Dogged Patrol of Beaches

Friday, Aug. 28, promises to be a busy day in East Hampton Town Justice court, as East Hampton Village police continued their dogged patrol of village beaches this week. Three dog owners received summonses alleging they allowed their dogs to be unleashed in restricted areas and seven men were accused either of having a beach fire in the sand or drinking on the beach. All were scheduled to appear in court the same day.

A New Jersey man told police on Friday evening that he was unaware that his dog had to be leashed when, while walking on the beach, they arrived in a restricted area near Two Mile Hollow Beach. On the same beach at almost exactly the same time, a Roslyn Estates man received a similar summons, but he was accused of walking two dogs without leashes. The third dog summons was issued to a woman on Main Beach who told police she was staying at her mother’s house on Drew Lane and didn’t know about the restriction.

Allegedly illegal beach fires resulted in two summonses, with a third possibly in the offing. The latter derives from an officer patrolling Egypt Beach just after midnight July 26, who “found a metal container containing extinguished fire debris” near the Maidstone Club.

The container and debris were taken to police headquarters, to be stored outside.

Two Mile Hollow Beach was the scene of a beach fire being tended by a Greenwich Village man before midnight Friday, police said. He was ordered to put out the fire and gather the debris, which he did, but not before he was issued a summons since fires on village beaches must be in metal containers. The scenario was exactly the same for an Arizona man on Main Beach about an hour later, police said.

Another Manhattan man who has the same date in court was said to be “pouring an alcoholic beverage into a Solo cup, blue in color,” Thursday evening. Warned that drinking alcohol on the beach was prohibited, the man left the area, only to return a short time later, cup still in hand, police said. He was warned again and apologized before leaving the beach, only to return for a third time, still allegedly clutching a libation. He told police he “thought if it was in the cup, it was okay.” It wasn’t, and he was written up.

Four other men received summonses alleging drinking at Two Mile Hollow Beach Sunday morning. Two were from the Bronx, one from Queens, and the fourth from West New York, N.J. They were allegedly found sitting around a fire, legally contained, but with cans of beer in their hands and empties strewn about. Between the ages of 25 and 30, they are calendared to respond in court by Aug. 28.

Main Beach was the scene of a find by police of apparent lost items a little before midnight, July 29.

By the lifeguard stand, police said, they found a Canon digital camera valued at $300, numerous toys and games, and a pair of women’s American Eagle white sandals. Police suspect the identity of the owner of these items is the same as the name scrawled on a tube of sunscreen found nearby.

The items were taken to police headquarters, where they can be claimed.