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On the Police Logs 06.16.22

Wed, 06/15/2022 - 17:40

Amagansett

An East Hampton man, Alexander Swickard, honked at a Mini Cooper with Connecticut plates after it cut him off just west of the I.G.A. on June 4. The Mini driver stopped in front of Mr. Swickard’s car at the intersection of Montauk Highway and Abram’s Landing Road, got out of the car, and smacked the driver’s-side rearview mirror of Mr. Swickard’s 2011 BMW. Mr. Swickard estimated it would cost $1,000 to fix the mirror but declined to press charges.

Overnight on Friday, someone sprayed graffiti on the partitions and cement walls of the public bathroom at the end of Fresh Pond Road. Police have no leads.

Close to midnight on June 8, an officer watched a man walk out from the back parking lot of Best Taste, long after it had closed. He caught up with him near Handy Lane to ask what he was up to and if he needed help. The man said he was “just out walking” and refused to identify himself. The officer checked the restaurant, found no signs of criminal activity, and allowed the man to continue with his late-night walk.

East Hampton Village

A John M. Marshall Elementary School employee reported damage to the cork base under the playground slides on June 6. Police looked back at surveillance footage but were unable to determine the date or time of the vandalism. School maintenance staff estimated repairs at $500.

Several complaints about landscaping noise came in over the last week. One came last Thursday at about 6:30 p.m. from East Hollow Road, where police observed a landscaper from Hampton Bays using a gas-powered lawn mower. He was cited not only for using the illegal equipment, but for doing so after 6 p.m., in violation of village code.

Le Caprice, the cosmetics store on Newtown Lane whose employees often stand on the street with “free samples” to bring people inside, was issued a summons on Friday, for the third week in a row, for peddling on a public sidewalk.

A manhole cover was leaking sewage on Park Place on Sunday, and a passer-by notified police. A septic company was called and arrived quickly to pump a drain. The officer stayed until it was all cleaned up.

Montauk

Lenard Rodney left his bicycle outside the I.G.A. on the evening of June 7 while making a quick stop. His white Cannon bike helmet, which he’d hung from the handlebars, was gone when he came out. He described the helmet to a police officer, who watched a man exit the store 20 minutes later, wearing it. After getting it back, Mr. Rodney declined to press charges.

A man described to police as “a drunk 20-something,” wearing black shorts and T-shirt, was staggering through traffic on Flamingo Road around dinnertime on June 8, prompting a call from Kevin Brady. He was gone by the time police arrived, and a search yielded no results.

Kent Daniels, a bouncer at Ruschmeyer’s, called police close to midnight on Friday to report an unruly patron, Andrew Brooke, who he said was drunk and attempting to fight people. The officers spoke with Mr. Brooke, who agreed to leave, but according to the report they then took photos of “two separate dance areas with amplified music,” in case the restaurant was violating State Liquor Authority laws.

More drunkenness on Sunday night brought police to TT’s on West Lake Drive. Gary Costello, who flagged them down, had cuts on his face, and told the officers that two men, Joseph Connolly and Robert Goldsmith, were being “inappropriate” with his staff and had tried to leave with a stool. When Mr. Costello and two other men tried to stop them, a fight broke out. All involved sustained injuries, but no one wanted treatment or to press charges.

Sag Harbor

Two exhausted paddleboarders were stranded on Cliff Drive in Bay Point late on the afternoon of June 7, and called police for assistance. They had left from Sims Avenue, they said, and paddled across Sag Harbor Cove to the bay side of Long Beach before getting out and walking to Cliff Drive. An officer drove them back to Sims Avenue.

An anonymous caller spotted “a man talking to himself” at the intersection of Madison and Henry Streets last week and reported him to police, who found the man. He refused to give them any information and walked away.

Not long after, up the road, a young woman rode her electric bike to a friend’s house and left it out front. It was gone when she came out, 45 minutes later. She told police that the bike cost $760.

Damian Tooman went into the Hampton Street Gulf Station at 4 a.m. on June 8 to pick up some snacks, but found the man behind the register fast asleep. After trying without success to wake him up, including yelling and slamming the counter, Mr. Tooman called the police. Officers awoke the sleeping cashier, who told them he was fine, “just a heavy sleeper.”

If your email isn’t working, it is not a police emergency. An officer relayed that message to Alan Furst on June 8 after he called 911 to say someone was blocking his correspondence.

Kevin O’Brien told police on Friday that an unoccupied Mini Cooper was blocking the intersection at Division and Henry Streets. Police found the driver, who said he’d parked on Division, but the car must have slipped out of gear and rolled into the roadway.

Myrna Davis called last Saturday to report a large cloud of dust hanging over Rysam Street, following a “prolonged loud drilling noise.” She was afraid it might be toxic, she said. Officers found a landscaping crew that had been doing stonework at a house under construction, and were now cleaning up the debris.

Springs

Stacie Orell of Neck Path told police on Monday that her garden hose was where it belonged at 8 that morning, but was missing at noon. She wasn’t sure who would steal it and estimated its value at $69.99.

Naomi Nemitz and friends were enjoying the sunset at the Flaggy Hole Road beach on June 4, when a drone hovered uncomfortably close. She told the man flying the drone that she was there to enjoy nature and the view, and didn’t like a drone flying overhead. An argument ensued, and he pushed her, she said. She called police. Two witnesses said they’d seen him push her, but Ms. Nimitz chose not to press charges after an officer told her drones were allowed to be flown in that area.

East Hampton Ambulance Department Gets County Nod

The Suffolk County Regional Emergency Services Council voted on March 12 to expand the operating territory of the East Hampton Village Ambulance Department to include the Northwest Fire Protection District and the East Hampton Water Supply Area. This came after a contentious public hearing at LTV Studios on Feb. 16.

Mar 21, 2024

On the Police Logs 03.21.24

A 37-year-old Montauk man attempted to make a fire in a barrel at the Montauk Skate Park to "grill some burgers while he and friends skated" on the afternoon of March 13. Someone called the police, who told the man it was against the rules. He apologized and put the fire out.

Mar 21, 2024

Policing East Hampton in 2023: A Look at the Statistics

In 2023, for 911 calls classified as "highest priority," the East Hampton Town Police Department's average response time was 5 minutes, 38 seconds. Officers made 163 drunken-driving arrests, assisted on 2,530 medical calls and nearly 1,800 fire-related emergencies, and logged 12 "use of force" incidents over the 12-month period. Those were just a few of the statistics presented by Chief Michael Sarlo to the East Hampton Town Board last week, capping off a year of protecting 70 square miles from Wainscott to Montauk.

Mar 21, 2024

Sexual Assault Investigation

A 29-year-old East Hampton woman went to police headquarters on March 4 to report being the victim of sexual assault, stemming from an incident on Feb. 23 at a house in town.

Mar 13, 2024

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