

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Kevin Bergami, 27, of Laurel was arrested Monday on two counts of third-degree grand larceny around 8:26 p.m. for accepting down payments for work and failing to complete the job on two different occasions, according to a press release.

A Mattituck man had reported a case of larceny last Tuesday around 3:28 p.m., in which he said he had given Mr. Bergami a deposit check on Oct. 13 to complete roofing work at his residence. The check was reportedly cashed two days later. Mr. Bergami had not delivered or installed any materials, or performed any work on the home, despite several conversations in which he said he would, according to the Mattituck man. The victim reportedly asked that his deposit be returned multiple times, but said the other man never addressed those concerns.

• Gerson Gonzalez Mejia, 19, of Greenport was arrested Saturday around 1:11 a.m. for driving while intoxicated. Mr. Gonzalez Mejia was involved in a motor vehicle crash on Fifth Avenue in Greenport, when he struck a parked and unattended vehicle and left the scene of the crash. He was later located by Southold police and determined to be intoxicated.

• Jonathan Goell, 61, of New Suffolk was arrested last Thursday around 12:43 p.m. for DWI after a motor vehicle crash with a parked dump truck. While investigating the crash, police determined Mr. Goell to be intoxicated.

• A Southold man called police Sunday around 9:28 a.m. to report finding a damaged evergreen tree on the front of his property. The tree sustained substantial damage, according to police, and was partially knocked out of the ground. Police noted tire marks leading up to the tree and suspect that a vehicle drove onto the Pine Neck Road property and struck the tree. A police report says the incident took place between late Saturday night and Sunday morning. No surveillance footage was available, but the man wanted the incident documented.

• A Southold man was reportedly heading east on Route 25 at the intersection of Sunset Avenue when he veered off the roadway, striking a utility pole and mailbox Sunday around 1:01 a.m., causing the vehicle to flip onto its roof. When the vehicle flipped, it sprayed debris over two parked vehicles in a driveway, resulting in minor damage.

The crash also caused damage to a Mattituck woman’s front yard. According to a press release, police believe distracted driving played a factor in the crash. The Southold man reported injuries and was treated by the Mattituck Fire Department Rescue Squad personnel for lacerations on his body. He was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center for further treatment.

• A Greenport woman reported to police Friday around 1:48 p.m. that she was the victim of identity theft. A detective was notified and an investigation is underway.

• A Greenport man reported last Monday around 7:50 p.m. that a black jump pack, valued at $100, had been taken from his work vehicle. The man said he had last seen the pack in his truck the previous day. He told police the truck’s back door does not lock.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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A registered sex offender was arrested last Thursday after he failed to notify authorities that he had moved from Fishers Island to Groton, Conn., earlier this year.

Brian Tillis, 49, surrendered to Southold police and was charged with one count of violating Section 168F of New York State Corrections Law, also known as Megan’s Law.

Mr. Tillis was supposed to notify law enforcement about his change of address within 10 days, officials said.

He has a previous conviction for the same offense in 2008, police said, which raises the level of the charge to a felony.

He was arraigned in town Justice Court last week.

• A Peconic man called police Saturday afternoon to report a disabled vehicle on the side of the road.

Officers contacted the vehicle’s owner, a Cutchogue man, who stated his daughter left the vehicle there after running out of gas.

• A Mattituck man called police Monday morning to report that several tools valued at $1,449 had been stolen over the weekend from a pumphouse shed at his Breakwater Road farm in Mattituck.

• Following a report last week that Kevin Bergami, 27, of Laurel was arrested on for accepting down payments for work and failing to complete the job, additional victims have come forward to Southold police.

A Greenport man reported Sunday that he gave Mr. Bergami a $600 deposit for roofing work at his residence in June and the work was never completed.

A Cutchogue woman reported Saturday that she hired Mr. Bergami to replace her roof in October, gave him a $6,000 deposit and he never started the work.

Mr. Bergami has been charged with several counts of grand larceny in connection to prior incidents. It’s unclear if the recent reports will result in additional charges.

• An Oregon Road resident called police Sunday morning around 8:42 a.m. to report dogs barking for hours near her residence. Police found the dogs were associated with hunting, according to a police report.

• Police were notified by a Cutchogue woman Saturday that a UPS package on her doorstep had been opened and the contents, Ticketmaster gift cards valued at $300, were stolen between 5 and 6:19 p.m.

• A Caretaker at the Reydon Shores Community Association in Southold reported to police Saturday afternoon that a swimming regulations sign at the marina had been damaged.

• A Greenport woman reported that pills inside her residence were stolen Saturday around 11:42 a.m.

• A Cutchogue man filed a police report Friday morning after his vehicle’s engine began to malfunction and a mechanic advised him that someone put sugar in his gas tank.

He told police that he doesn’t know anyone who would do this and thinks his vehicle may have been mistaken for someone else’s.

• Police were notified by a Southold woman last Thursday that a signed rent check left on her kitchen table was stolen. She told police her apartment was left open, but nothing else was reported missing.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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Sheryl Davis, 51, of Greenport was arrested Dec. 20 around 11:30 a.m. for petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree.

Police were dispatched after receiving a report of a female attempting to break into parked vehicles in the First Street area. They determined Ms. Davis to be the suspect and found while investigating that she was in possession of items stolen from Colonial Drug Store. Police determined that Ms. Davis was also responsible for having stolen items from Mattituck CVS in an incident reported on Nov. 30 and was charged with an additional count of petit larceny.

• Nicole Conway, 39, was arrested Saturday, Dec. 21, around 8:52 p.m. for driving while intoxicated, aggravated DWI, operating an unregistered vehicle and for moving from a lane in an unsafe manner. Ms. Conway was headed westbound along Route 48 in Cutchogue when, police said, she swerved over the white line. Police determined Ms. Conway to be intoxicated.

• Four people were injured in a two-car collision in Mattituck last Monday around 5:37 p.m. A Mattituck woman turning left from North Farmer Communications into the eastbound lane of Route 25 did not see the vehicle of a Mattituck man who was traveling westbound on Route 25, subsequently pulling out in front of his vehicle. The man told police he was unable to avoid hitting the woman’s vehicle and struck the driver’s side of her rear passenger door. Both drivers and vehicle occupants were transported by members of the Mattituck Fire Department to Peconic Bay Medical Center with minor injuries.

• A Jamesport man reported Saturday around 11:51 a.m. that his $3,000 Swarovski green spotting scope and $250 tripod, both of which he left unattended on the corner of Mill Lane and Second Street in Peconic around 9 a.m. Saturday, had been taken. The man reported seeing only two people in the area, walking dogs. A detective was notified.

• Members of the Southold Fire Department extinguished a fire caused by a closed damper in a lit fireplace in a Southold residence Friday around 3:56 p.m. A Southold woman at the home told police she lit a fire in the fireplace, when her home began filling up with smoke and her fire alarm activated. She said she did not realize the damper in the fireplace was closed, causing smoke to fill the house. The fire was extinguished, the damper was opened and smoke was cleared from the residence, according to police. A minor amount of smoke damage was reported. Police advised the woman to exercise greater caution next time she lights a fire.

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