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'Gray Fungus' and Brass Knuckles Found in Car Stop

Thu, 03/11/2021 - 10:29

Thomas Ingoglia of Manhasset, 21, was arrested early Sunday morning at the Plaza in Montauk on a felony charge of criminal possession after East Hampton Town police reported finding a hallucinogen in his 2017 Subaru. A redacted report, which did not say why officers stopped the car, stated that officers found more than 25 milligrams "of a gray fungus material alleged to be Psilocybin" in an unmarked orange pill bottle on the front passenger-side floor. The driver was additionally charged with criminal possession of a weapon, described as "metal knuckles," found in the console. Mr. Ingoglia appeared in East Hampton Town Justice Court later that morning before Justice Lisa R. Rana, who released him on his own recognizance to await a future court date.

A notable uptick in traffic arrests suggests that spring may be closer than the groundhog thought. In East Hampton Town, four men were booked for aggravated unlicensed operation. Letcher Johnson of Southampton and Henry Veliz of Riverhead appeared in Justice Court yesterday; Richard Rathjen of Central Islip and Sean Harnett of East Hampton will appear there on Wednesday. Bobbi Sayler of East Hampton, who was charged by village police with driving without insurance or registration, was also in court yesterday.

In Sag Harbor, Romell Walker of Shirley is to be in court there on Wednesday to answer charges of driving without a license or a valid inspection sticker. Six other drivers, all charged with suspended registration, will join him that day: Carlos Parra of East Hampton, Sebastian Staeckeler of South Dakota, Milton Balbuca Gordillo of Medford, Enma Guarango Fajardo of Sag Harbor, Nana Essandho of the Bronx, and Crescencio Rojas-Flores of Southampton.

Guilty Plea in T.C.O. Harassment Case

Maura Davis Gropper, the 67-year-old East Hampton woman who was accused in May of driving her car into two teenage traffic control officers in Sag Harbor, pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree harassment, a violation, and was ordered to pay a fine.

Oct 2, 2025

A Bad Week for Pedestrians

An 11-year-old boy was taken to the East Hampton Emergency Department with minor injuries after being struck by an S.U.V. in a crosswalk last week, and another pedestrian was struck by a van in Sag Harbor.

Oct 2, 2025

Two Charged With Felonies

A Hampton Bays man was accused of choking another man at a residence on Three Mile Harbor Drive, while a traffic stop in Sag Harbor uncovered a raft of license suspensions and revocations.

Oct 2, 2025

Woman’s Killer Told Ex-Wife She Was ‘Evil’

Suffolk County police have released new information concerning the murder last October of a 33-year-old woman found dead in a room at the Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill.

Sep 25, 2025

 

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