Shotgun and Court Order Violations Draw Police

A 66-year-old man was arrested after East Hampton Town police said he discharged a 12-gauge shotgun inside his house following a domestic dispute last Thursday afternoon. 

Police responded to 51 Oakview Highway in East Hampton at 2:04 p.m. after Mark W. Laton’s wife, whose name was not released, called 911. According to Detective Sgt. Dan Toia, Mr. Laton had fired one shot into the ceiling. No one was injured.

Mr. Laton fled the building on foot before police arrived, but was found a short time later in a wooded area behind the house. He was taken into custody without incident and charged with reckless endangerment in the second degree, a misdemeanor. 

Detective Toia said Mr. Laton had not intended to harm anyone, which led to the reckless endangerment charge instead of a more serious one. 

He was released after being taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for psychiatric evaluation and was to be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court today. 

In another case of marital discord, Derrick Lamont Short, 39, of East Hampton was arrested twice in as many days earlier this month. Mr. Short was supposed to stay away from his estranged wife but drove down the Willow Court driveway of her house on Dec. 8 at about 9 a.m., police said. He was charged with criminal contempt in the second degree, a misdemeanor. 

While at police headquarters in Wainscott the next morning, however, Mr. Short made four phone calls to his estranged wife, according to court records. The calls prompted a second, more serious charge — criminal contempt in the first degree, a felony. Audio recordings allegedly show he requested bail as he was due to be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court that morning. 

Mr. Short had been freed on parole in February this year after serving a year and a half of a three-year prison term for attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He was back in jail less than a month later after police pulled him over for a traffic infraction and found him with his estranged wife, who already had an order of protection against him. He was charged with a misdemeanor for violating the order, issued in Kings County Court in 2014, and later convicted. 

Following his arraignment, he was turned over to the Suffolk County sheriff and is being held without bail. He is due back in court on Jan. 17.

Another man, Cristian J. Otero-Rivera, 35, of East Hampton was also taken to Suffolk County jail after a felony charge of criminal contempt in the first degree. Police said he disobeyed a court order to refrain from harassing a woman with whom he was involved. He allegedly hit her with a closed hand to the left side of her body and face on Dec. 11 on Mary Street. He was also charged with second-degree harassment, a violation.

Justice Lisa R. Rana ordered him held on $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond. 

Brian K. Midgett, 27, of Amagansett was also arrested after allegedly violating a court order, though the charge was only a misdemeanor. Mr. Midgett violated the order at 81 Crystal Drive on Sunday at 5:10 p.m., according to police, who did not release the name of the victim he was supposed to stay away from. He was charged with criminal contempt in the second degree. 

Scott A. McKallip, 55, of East Hampton was arrested on an aggravated harassment misdemeanor charge after he allegedly sent sexually explicit Facebook messages on Dec. 4 to a person whose name police did not release. He was arrested three days later and released on $300 bail. 

Denny B. Chuya, 24, of East Hampton was arrested after police discovered a forged inspection certificate on his 2005 Honda Accord on Saturday. When police stopped his car on Fort Pond Boulevard in Springs at about 2 a.m. they reportedly saw a 2019 New York State inspection certificate affixed to the windshield that had been issued to a 2005 Lexus. Police said two baggies in the glove box contained a green leafy substance that later tested positive for marijuana. 

He was charged with displaying a forged certificate without inspection, a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. He was released on his own recognizance and is due in court on Jan. 2.