Amagansett
A bush near his driveway was “aggressively trimmed” by a town employee, leaving a bare spot in his landscaping, a Surf Drive resident complained to police on Friday afternoon. Police said the bush in question had been encroaching on the road, but the homeowner was told to file a complaint with the town.
East Hampton
The actor Neil Patrick Harris, who has a house in Northwest, called police the day after Christmas to report — wait for it — that a man dressed as Santa Claus had shown up uninvited two days before, driving a white Ram truck. The man had trespassed there before, according to a just-released police report. No charges were filed, but officers warned Santa never to fly by again.
The owner of Damark’s Market has reported a series of thefts between Jan. 8 and Jan. 11. Among the items stolen were two packages of cookies and two bottles of Wolffer Estate Rosé Cider. The suspect, whom the store owner apparently recognized, has been banned from returning, and the owner told police he would not press petty larceny charges as long as the items are paid for.
East Hampton Village
Multiple people at Main Beach reported seeing two flares go up over the water last Thursday afternoon, followed by airplanes flying over. An officer used binoculars to investigate, but could find nothing suspicious.
On Jan. 12, a highway department employee working on Lee Avenue discovered that a landscaping company had trimmed a few trees on village property there. The landscaper told police he didn’t realize the trees were on public property. An officer issued a written warning.
Lee Avenue was on the blotter again on Saturday, when an officer saw a smoldering pile of construction debris near a pool house that was undergoing renovation. The officer told the contractor that such burning is not permitted within 50 feet of a building, and the fire was extinguished.
Montauk
Another theft was reported last Thursday, this time near the dog park, in late afternoon. A woman’s purse was taken from the front seat of her 2020 Mercedes S.U.V. It is unclear from the report whether the vehicle was locked. The case is still under investigation.
A flare was also sighted over the water in Montauk, this one on Jan. 10. Coast Guard Station Montauk informed police that there was no emergency: The vessel that shot it was tethered to the commercial dock on Star Island Road.
Shortly after 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day, in the vicinity of Star Island Road, West Lake Drive, and North Fernwood Drive, an officer on routine patrol found four street signs pulled from the ground and damaged. Repairs will cost the town about $100.
Sag Harbor
Twice on Jan. 10, shortly after reporting their wallets stolen from their cars, two village residents learned that their credit cards had been used at a few Home Depot locations UpIsland. One theft happened on Hillside Drive East, the other on Beach Avenue, within a quarter-mile of each other. Both cars were parked in the homeowners’ driveways.
Sag Harbor has seen its fair share of mischief under the North Haven bridge, where police responded last Thursday to a report of a “hammering noise.” An officer found nothing but a canvas bag containing fishing waders and a frozen-stiff towel. Judging by the towel, the bag “appeared to have been there for some time,” the officer reported. The bag was taken to the property locker at police headquarters.
A stranger trying to open his locked front door, then peering inside the windows, was captured on a home security camera by a Hillside Drive East resident at around 11 p.m. on Jan. 12. He gave the video recording to police for investigation.
Springs
A Maidstone Beach Road resident called police in the wee hours last Thursday upon seeing a man trying to enter his house. The homeowner told the intruder he was calling the police, at which point the man, who appeared to be drunk, left. He was back, however, about two hours later, this time sitting in the homeowner’s Jaguar out in the driveway. When an officer arrived, the man said he was “just looking for a place to be warm.” The homeowner told police he didn’t want to press charges, as nothing was broken or missing –- he just wanted the police to give the stranger a ride home, to an address on Harbor Boulevard. They did so.
