Southold Town police arrested a Carmel, N.Y., man on drug charges during a traffic stop Friday.
Police stopped Jose Salgado, 55, for speeding on Route 48 in Southold around 10 p.m. and further investigation revealed Mr. Salgado to be in possession of marijuana, 10 marijuana cigarettes, cocaine, THC gummies and vape cartridges.
He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and several violations, reports said.
• A 19-year-old Southold man reported he was being harassed by his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend in Greenport Saturday around 10 p.m.
According to a report, he told police that he was confronted on Front Street by the 21-year-old man and the two wrestled on the ground, causing abrasions.
Neither party wished to pursue charges, police said.
• Police responded to Truman’s Beach in East Marion Sunday around 5 a.m. to clear the beach of nonresidents, who are not currently permitted to use town beaches under an executive order.
Similar enforcement efforts took place at Goldsmiths Inlet, 67 Steps, New Suffolk and other spots throughout town. Officers issued several parking summonses to vehicles parked at beaches without town parking permits as well.
• A Jersey City man was issued a citation for taking a blackfish out of season in Orient Friday around 8 a.m.
• A Laurel woman reported that someone broke the back windshield of her vehicle on Bray Avenue last Thursday around 1 p.m.
• A 21-year-old Greenport man was taken to for a psychiatric evaluation after a man found him passed out on his front steps Sunday morning around 8 a.m.
Police said the man became disruptive at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and then began making suicidal statements, which led to the evaluation.
• Police responded to 7-Eleven in Mattituck last Wednesday after a group of youths began causing a disturbance, filming and acting inappropriately shortly before 10 p.m.
The group fled before police arrived.
• Police issued a citation to a 21-year-old Amityville man who refused to extinguish a bonfire at Kenney’s Beach in Southold Friday around 9 p.m.
• Two teenagers were advised to leave the abandoned oyster factory on Shipyard Lane in East Marion after a caller reported trespassing last Tuesday around 6 p.m.
The teens told police they were just photographing the old building and left voluntarily.
• Southold firefighters responded to an electrical fire at a Calves Neck Road residence last Tuesday around 11 a.m.
Police secured the home and determined the fire was caused by two power strips plugged into each other.
• Several mailboxes and street signs on Maple Lane in Greenport were reportedly pushed over and damaged overnight last Wednesday.
• A 75-year-old Mattituck man was issued a citation for taking shellfish from uncertified waters in Mattituck Creek last Thursday around 8:30 a.m.
• Police were called to a home on Cedar Drive in East Marion after a report of a loud party Saturday around 10:30 p.m.
An officer spoke with a 20-year-old Bronx man who told police the residence was being rented for a music video shoot and agreed to turn the music off.
• A Greenport man reported that $35 and a pack of cigarettes was stolen from his car along Route 48 in Greenport last Thursday around 6 a.m.
Police also noted that it appeared the man’s landlord’s door was broken into by force, though a report didn’t specify if anything was stolen.
• Police responded to several complaints of a loud party on Route 25 in East Marion Saturday around 8 p.m.
A 30-year-old man said they were celebrating a family graduation and agreed to lower the music.
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.
One person was killed and another seriously injured in a Sunday afternoon crash in Mattituck, according to Southold Town police.
The two-vehicle crash on Route 48 near Westphalia Road left multiple people injured. A 2014 Ford SUV driving westbound on Route 48 was approaching the intersection at Westphalia and the driver failed to stop for a red light and rear-ended a Honda Civic that was stopped and waiting to proceed westbound on Route 48, police said.
A 23-year-old woman who was in the passenger seat of the Civic died. Police did not identify the victim in a press release Monday morning.
Another woman was airlifted to Stony Brook University Medical Center for treatment.
Multiple other patients were transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center by the Mattituck Fire Department, Cutchogue Fire Department and Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Police did not disclose the exact number of patients.
The road was closed for about two hours while detectives conducted an accident investigation. Photos from the scene showed the back of the Civic completely mangled from the impact.
The crash occurred shortly after 4 p.m. Southold police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office are currently investigating. No criminal charges were announced.
Two people were injured in a pair of crashes near Southold late Thursday morning involving both a town truck and an ambulance, Southold Town police said.
The Southold Fire Department ambulance was transporting a town highway worker from an accident on Peconic Lane in Peconic to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital when it was struck by another vehicle on Route 48 near Youngs Avenue in Southold, police said.
The other driver in the ambulance crash was brought to Eastern Long Island Hospital for treatment minor injuries. The patient in the ambulance was not injured but was being brought to the hospital for evaluation.
The other driver in the earlier crash was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. That crash occurred when a Ford sedan ran through a red light at the intersection of Route 48 and Peconic Lane. The dump truck was headed north on Peconic Lane and struck by the eastbound sedan, police said. The driver of the sedan suffered an extensive leg injury, police said.
The crashes caused traffic delays in the area around noon.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said the other driver in the ambulance crash was not injured. This post has been update to reflect that the person suffered minor injuries.
A Mattituck woman was arrested after she crashed into a parked car Sunday while under the alleged influence of drugs.
Tisha Watroba, 43, struck a parked vehicle on Love Lane in Mattituck around 9:45 a.m. while attempting to back up and parallel park, according to police.
Further investigation revealed she was under the influence of drugs.
She was transported to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital for a DWAI blood kit, but police said Ms. Watroba did not sustain any injuries as a result of the accident. She was arrested and charged with first-degree operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.
• Southold police responded to at least 30 complaints about fireworks and loud music over the Fourth of July weekend, according to reports.
• Police responded to the IGA supermarket in Southold Saturday after a 48-year-old Southold man became aggravated and caused a scene when asked to put on a face mask.
The incident was reported around 7:30 p.m. and the man was gone before police arrived.
• Officials received a similar mask complaint at PORT Bar & Grill in Greenport Saturday after a 46-year-old Sound Beach man became irate when he refused to put a mask on and began to yell vaguely threatening statements at other patrons.
An officer told the man he was no longer welcome at the restaurant and would be subject to arrest if he returned.
• Police were called to Greenport Laundry Friday after an unknown woman refused to wear a mask inside the location.
The woman fled before police arrived, but an employee was advised that they may ask people to leave the store or contact police again if they don’t comply with the rules.
• Multiple groups of fishermen were asked to leave beaches across Southold Town over the weekend due to a current order that restricts beach usage to residents only.
• An 82-year-old Cutchogue man called police Sunday morning to complain about a golf cart riding down Pequash Avenue to the beach.
The owner of the golf cart told police he uses it to transport his kids and beach equipment and agreed to return it home and walk down to the beach.
• A New Suffolk woman called police last Tuesday to report two youths clamming illegally in Downs Creek.
Police spoke with a 20 year-old Williston Park man and 16-year-old from Mattituck who were unaware that the area was closed to shellfishing and placed the clams back into the creek.
• Police issued a Douglaston, N.Y., couple a summons Saturday following a complaint of phragmites being pulled out of a beach walkway area without a proper wetlands permit.
• Police stopped a 26-year-old Baldwin man after a caller reported he had been tailgating them from County Road 105 in Riverhead all the way to Laurel.
The man told police that they were late to a reservation at a winery, reports said. No further action was taken.
• A 31-year-old Greenport man was reportedly punched in the face by an unknown man who accused him of stealing his truck keys while walking home from a bar Sunday around 3 a.m.
• Police were called to Third Street in Greenport Saturday around 10 p.m. after receiving a complaint about a 36-year-old Riverhead man yelling “Black Lives Matter.”
He was transported by police back to Riverhead, police said.
• A 66-year-old Greenport man called police last Tuesday to report that someone damaged a “BLM” sign he hung along his fence and also found broken eggs near the damaged sign.
• Two one-person, 10-foot kayaks were reported stolen from a residence on Pine Neck Road in Southold Sunday around 9 a.m.
• A hand-operated tractor was reported stolen from a barn at a Youngs Avenue farm in Southold last Thursday around noon.
• A New Suffolk woman called police Friday to report that loose change was stolen from her vehicle.
Another New Suffolk woman alerted police that loose change and an EZ Pass had been taken from her vehicle on Orchard Street last Tuesday.
• Two lawn signs were reported stolen from a New Suffolk home last Thursday evening.
• A Weber grill and stand and a pair of loppers were reported stolen from a Southold hardware store late last Tuesday night. Detectives are investigating the incident.
• Police responded to the intersection of Love Lane and Route 48 in Mattituck last Tuesday after a woman driving a 2017 Toyota left the roadway and collided with a tree.
She reportedly told police that her shoe fell off while driving and as she was attempting to put it back on while looking down, she left the roadway.
The woman was not injured in the crash.
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.
An 87-year-old Greenport woman who had traveled across the globe in retirement was struck and killed by a vehicle while crossing Front Street Monday morning, according to Southold Town police.
The driver fled the scene and police are actively investigating.
Police said Elaine Schwartz was crossing at the corner of Third Street when she was struck by a vehicle that was making a right turn onto Front Street from Third Street. The vehicle continued driving westbound on Front Street and the driver remains at large. The crash occurred around 7:20 a.m., police said.
Police did not provide a description of the vehicle.
Ms. Schwartz was transported to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.
Ms. Schwartz was a renowned traveler who visited 81 countries since retiring at age 66, according to a profile publishedin 2018.
For 41 years, Ms. Schwartz was a special education curriculum consultant for schools in Dix Hills and taught in Adelphi University’s graduate program in special education. She lived at Peconic Landing in Greenport.
In 2017, “she went kayaking literally at both ends of the globe, in Antarctica in January and the Arctic in August,” according to the profile.
“Exploring and going into the wilderness just gives you a wonderful feeling,” Ms. Schwartz said in a 2018 interview.
Peconic Landing CEO Robert Syron said in a statement that Ms. Schwartz was a “vital part of our community.”
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our beloved member, Elaine Schwartz,” he said. “Ms. Schwartz was a champion of our Successful Living initiative and was involved in many programs offered within our community to engage our members and provide them with purpose and opportunity. She believed in living life to its fullest and our community will feel her loss for some time to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones.”
Southold police responded to reports of a commercial truck that turned over on Route 48 in Mattituck Tuesday morning.
The crash occurred shortly before 7 a.m. near the shoulder of the eastbound lanes just east of Elijah’s Lane, though the road remains open. Some cement and sand spilled from the truck near the side of the road.
It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was injured in the accident.
Sweltering heat couldn’t stop Jace McKenzie from sporting his brand new policeman costume as his family celebrated his sixth birthday at Sixth Street Beach in Greenport Monday.
Suddenly, Jace heard the sounds of sirens coming down the block and he watched in amazement as a caravan of Southold police vehicles pulled up to his birthday party. Waving and jumping up and down in excitement, Jace raced over to the officers as they exited their squad cars.
“I love police!” he exclaimed before jumping into the arms of an officer.
“He was so overjoyed,” his mother, Tai, recalled Tuesday. “He’s completely obsessed.”
The low-key birthday celebration turned out to be one Jace will never forget.
His aunt, Tiffany McKenzie, described her nephew as full of enthusiasm — and easy to shop for on holidays and birthdays, since it’s always a police-themed toy he prefers. His ultimate goal, family members explained, is to one day become a police officer and help people.
It all began when his great aunt reached out to officer Richard Buonaiuto and told them about Jace’s celebration.
“We thought it’d be cool if a couple officers came down and showed him some love,” Ms. McKenzie said.
In an interview Tuesday, Mr. Buonaiuto said that when he received the call, he rounded up three more officers who were in the area. In his 15 years on the force, he said he’s found the most rewarding part of his job is involvement in the school resource officer post and anything involving the community.
Jace was wearing his police outfit for his sixth birthday party Monday. (Courtesy photo)
“We believe building positive relationships with the youth is extremely important,” he said.
The group of officers presented Jace with a special badge and distributed bracelets to other kids in the group.
For the adults present, Jace’s unbridled joy marked a powerful moment as protests nationwide continue over police brutality.
“With what’s going on today in the world, people need to see that there’s good out there,” Tiffany said. “I was in tears. Kids don’t have prejudice toward anyone. They’re taught.”
Though injustices must be addressed, Tai McKenzie said her message is simple: love conquers all. “My job as a parent is to encourage whatever road he’s trying to take,” she said. “Why would I rob him of his innocence?”
She thanked the Southold officers for stopping by. “They embraced us completely and made his day,” she said.
Mr. Buonaiuto said it made his day, too.
“It feels good when you go home after work — and you realize you made a difference in someone’s life.”
A Greenport man allegedly crashed a stolen pickup truck and fled on food before being arrested a short time later with assistance from civilian witnesses, according to Southold Town police.
Juan Carlos Lopez, 46, was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony, following the alleged incident where he stole the 2010 Dodge pickup truck at Greenport High School. The pickup belonged to a school employee, police said.
He then crashed into a utility pole on Front Street, causing part of Greenport Village to lose power for about an hour, police said. The road was closed to traffic as crews responded to the scene.
Mr. Lopez was also charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a property damage accident, police said. He was transported to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital for treatment of a medical condition and released on an appearance ticket, police said.
Southold police arrested Mr. Lopez in 2018 in connection to a pair of burglaries at Greenport businesses. He faced two felony burglary charges related to that arrest. He is currently supervised by the NY State Division of Parole, police said.
Southold Town police arrested a 43-year-old Greenport man for DWI Friday.
Police received a report that Michael Fortino reportedly left a Greenport bar in a 2007 Ford Ranger in an intoxicated condition.
He was stopped nearby for traffic violations and found to be intoxicated, police said. Mr. Fortino was held at police headquarters before being arraigned on a driving while intoxicated charge, officials said.
• Police responded to Third Street in Greenport last Thursday afternoon after a 21-year-old man reported that his ex-girlfriend sprayed him in the face with wasp killer spray.
The man was taken to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and did not provide police with any additional details, according to a report.
• North Ferry staff contacted police Saturday around 5 p.m. to report an overturned kayak in Greenport Harbor.
Police located two 21-year-olds from Manhattan, both wearing life jackets, and safely pulled them back to shore. They were not injured in the incident.
• Detectives are investigating after someone reportedly broke into the George David barge, docked in Greenport, and removed unspecified items. The incident was reported last Wednesday around 7:30 a.m.
• A 55-year-old woman called police last Monday after she was stopped by a male youth who put a cone in the roadway as she drove along Front Street in Greenport around 10 p.m.
The youth reportedly told her that it was $5 to pass and she became upset thought he was only joking. Police were unable to locate the youth.
• A 31-year-old Greenport man was charged with DWI after he struck a utility pole on Flint Street in Greenport last Wednesday around 11:30 p.m.
Charles Cisterino was charged with DWI and two violations, police said.
• Police stopped a 66-year-old Staten Island woman on Route 25 in Mattituck Sunday afternoon after a report of an erratic driver.
The woman told police she was unaware that her driving was causing a disturbance and said she was driving a new vehicle and may have been distracted by the display screen.
• An employee at the Cutchogue 7-Eleven called police after an altercation with a customer early Monday.
According to a report, a 34-year-old Manhattan woman became irate when she was told she could not bring her dog into the store.
The woman reportedly began yelling at the 22-year-old employee and grabbed his cellphone off the counter, refusing to give it back.
The man grabbed her wrist to take his phone back and she fled before police arrived, reports said. An officer later stopped the woman along Main Road and issued her a summons for unlicensed driving around 3:42 a.m.
• Police arrested Joann DeAngelo, 68, of Mattituck for DWI last Wednesday after she struck a parked vehicle in the Feather Hill complex in Southold.
Ms. DeAngelo was charged with DWI and held at police headquarters before morning arraignment.
• An unknown person broke into Rinconcito Hispano on Third Street in Greenport between 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday. Police are investigating the incident and a report didn’t specify if anything was stolen.
• An unknown woman stole $754.55 worth of merchandise from CVS in Mattituck Friday around 4:20 p.m.
• Detectives are investigating after a woman’s car window was reportedly shot by an airsoft gun on Stillwater Avenue in Cutchogue Saturday.
The damage was reported around 3:30 p.m.
• A Southold woman called police last Thursday evening to report that two kayaks were stolen from her Terry Lane residence.
The woman told police that she was using the kayaks to block off the front of her driveway and someone may have thought the kayaks were left out to be taken for free.
• A Southold woman contacted police last Wednesday morning to report that a 42-year-old Mattituck man who has been using a barn on her mother’s East Marion property has refused to leave the space and changed the locks on the door to prevent her from entering.
A civil lawsuit is pending, officials said, and police suggested the woman contact the county sheriff’s office to commence eviction proceedings, but was warned about a delay due to COVID-19
• Police were called to stop a group of youths from jumping off a bridge into Goose Creek in Southold Saturday around 1 p.m.
• A black NAPA marine battery valued at $150 was reported stolen from a dock on Atlantic Avenue in Greenport Friday around 7:30 a.m.
• Police assisted a 37-year-old East Elmhurst man who got stuck in the sand while attempting to leave Goldsmiths Inlet beach Saturday around 1:15 p.m.
• A Greenport woman called police Saturday evening to report that an unknown person cracked her windshield and scratched the driver’s side of her car.
The incident was reported around 11 p.m.
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.
Southold Town police and bay constables from Southold and Shelter Island on Monday rescued a 16-year-old boy in Peconic Bay after rising tide swept him away from a sandbar at the end of Nassau Point in Cutchogue.
According to a Southold police department release, the boy got pulled into the water just after 1:30 p.m. and was unable to swim back to the beach. It was the second rescue on the water in as many days after a 12-foot boat overturned Sunday, sending two men into the water.
Police said in Monday’s rescue, the Shelter Island Bay Constable arrived on scene first and located the boy. He was pulled into the boat and was conscious and alert, however, he exhibited signs of exhaustion. He was transferred onto a Cutchogue Fire Department rescue boat and brought back to land at the New Suffolk boat ramp.
An ambulance was waiting to transfer him to Peconic Bay Medical Center for precautionary reasons. The boy had been on the sandbar with two other people, who were able to call for help when he began to struggle swimming back to shore.
In Sunday’s incident, two fishermen in a 12-foot McKee Craft boat were hit by the wake of two vessels just before 1 p.m., causing water to rush over the stern and flood the boat, police said.
The boat overturned, sending both men, ages 50 and 34, into the water. They climbed atop the overturned boat. A nearby boater, Ted Webb of Mattituck, saw the men and called for assistance. The bay constables arrived on scene shortly afterward and Sea Tow was called to bring the vessel to Strong’s Marine. The men were not injured, police said.
The Southold Town Democratic Committee is calling on the New York State Attorney General to investigate the local police department following a pair of incidents that have raised concerns in recent months.
The call for an inquiry, made in a Facebook post Sunday, comes on the heels of a press conference in which a pair of attorneys for families involved in a fatal July 2015 limousine crash in Cutchogue accused a town Republican committee official of hindering the investigation at the scene of the incident that led to criminal charges for limo driver Carlos Pino and Steven Romeo, whose truck crashed into the limo at the Route 48 intersection with Depot Lane. The Southold Town Board also recently hired outside counsel to investigate its police department’s response to resident complains over a May retirement party honoring one of its officers.
“Over the past months, a growing number of allegations indicate a troubling trend within the Southold Town Police Department,” the Town Democrats wrote on social media. “We call for an immediate investigation by the Attorney General into these matters. It is abundantly clear this requires action beyond the investigation recently approved solely by the GOP members of the town board, especially considering the Southold Town GOP’s involvement with this most recent allegation.”
The majority of people want an effective, accountable police force that they know they can trust.
Kathryn Casey Quigley
In an interview Monday afternoon, Southold Democratic Chair Kathryn Casey Quigley said the committee is currently exploring the process of filing a public complaint. She said the action is about restoring public faith in the local police department.
Ms. Quigley said considering there has been more than one recent complaint regarding actions of the police department, the scope of the current investigation into the response to the retirement party is not enough.
“Let’s go through a really rigorous, appropriate response,” she said of a possible AG investigation. “Address a problem if there is one; if not, clear it.”
In a statement, Southold Town Republican Committee chair Peter McGreevy called the Democrats’ request an attack on police.
“Sadly, at a time when we should be striving to come together as a community, the Southold Democrats, in attacking our police, have instead chosen to engage in the divisive politics of the New York City de Blasio liberals,” Mr. McGreevy wrote. “Any claims of a ‘trend’ are clearly fiction and unsupported by fact, and any allegations of GOP involvement are made solely to exploit recent events and five-year-old news to further their own liberal political agenda. Crying ‘conspiracy’ and ‘cover up’ when prior investigations have been completed and found nothing, and before new investigations have even commenced, is an affront to all those involved with our police, our political system and our legal system.”
Ms. Casey Quigley said she is concerned that town residents might consider her or the Democratic committee as anti-police, but said that would be “disingenuous.”
“Political attacks are disingenuous,” she said. “The majority of people want an effective, accountable police force that they know they can trust.”
“There are excellent police serving this community every day,” she added. “Doesn’t it serve everyone’s best interest [to restore trust]?”
Investigators at the crash scene that evening. (Credit: Stringer News)
Many of the allegations raised at last Thursday’s press conference relate to a 2016 lawsuit filed by former Southold Town police officer Garrett Lake.
Attorney Frank Laine, who represents the family of deceased limo crash victim Amy Grabina in a lawsuit against the town, county, the limo company and both drivers in the crash, said at the press conference that Mr. Romeo’s first phone call from the scene was to personal friend John Helf Sr., the vice chair of the Southold Town Republican Committee. Mr. Laine said that as Mr. Helf visited Mr. Romeo at the scene of the crash, his friend consumed five bottles of water before police tested his blood alcohol about two hours later. Mr. Laine said Mr. Romeo also attempted to flee the scene before he was “brought back with force by police.”
“And he was never charged with leaving the scene of the accident,” Mr. Laine said.
Garrett Lake, the officer who returned Mr. Romeo to the scene, alleged in a 2016 court filing that his arrest of Mr. Romeo on a driving while intoxicated charge and political pressure from Mr. Helf and others helped lead to his firing from the town department that year. Mr. Lake’s lawsuit, which sought his reinstatement, was dismissed by a Suffolk County judge.
Mr. Helf, a volunteer with the Southold Fire Department and a retired corrections officer, declined comment Monday.
Steven Romeo in a 2016 court appearance. (Suffolk Times file photo)
Summarizing Mr. Lake’s claim in his decision, Judge William Ford wrote that he “argues that his arrest of Romeo angered Helf, prompting Helf to intercede and advocate on Romeo’s behalf, interfere and obstruct an ongoing DWl investigation at the accident scene, and to criticize his performance and call for his termination before the police department and the Town Board.”
In a sworn affidavit provided in response to Mr. Lake’s complaint, Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said the officer’s probationary employment was terminated days before it was set to expire for “overaggressive and overzealous in his use of police tactics in conducting vehicle traffics stops, searches and arrests,” Judge Ford wrote in his decision, which is publicly available online. The chief said he had to review arrest footage of multiple arrests made by Mr. Lake after public complaints, including an allegation of harassment. The chief testified that he found performance issues in those arrests, including not turning on his body microphone, as per department procedure, according to Judge Ford’s decision.
In a deposition for the limo case last June, also publicly available online, Mr. Romeo described Mr. Lake as “overzealous” on the evening of the crash. Mr. Romeo said he was having a difficult time being treated for injuries and was emotional following the crash when he walked about 500 feet away from where he had been standing and positioned himself on the other side of a fence. He said fire police at the scene encouraged him to walk away. That’s when he said Mr. Lake spotted him, according to the deposition.
“He drew his gun on me,” Mr. Romeo said. “Then he got on top of me. He said ‘Stop,’ and I wasn’t going anywhere. I was just standing there.”
He said Mr. Lake told him to get down on the ground and climbed on his back.
Mr. Romeo also said in his deposition that his girlfriend called Mr. Helf to the scene, not him. He described Mr. Helf as a long-time friend.
Michelle Canberg, at right, in a Suffolk Times photo showing her in her Deep Water Bar and Grille uniform at the scene of the crash. (Credit: Tim Gannon)
At last Thursday’s press conference, attorneys also raised allegations that Mr. Romeo was not alone at the time of the crash. Michelle Canberg, the woman who was accused of being a passenger in his red pickup truck after an ambulance report stated that she told an EMT she was in the vehicle, denied ever meeting Mr. Romeo in an interview last week. She said she was with her stepdaughter, Rhyliegh, on their way to work in Greenport when she drove past the crash site and stopped to lend a hand. On Sunday, The Suffolk Times found a photo it had taken the evening of the crash that shows Ms. Canberg at the scene wearing the waitress uniform she said she was wearing that evening. In the photo, taken at 6:01 p.m., the same time another photo shows a police helicopter landing in the street, Ms. Canberg can be seen standing with fire police in the intersection, looking in the direction of the crash. Mr. Romeo, who testified that he was alone and could not recall knowing Ms. Canberg, said the moment he walked away from the scene occurred around when the helicopter landed.
In a telephone interview Friday, Ryleigh told a similar story as her stepmom about the evening of the crash. She spoke of how traumatized her stepmom was from seeing the dead women in the limousine and how it led her to sell the black Hyundai Elantra she was driving that day.
“It reminded her of the accident and how she saw those young girls dying,” said Ryleigh, who is now 19 years old.
She said her stepmom had someone she knew from high school drive her to the restaurant for her shift and her stepmom joined her a couple of hours later.
Asked about the ambulance report and a deposition given by a Southold EMT placing Michelle Canberg in Mr. Romeo’s truck, the younger Ms. Canberg said “she must be twisting it.”
Rebecca Devlin, an attorney for Mr. Romeo, did not respond to requests for comment this week.
As Southold Town takes steps to form a judicial review task force, officials in Greenport are asking for a seat at the table.
The town is currently seeking resumes for six task force members, who will be responsible for reviewing current justice system policies, conducting community focus groups and recommending changes. At least one bilingual Spanish-speaking member is requested.
In a letter to fellow trustees ahead of last Thursday’s work session, Greenport Village Trustee Mary Bess Phillips asked the board to send a joint letter to Southold Town officials requesting to be involved in those conversations.
“The message from the Black Lives Matter protests along with reactions to a local issue taking place during the COVID-19 health crisis must and should rise to the level of policy and procedure changes with law enforcement including our local Southold Town Police Department,” Ms. Phillips wrote. “We should and must insist that we, representing the village residents and business public, be part of the overall education, retraining and pushing toward community policing with this executive order by [Gov. Andrew Cuomo].”
In the wake of widespread civil unrest, the executive order directs all local government entities that have police agencies to conduct comprehensive reviews of current police policies and procedures and develop an action plan.
We’re different and our policing efforts are different and it’s now time to discuss that.
Mary Bess Phillips
Police departments and municipalities must consult stakeholders, including community members, district attorneys and other officials to create and implement a plan by April 1, 2021. The plans must address use of force by police officers, crowd management, community policing, bias awareness training, de-escalation practices, restorative justice practices and community-based outreach, and must include a transparent citizen complaint procedure to handle issues raised by the community.
The order also authorizes the state budget to withhold state funding from agencies that do not comply.
At last Thursday’s work session, Ms. Phillips said community policing in the village would be a “plus” for all residents and that she’d like to discuss some issues they’ve heard from residents with town officials, including Police Chief Martin Flatley.
Trustee Peter Clarke agreed that he’d like to see some representation of the village as the discussions begin. He said he missed the kind of community policing that used to take place in the downtown area. “I understand that there’s just not people to do it but it’s greatly missed, the guys walking around you can say hello to,” he said.
Mayor George Hubbard Jr. agreed the village should communicate and said he intends to set up a meeting. “They’re on record knowing we want to have a discussion, but we haven’t had a chance to put that together yet,” he said.
Ms. Phillips noted that the village functions more like an urban area within a rural town. “We’re not really like the [other hamlets] of Southold,” she said. “We’re different and our policing efforts are different and it’s now time to discuss that,” she said.
Some ideas floated during the work session are a greater police presence and perhaps even a police outpost or precinct in the village.
Town Supervisor Scott Russell said the task force is intended to be a community initiative that will include the village. “There is certainly room at that table for village representatives,” he said Monday.
Southold Police arrested a Mattituck man for driving while intoxicated Sunday.
Police received a report of a possibly intoxicated man sitting in his vehicle in the Mattituck plaza parking lot around 12:45 a.m. Police responded and found David Sciacchitano, 58, with his vehicle running in a parking spot and found him to be intoxicated.
He was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, reports said.
• Police responded to Orient State Park Sunday around 10 a.m. to clear vehicles off the roadway who were waiting to enter the park, which had already reached capacity.
• A Lindenhurst man was taken to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital Friday afternoon after he got pinned between his Jeep and a fence at a Greenport campground.
According to a police report, the man disconnected his Jeep from his parked motor home when his unoccupied vehicle began to roll backwards. While attempting to stop the vehicle, the man got pinned between an open driver’s side door and a fence. He was transported by Greenport Fire Department for treatment around 4:20 p.m., reports said.
• A nurse at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport called police last Tuesday after a patient threatened her while being discharged. The 46-year-old Riverhead man reportedly told the woman “Your son is going to live a short life, I’m going to make sure of that,” after she made a comment about the accident the man had been in, which her son witnessed.
The nurse declined to press charges in the incident.
• A New Suffolk woman called police last Thursday afternoon to report that sometime overnight, an unknown person damaged a Black Lives Matter sign she posted on her front lawn.
• An employee at the IGA in Greenport called police Sunday to report that a man entered the store, placed a few packs of Bubba Burgers in a black duffel back and exited the store without paying.
Police were unable to locate the man, who was described as wearing a yellow shirt and yellow hat and fled the area in an unknown direction around 5 p.m.
• A Greenport woman called police after midnight Saturday to report seeing a woman lying next to the roadway along Route 48 in Southold.
The woman, who police say appeared to be intoxicated, told an officer that she fell while getting the mail and declined medical attention.
• Police were called last Tuesday evening to help locate a “confused elderly” Jamaica man driving in the area.
Police reported the man’s phone last pinged in the Mattituck area though the 91-year-old told his nephew he was in Greenport around 8:45 p.m.
Police located the man parked at the intersection on Main and Front Streets in Greenport and reported that he was confused, though not in need of medical attention. He was taken to police headquarters and picked up by his girlfriend, who reports that this is the third time he has gotten confused and lost while driving.
• A kayak was reported stolen from a front yard on Deep Hole Drive in Mattituck Sunday around 7:45 a.m.
• Police responded to the BP gas station in Peconic last Tuesday night after a report of subjects yelling in the parking lot.
Police spoke to a 26-year-old Great Neck man who said he was trying to get AAA to fix a tire and his sister began yelling at the person over the phone since they don’t come to plug tires.
The man’s sister and wife, who were both intoxicated, then began to yell at each other and refused to be in the same vehicle as each other on the ride home.
The man and his wife were transported to Mattituck to wait for a ride while the other woman was taken to a hotel, where she got a room for the night, reports said.
• Police responded to reports of a commercial truck that turned over on Route 48 in Mattituck last Tuesday morning.
The crash occurred shortly before 7 a.m. near the shoulder of the eastbound lanes just east of Elijahs Lane. Some cement and sand spilled from the truck near the side of the road.
The driver, an Elizabeth, N.J. man, told police that he swerved to avoid a vehicle that cut out in front of him when he lost control of the truck. He was not injured in the accident.
• A woman called police last Monday to report a golf cart driving in her backyard on Summit Lane in Greenport around 11:15 p.m.
Police followed the tracks and spoke with a nearby homeowner, who apologized and said his dog got loose and he was chasing her in the golf cart.
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.
Southold police arrested a 21-year-old Riverhead man for driving while intoxicated after he was stopped for speeding in Greenport early Sunday.
According to police, Philip Schmitt was stopped on Route 25 near St. Peter’s Church around midnight for driving 70 mph in a 45 mph zone when an officer discovered he was intoxicated.
He was placed under arrest for DWI, officials said, and held at police headquarters for arraignment.
• Julio Vasquez, 58, of Greenport was arrested for DWI in Laurel last Wednesday.
Police stopped Mr. Vasquez after receiving a call about a Jeep Liberty unable to maintain its lane of travel around 9:30 p.m. He was arrested and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, police said.
• Police responded to Claudio’s around 1:30 a.m. Sunday after a group of aggressive males refused to leave. According to a report, a group of men became aggressive and attempted to punch security guards before they were subdued, sustaining minor injuries. They fled the area before police arrived, reports said.
• A motorcyclist sustained injuries Saturday after he collided with a deer and was thrown from his bike, according to Southold police.
The Brooklyn man was traveling eastbound along Route 25 in Southold around 9:15 p.m. when the accident occurred.
• Police were called to a home on Willow Terrace Lane in Orient Friday after a man noticed his windows were broken by two rocks. Detectives are investigating the incident, which the 34-year-old man believes is connected to an ex-girlfriend who sent a text message saying “Wow you are garbage,” after he posted photos online that included him with another woman.
• Police were called to New Suffolk Beach Saturday after receiving a complaint about a man with a child trespassing on the northwest side of Robins Island.
The 63-year-old Lloyd Harbor man, who was paddleboarding, admitted to being on the island below the high tide mark. Police spoke with an employee of the island who indicated they would be filing trespassing charges against the man for landing the paddleboard on the island, reports said.
• An East Marion man called police last Tuesday afternoon to report that a woman was acting aggressively toward people along Front Street in Greenport.
Police responded and attempted to speak with a 67-year-old Westhampton Beach woman who declined to be interviewed and told an officer, who is Black, “Do not come near me because you have brown skin,” and “You are racist, you do not like white people,” before walking away.
• Police responded to a noise complaint at a residence along Route 25 in East Marion Sunday around 1 a.m.
An officer spoke with a 37-year-old man who said they were having a small party to celebrate his wedding and agreed to lower the music.
• Police arrested a Garden City woman for DWI in Laurel last Monday around 5 p.m.
Jaclyn Holzmaier was stopped on Route 25 for traffic violations when she was found to be intoxicated, police said. She was charged with driving while intoxicated and held at police headquarters to await virtual arraignment in town Justice Court.
• Greenport firefighters extinguished a grill fire at a home on Gull Pond Lane last Monday around 7 p.m. An investigation revealed that a bottle of pressurized cooking spray was found to be stored near the open flame, causing the fire.
• A Mattituck man called police Saturday to report approximately 20 gallons of gas was stolen from his truck overnight. An investigation is ongoing.
• A Greenport man called police last Wednesday to report a suspicious vehicle with Florida license plates in the woods along Route 48 in Greenport around 11 a.m.
Police located a 61-year-old woman, who said she is now a Florida resident but grew up here as a child and “has always picked berries in that secret location.”
• A pair of sunglasses, hamburger rolls and $400 in cash were reported stolen from a vehicle on Delmar Drive in Laurel last Tuesday around 8 a.m.
• A trailer was reported stolen from the side of a building on Front Street in Greenport last Tuesday around 10:30 a.m.
• Police responded to a report of a vehicle colliding with a tree along Route 25 in Southold near Tuckers Lane last Tuesday around noon.
Police said the driver, a Riverhead man, fell asleep at the wheel before his vehicle left the roadway. Officials did not specify the extent of the man’s injuries and no charges were filed as a result of the crash.
• A New Suffolk man called police last Tuesday morning to report that wooden posts he placed inside the right of way to the beach were broken in half overnight.
• Detectives are investigating a report of a break-in at a Greenport apartment.
A woman contacted police last Monday to report that the door jamb of her Main Street apartment had been broken when she returned home from work around 9 p.m.
• A black Chanel purse and $400 in cash were reported stolen from a vehicle on Leslie Road in Peconic last Monday morning.
• An unknown person stole $200 from a purse left on top of a washing machine at a laundromat in Mattituck last Tuesday. Police have not arrested anyone in connection to the incident.
• Police were called to remove a 38-year-old man from a county bus in Greenport last Tuesday after he refused to stop consuming alcohol after being told not to. No charges were filed in relation to the incident.
• A Shirley woman was injured in Greenport last Monday morning after she got too close to the side of the North Ferry while boarding, causing damage to the right side of her vehicle and blowing out her front tire.
She declined medical treatment at the scene and North Ferry officials did not report any damage to the vessel.
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.
A man was injured after he was thrown from a motorcycle during a crash along Route 25 in East Marion last Friday.
According to police, a 2019 Subaru was waiting to turn left onto Stars Road from Route 25 in East Marion with another vehicle stopped behind it when a man on a Honda motorcycle attempted to go around the two vehicles in the shoulder.
The third vehicle, which did not remain at the scene, reportedly veered out in front of the motorcycle, causing the motorcycle to collide with the Subaru.
The motorcyclist was thrown from the bike and suffered injuries to his right leg, police said, but he refused aviation transport to the hospital. He was instead taken to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital for further evaluation.
• An employee at a group home on Main Bayview Road in Southold called police last Thursday to report that a 38-year-old threatened to hurt her while she was sitting in her car and had previously threatened to shoot her with a gun. The woman requested to press harassment charges against the suspect, whose name was not released by the police department.
• Police were called after a 21-year-old Greenport man was seen walking around the village with no shirt on and holding a hatchet last Tuesday around 6 a.m.
An officer spoke with the man, who complied with a request to leave the hatchet on the ground. He said he was carrying the hatchet for landscaping work, but was unable to provide the name of the business.
Police seized the hatchet due to prior incidents with the same man, reports said.
A report in the police blotter notes that the man was arrested for an unrelated disorderly conduct violation on Manhanset Avenue Friday around 1:30 a.m.
• A Trump/Pence and Thin Blue Line flag were reported stolen from a pole on Terry Lane in Southold Friday. A 71-year-old man told police that the incident occurred overnight Wednesday into Thursday and is an ongoing issue.
• A 61-year-old man called police when he heard a man yelling on Orchard Street in New Suffolk around 8 p.m. Saturday.
Police responded and spoke to a 47-year-old man and his 20-year-old son, who was upset about the recent passing of a friend and went inside without further incident.
• Police were called to a home on Haywaters Drive in Cutchogue Saturday morning after a man complained that his neighbors began construction work before 7 a.m.
Police spoke with a Ronkonkoma man around 6:30 a.m. who agreed to stop work until 7 a.m.
• Southold police are investigating after a woman reported jewelry missing from her Orient home last week.
The 78-year-old woman reported that when she returned from Florida in June, the contents were missing from a canvas bag in her closet.
Police spoke with an unidentified woman who indicated that the jewelry had been pawned in Farmingdale. It’s unclear if police have made an arrest in connection to the theft.
• Stanley Lawrence, 52, of Greenport was arrested on larceny charges after he stole unspecified items from the Southold IGA last Monday around 2:30 p.m. Police did not provide more specific information about the incident.
• Police responded to a report of a heroin overdose at a home on Third Street in Greenport last Tuesday around 11:30 a.m.
The victim, who collapsed on a porch and was given three doses of Narcan, was transported by Greenport Fire Department to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital.
• A man called police Saturday around 10 p.m. to report a large group having a bonfire at a Greenport beach.
An officer responded and found a large group sitting around what appeared to be a large candle. A man in the group agreed to put the candle out, reports said.
• Orient firefighters responded to a home on Orchard Street in Orient Saturday after a man’s propane tank caught fire shortly before 6 p.m.
Responders were able to contain the fire and empty the propane tank, officials said.
• A blue and white pop-up tent was reported stolen from a home on Sound Avenue in Mattituck last Tuesday.
• Police ticketed a 32-year-old Riverhead man for driving on a Sound beach in Peconic Sunday around 8 a.m.
• A woman called police Friday to report that someone broke into an office building on Youngs Avenue overnight. It was unclear if anything was stolen.
• Southold police responded to a report of a boating accident just east of Goldsmith’s Inlet last Monday shortly before noon.
Police located the vessel nearby, which had lost power and may have struck an unidentified object. Two New Jersey men on board were uninjured in the incident.
• A woman called police last Monday evening to report that three men were clamming at a location off Mill Lane in Peconic that’s currently closed to clamming.
The men complied with an officer’s request that they dump the clams and leave the area, police said.
• Approximately 40 people were asked to leave Orient County Park around 10 p.m. Friday, due to the park being closed.
All fishermen were found to have valid fishing licenses, according to a report, and left the area willingly.
• Cutchogue firefighters extinuished a brush fire on Beebe Drive in Cutchogue last Tuesday around 11 a.m.
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.
A Southold police officer stopped Christopher Blondo-Flores, 25, for speeding on Route 48 in Cutchogue. Open alcohol containers were found in the car and Mr. Blondo-Flores had alcohol on his breath. He was determined to be intoxicated and was arrested and taken to headquarters for processing.
• Callers reported fireworks being launched at Fisherman’s Beach in Cutchogue Friday. An officer responded. No charges were filed.
• A caller alerted police Friday that a diamond necklace worth $7,500 was lost on Kenney’s Beach.
• Responding to a call last Wednesday, Southold police went to a house on Apple Court in Southold and found an unresponsive person on a bed. Narcan was administered and the person was determined to have overdosed. The person was taken to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital. Drug paraphernalia and syringes were confiscated from the residence.
• A man living on Sound Road in Greenport told police last Wednesday that he had recently been discharged from a mental hospital in New York City and requested that police remove a shotgun from his residence.
• Police investigated reports of a loud party on North Road in Greenport Saturday. A renter at the house said a wedding after-party was underway and agreed to lower the music.
• Police responded to a complaint Sunday that neighbors on Bungalow Road in Mattituck were arguing over a yard sale. Town code only allows for two days for yard sales and this one was in its third day. The homeowner was told to shut down the yard sale.
• A copper pipe was damaged at the Boy Scout lodge at Bailie Beach Road in Mattituck. Park district officials said a camera and motion lights would be installed.
• A homeowner on Shipyard Lane in East Marion told police last Monday that a cable splitter was removed from inside his condo and a propane tank for an outdoor barbecue was turned on. Police documented both incidents.
• A police campaign sign was illegally removed from a residence on Robinson Lane in Peconic Sunday.
• A caller alerted police to a disturbance on Route 25 in Orient Sunday. The caller reported that people had thrown trash on top of his private dumpster. When told to remove the trash, individuals shouted “curses and vague threats.” The group left when police arrived. No trespassing affidavits were signed.
• A caller reported Friday that a former employee, Victor Ochoa, refused to leave a commercial business on West Creek Avenue in Cutchogue. Mr. Ochoa was told he is no longer employed at the site and is not allowed to return. No charges were filed.
• A bay constable responded last Monday to reports of pier work being done at Cutchogue Harbor Marina on West Creek Avenue in Cutchogue without a permit.
• A caller reported Saturday that a man fishing near Peconic Bay Boulevard in Mattituck was taking too many snappers. Police interviewed George Vouvoudakis of Mattituck who had a valid fishing license. He was told that he could only keep three snappers, as opposed to 10 last year. He was issued a warning.
• Police responded last Wednesday to a laundromat on Adams Street in Greenport to investigate a complaint that a man refused to wear a mask. Officers found the man to be intoxicated. An officer gave the man a mask and advised him to wear it if he returned to the laundromat.
• Police responded Sunday to a complaint of a female wearing a pink bathing suit and a male in a red shirt fornicating on a beach on Peconic Bay Boulevard in Mattituck. The couple was interviewed by police and were advised to refrain from anything that could resemble fornicating on the beach.
• A Biden/Harris campaign sign was removed illegally last Monday from property on Franklinville Road in Laurel.
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.
Across New York State, in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and widespread civil unrest, police departments of all sizes are tasked with scrutinizing — and modernizing — their policies at the risk of losing state funding.
In Southold, a task force of citizens is already being put together to review police procedures, another requirement included in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order.
But Police Chief Martin Flatley says the small department is already stretched thin for time and resources required to draft and update policy.
His solution? Outsource it.
At a work session Tuesday, Chief Flatley pitched hiring Lexipol, a California-based consulting firm that is quickly gaining traction among law enforcement entities in New York.
According to Chief Flatley, the company works to “pick apart” and rewrite department policies to align with state guidelines that are then transferred to a web-based manual. The service also includes training and daily scenario-based testing for officers, which Chief Flatley said only take minutes to complete.
In addition to ensuring compliance with the governor’s executive order, the firm could help streamline the accreditation process currently assigned to Sgt. Scott Latham.
“Instead of us going out and searching for who’s got the best practice or whose got the best policy on this specific topic, Lexipol has all that together already,” Chief Flatley said.
Suffolk County, Shelter Island, Sag Harbor and Riverhead are all looking to use Lexipol, along with hundreds more departments in the state, the chief said. “Everybody’s starting to sign on to them,” he said.
On its website, Lexipol primarily markets itself as risk management against potential liability in lawsuits while keeping up with legislative changes and other mandates.
“If your agency or government organization is struggling to get by with ill-fitting policies borrowed from other sources — or gaps where you lack policy guidance entirely — you’re vulnerable to physical, financial and political risks,” the website states. They currently serve more than 3,000 police, EMS and fire departments in 35 states.
The privatization of establishing police policy has been criticized for lack of transparency and public input and some of Lexipol’s policies, specifically regarding the use of force and shooting at moving vehicles, have been called into question by groups including the American Civil Liberties Union.
The company has disputed reports that they discourage de-escalation techniques. According to a document dated August 2020 published by the company, the use of force policy includes a standalone section on de-escalation, requiring officers to use nonviolent strategies.
The Lexipol document acknowledges that shooting at moving vehicles is often “ineffective and dangerous,” but that a complete ban could prevent officers from intervening to save lives in situations where vehicles are weaponized.
Chief Flatley said the constant training worked into the platform will help keep officers engaged.
“A lot of times now you hand out a new policy or procedure or something, they look at it real quick, throw it into a binder and it’s the last time they see it,” he said. “[Lexipol] makes them stay current with it and I think every officer wants to be.”
Board members agreed that more information is needed before committing to hiring the company. “Let’s move forward,” said Councilman Jim Dinizio, who is the liaison to the Police Advisory Committee and a strong advocate for accreditation.
“We don’t have to pick this one company but we certainly need to learn what they can do for us,” he said.
The chief estimated startup costs to be $28,000, plus yearly maintenance fees of $13,000. Town officials are anticipating a formal presentation from Lexipol in the coming weeks.
Southold Town police arrested a 37-year-old Glen Cove man for driving while intoxicated Saturday after a report that his white Kia was “all over the road.”
Police stopped Daniel Rincon on Route 25 in Mattituck and arrested him for DWI.
• Two women in their 70s were rescued off Breakwater Beach in Mattituck Saturday.
According to a police report, the women were swept into the inlet and a 16-year-old lifeguard was able to get them assistance from a nearby boater who returned them to shore without injuries.
• An electric fire pit caused a small deck fire at a home on Oregon Road in Cutchogue early Sunday.
According to police reports, a smoldering fire was found and extinguished by the Cutchogue Fire Department and the cause was determined to be an electrical conduit that powered the fire pit.
• Police were called to Emilio’s in Greenport Saturday night after a woman in a group started vomiting on a booth inside the restaurant and a member of the group gave employees a hard time about leaving.
They left the area prior to police arrival, reports said.
• A Mattituck man called police Saturday after a group from a tour bus was seen urinating on his Sound Avenue property.
Police spoke with the man, who did not wish to pursue charges, and reminded the group to use proper facilities.
• Additional police patrols were requested at Kenney’s Beach in Southold last week after an unknown man approached a 17-year-old female lifeguard multiple times.
According to a police report, the man joked about pretending to drown so she would have to save him and returned the next day asking for a bandage and for the lifeguard to come with him behind the bathrooms.
He was described as being between 60 and 70 years old with long, white and grey hair and facial hair and reportedly left the area on a bicycle.
• Police were called to Veterans Beach in Mattituck Saturday and spoke with a 70-year-old man, who apologized to a beach attendant for giving him a hard time about parking. It was the first of several times police were called to area beaches over the weekend to assist attendants in enforcing capacity limits. Police were also called to Breakwater Beach in Mattituck Saturday afternoon after a man reportedly drove over a cone blocking the entrance to park and walked down to the beach despite being told by an attendant that the beach was at capacity. An officer located the man, who said he is a town resident and disagrees with the policy, but eventually agreed to leave.
• A 41-year-old East Marion woman was ticketed for driving without a license on Route 25 in Cutchogue Sunday around 9:30 p.m.
• Police are investigating a report that a cash register and $100 were stolen from a farm stand on Route 25 in Laurel Sunday around 7:30 a.m.
• A 19-year-old Greenport man called police to report that a customer at a Main Street business hit him in the face, causing swelling, and fled the area around 10:25 p.m. Sunday.
• Police responded to Town Hall last Wednesday around 3 p.m. to a report of a man hitting a historic sign on the property.
An officer spoke with a 66-year-old man who denied he caused the damage and left the area. Officials said Supervisor Scott Russell did not wish to pursue the matter further.
• A woman called police Sunday to report that someone spray painted graffiti on rocks near the bulkhead on Main Street in New Suffolk around 11 a.m.
Yellow graffiti was also reported on a bridge on New Suffolk Avenue last Thursday.
• Someone broke the front passenger side window of a vehicle on Oriole Drive in Southold overnight Friday. The incident was reported Saturday morning.
• Police responded to Lesters Road in Mattituck Friday after a 72-year-old man with a shotgun reportedly threatened a 27-year-old fuel truck driver who took a wrong turn into his driveway around 1 p.m.
The man was told that he could face possible arrest if he threatens violence again.
• An Orient bicyclist suffered minor injuries Friday after the driver of a Dodge pickup truck reportedly turned into him while stopped at a stop sign at Albertson Lane and Route 25 in Greenport around 12:45 p.m.
The bicyclist told police he attempted to jump off his bike and cut his elbow, and said his bike was damaged.
The driver told police he didn’t see the biker and thinks he may have been moving.
• Police were called to the IGA in Greenport Saturday around 5 p.m. after a woman who took her mask off inside the grocery store got into a verbal dispute with the owner.
She left the area without incident, reports said.
• A woman was injured last Tuesday after losing consciousness while driving on Main Road in Southold and crashing into a trailer and vehicle parked on the side of the road, pushing the vehicle into a utility pole.
The woman also reportedly struck a fence and went into a marsh during the incident, police said.
No charges were filed in connection with the incident.
• A kayak was reported stolen from the boat ramp at the Mason Drive road end in Cutchogue last Thursday morning.
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.
Southold police arrested a 25-year-old Philadelphia man for allegedly driving drunk in Greenport Sunday.
According to police, Abdulrahman Hazazi was stopped in a 2009 Mercedes-Benz sedan after swerving over the double yellow line on Route 48 in Greenport around 1 a.m. and was found to be intoxicated.
He was arrested for driving while intoxicated and held overnight for arraignment, police said.
• A pedestrian was injured after being struck by a vehicle in Cutchogue last Thursday morning.
According to a police report, the woman was walking south on Depot Lane around 7:30 a.m. when the driver of a 2018 Lexus struck her with the front of her vehicle. The operator of the vehicle told police he didn’t see her until it was too late due to rain and fog.
The woman sustained injuries to her collarbone and shoulder area and was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead for treatment.
No charges were filed in connection to the incident.
• A Mattituck man called police Sunday afternoon after he returned home to find three women on his private beach who were using his beach chairs and began arguing with him when asked to leave.
The women left the area before police arrived, reports said.
• A 17-year-old operating a Sunfish sailboat was rescued by a passing boater off Cleaves Point Road in East Marion after he overturned in the bay Saturday around 5:30 p.m.
No injuries were reported, police said.
• Southold Fire Department responded to a deck fire at a home on Beachwood Lane in Southold Sunday around 5 p.m.
The homeowner, a 63-year-old man, was able to extinguish the fire, which started from a barbecue grill, prior to police arrival, according to a report.
• A 27-year-old Greenport woman called police Friday to report that she returned to her home on Wilmarth Avenue and found it had been broken into with various items missing. Police did not specify what was stolen and said an investigation is ongoing.
• Two Riverhead men were asked to leave Town Beach in Southold early Saturday morning after a woman called to report loud music coming from the area around 5 a.m.
• A Greenport man was issued a village code violation for drinking a 25-ounce container of beer in public last Thursday around 9:30 p.m.
• Police are investigating after a Greenport woman reported that an unknown person attempted to enter her home last week.
According to a report, the August Lane resident reported last Wednesday that a window had been opened and a screen had been pried off and damaged.
Nothing was reported stolen, officials said.
• Cutchogue Fire Department extinguished a fire at a home on Bridge Lane in Cutchogue last Wednesday around 12:30 p.m.
The fire was found in the back of the residence, which was unoccupied at the time.
The Suffolk County Police Department’s Arson Squad responded and concluded that there were no signs that the fire had been set intentionally.
• A village parking summons was issued to a vehicle parked in the bus lane on Fourth Street in Greenport last Thursday around 7:30 p.m.
• Police responded to a two-vehicle crash at the BP gas station in Peconic last Tuesday afternoon.
A woman driving a 2004 Toyota was attempting to turn right into the parking lot when the driver of a 2007 Volkswagen also turning right into the gas station attempted to pass her at a high rate of speed, causing a collision. The Volkswagen then collided with a support pole and gas pump, causing damage.
The woman driving the Volkswagen suffered minor injuries and was taken to Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital. Police said the other driver refused medical treatment.
• Two benches at Breakwater Beach in Mattituck were reportedly damaged by an unknown person. The incident was reported to police last Tuesday morning.
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.
Three adults were asked to leave an abandoned farm apartment complex off the North Road in Southold where police believe they had been squatting for some time.
The three individuals — men aged 57 and 49 and a 45-year-old woman — were reported after the owner of the property, who lives elsewhere in town, observed them there. Police said they responded to the scene and found one of the men grilling undersized porgies, for which he was issued a summons.
While searching the house, where it appeared the individuals had likely been living, police found a purse containing the driver’s license of a Southold woman, who was not present at the home. After returning the items, the woman told police she believed she left the purse on the roof of her car while leaving a grocery store and said it contained no money.
No additional charges were filed.
• A Shoreham man who was involved in a dispute last Thursday evening was charged with driving while intoxicated after police stopped him on Sound Avenue in Mattituck.
Police said John Pion, 50, was found to be intoxicated and was transported to police headquarters for processing.
• A 55-year-old New York City man was charged with DWI last Thursday evening following a traffic stop along Route 48 in Greenport.
Police said David Cannizzo was observed leaving his lane of travel while headed west near the Albertson Lane intersection shortly before 8 p.m.
He was found to be intoxicated, according to police, who said he was held overnight for a morning arraignment.
• A Southold woman reported that an unknown man was following her daughter and a friend and asking them if they needed a ride Friday evening.
The girls said the man followed them as they made stops at several stores, ending up at the IGA, where they contacted a parent from inside the building. The man was described as in his 30s and wearing white camouflage shorts, a long-sleeve black T-shirt and a blue mask.
The incident was reported around 6:35 p.m.
• A Greenport woman reported a fight in the driveway of a home on Ludlam Place early Saturday morning.
The woman said two men were involved in the 1 a.m. incident and police found the two individuals bruised and bloodied but neither of the men — one was 20 and the other 19 years old — was willing to cooperate with the investigation.
No charges were filed.
• A salesman for a Pennsylvania-based roofing company was sent packing last Thursday evening after a Southold man called the police on him. An officer told the man he must obtain a peddler’s permit in order to go door to door in town.
• A Greenport woman called the police on a U.S. Census Bureau worker who she said was banging loudly on her door in an effort to get her to complete the census. She said the worker told her laws state she must participate. Police said the worker was gone when they arrived.
• A Nassau Point woman was asked last Monday to remove snow fence she put up along the beach behind her home. She was told she must receive a permit from the town Trustees. The woman said it would be removed that day.
• A Southold man reported his Biden-Harris 2020 sign was stolen from his property on Pine Neck Road Sunday afternoon. The man said he had no surveillance in the area. A similar complaint was filed that same afternoon on Main Road in Cutchogue and twice more at homes on Skunk Lane in Cutchogue Saturday afternoon.
• A 57-year-old Greenport man called the police on a 36-year-old woman he had previously agreed to let spend the night in his home. He said she refused to leave after he changed his mind. She left after speaking with police.
• An anonymous caller reported a “loud party” coming from a car parked in the North Ferry line on Wiggins Street in Greenport. The driver of the car, a 24-year-old Babylon man, promised to keep the noise down and move his vehicle.
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.
