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Cops Found Him ‘Furtive’

Thu, 12/28/2023 - 11:33

Town and village police charged two men with felonies in recent days following separate incidents, one at a house in East Hampton and another in the Reutershan Parking Lot.

On Dec. 19, East Hampton Village police stopped Michael R. Rossi of Riverhead in the parking lot at around 11 a.m. after noticing too-dark tints on the windows of his 2011 Nissan. An officer said Mr. Rossi appeared to be “overly furtive” when being questioned, leading to a search of the vehicle, which resulted in the discovery, in the center console, of a “small Ziploc bag . . . containing a white powdery substance.”

The substance field-tested positive for cocaine. Later, at police headquarters, it measured 1 gram in weight. Mr. Rossi, 33, stated, “I took it from the house I was cleaning because the husband isn’t supposed to have it.”

He was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony, and was arraigned the next day by East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky, who released him on his own recognizance. Mr. Rossi is due back in Justice Court on Jan. 25.

Town police charged Jose R. Inga of East Hampton, 54, with a felony count of third-degree criminal mischief on the morning of Dec. 9 at his own house. According to the report, Mr. Inga threw a Modelo beer bottle at a wall-mounted TV belonging to another resident of the house, cracking it and causing more than $300 in damage.

He was arraigned the next day by Justice Lisa R. Rana, who released him on his own recognizance. Mr. Inga is scheduled to be back in court on Jan. 31, at which time he will appear before the town’s new justice, who is yet to be sworn in, David Filer.

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As winds out of the northwest gusted at near 40 miles per hour early Saturday, it didn’t take long for the embers from a fire that began around 9:30 a.m. in a Manorville backyard, “following an attempt to make s’mores,” to ignite multiple brush fires that would grow to burn 600 acres in the Westhampton pine barrens. Suffolk County police arson detectives reached the conclusion after first reviewing 911 call from the hours leading up to the incident.

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East Hampton Town police made fewer overall arrests last year, but more arrests for driving while intoxicated — another year that has led Chief Michael Sarlo to say that “we live in an extremely safe community.” 

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Low-flying drones were reported flying over Deep Hollow Ranch on the evening of March 3. Police saw their lights blinking red and white, but no action was taken. 

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