Skip to main content

Arrests Signal Busy Season Ahead

Fri, 06/04/2021 - 09:55

Despite the cold, rainy weather, a number of arrests over the last week signaled the start of the busy season on the South Fork.

Alexander Kouffman, 34, of East Hampton was charged at about 5:45 p.m. on Friday with second-degree criminal contempt, a misdemeanor, after town police said he disobeyed a court-issued order of protection. An officer reported seeing Mr. Kouffman inside a house on Cedar Trail in Northwest from which he had been banned. The report noted that the protected party was at the residence at the time. Mr. Kouffman was held overnight for a morning appearance before East Hampton Town Justice Lisa R. Rana.

On Memorial Day, 20-year-old Brandon Maccarone of Laurel Hollow was charged with assault with intent to cause physical injury, a misdemeanor. Police said that at 11:30 the night before on South Emerson Avenue in Montauk, Mr. Maccarone punched a woman in the face, nose, and mouth "with a closed fist a couple of times," requiring immediate medical attention. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 17.

Five charges of aggravated unlicensed driving were filed in recent weeks.

Four drivers, all booked in East Hampton Town, will be arraigned on Wednesday. They were Aroldo Pantaleon-Turcios of Shelter Island, who was stopped on Abraham's Path in Amagansett; Franklin Chabla of Springs, pulled over on Hartley Boulevard there, and David Blum of Copake, N.Y., stopped on Route 114 near Stephen Hand's Path.

Mr. Blum told police that "the sun was glaring in his eyes," causing him to rear-end a vehicle driven by Noel Gorman of Hampton Bays, who was stopped in traffic. The collision sent both men to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital by ambulance for head and neck pain, respectively. Mr. Blum's 2011 Toyota was towed from the scene by Fireplace Auto Collision and Mr. Gorman's 2015 Ford by V & V Auto Repair.

In the fourth incident, Jose Zamora-Alvarez, 37, of Ronkonkoma, was pulled over on the morning of May 17 on Flamingo Avenue in Montauk and accused of driving without a valid license. He appeared in court on Tuesday.

Lastly, Nicholas Crimaldi of Shirley, 29, will be arraigned in Justice Court on June 23. East Hampton Village police arrested him on Main Street near David's Lane, charging him with aggravated unlicensed driving, a misdemeanor, and with speeding, a violation.

White Powder, White Mucus

A man police said was waxing poetic about his rescue dog during a traffic stop is facing a felony drug charge and charges of resisting arrest after they reportedly found cocaine in his car on Friday night.

Sep 3, 2026

Driver Had No Interlock, Police Say

East Hampton Town police charged a Springs man with felony-level driving while intoxicated on Aug. 22 after he had turned into a Pantigo Road parking lot at 2:15 that morning.

Sep 3, 2026

Driver Said She Fell Asleep

Four people were hospitalized last week after two cars collided on Hand’s Creek Road in East Hampton. Police said a driver fell asleep at the wheel of her Toyota sedan on the afternoon of Aug. 17. The car swerved into the oncoming lane and crashed head-on into a Honda sedan.

Aug 27, 2026

Alleged Dealers at Large

According to a report released this week, two men arrested in Amagansett in mid-June and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, are still at large, awaiting future court appearances.

Aug 27, 2026

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.