Police & Courts

A Riverhead man is facing drunken driving charges for the third time in 10 years, making his latest charge, levied by East Hampton Town police on May 7, a felony.

The fire marshal was summoned on the morning of May 16 when a 35-year-old woman got stuck in the elevator at a commercial building on Newtown Lane in East Hampton Village. No problem. He turned the system off, then switched it on again. The elevator sprang to life, and the woman was able to exit safely.

East Hampton Town and Village police reported three accidents involving injuries this week.

Note to whoever has been dumping bags of fish carcasses into the Montauk Manor’s private dumpster: They’re on to you. A “terrible odor” on May 9 prompted a call to police.

After 28 years fielding 911 calls as an East Hampton Village dispatcher, Gerry Turza will be hired at the May 19 East Hampton Village Board meeting for a new village position: fire and emergency medical services administrator. Mr. Turza served as chief of the East Hampton Village Fire Department from 2018 to 2022 and in many other roles, all in the field of public safety, for the last 30 years.

East Hampton Town saw more reports of identity theft, fraud, larceny, trespassing, and sex crimes last year than it did in 2021, according to Police Chief Michael D. Sarlo's annual report. There were 17 calls about possible drug overdoses among adults, a five-year high, and officers made 41 percent more arrests, issued 49 percent more traffic tickets, and logged a collective 7,249 hours of training, an increase of 25 percent over 2021.

A bottle of 18-year-old Macallan Scotch whiskey valued at $475 was stolen from Amagansett Wine and Spirits on the afternoon of April 26. A man was seen putting the bottle under his sweatshirt while an employee was helping a customer. Charges will not be pressed, management told police, if payment is received or if the bottle is returned intact.

East Hampton Town officials indefinitely closed the rickety asphalt-covered bridge above the Long Island Rail Road track on Cranberry Hole Road in Amagansett after a sizable hole appeared in it on Sunday.

Unable to deliver a package at a South Flint Street, Montauk, residence for four days straight, a FedEx driver called the police on the afternoon of April 26 to make sure everyone there was okay. Officers were told that the family’s dog is not well.

A Montauk businessman, Mark Ripolone, was indicted yesterday on charges of grand larceny and identity theft for allegedly stealing nearly $400,000 over a three-year period from a payroll company and his own customers’ bank accounts.

Police officers conducted routine liquor-license checks of bars, restaurants, and liquor stores in Montauk, Springs, and East Hampton over the last two weeks, finding that all had up-to-date documentation.

A fight at Murf’s Tavern Saturday night led to the arrest of a “highly intoxicated” 27-year-old Sag Harbor man who screamed obscenities, berated the security guard, and threatened to “kick everyone’s ass” and “kill you.” He forcefully resisted arrest, police said, but officers — including some from East Hampton and Southampton who responded to the village’s request for assistance — were able to wrestle him to the ground and handcuff him.