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Police & Courts

One Cop, Two Cars, One Restaurant



One town police officer pulled over two cars driven by employees of the same Montauk restaurant on Sunday morning and arrested both drivers. One was charged with felony drunken driving, the other with driving with ability impaired by drugs.

Officer David E. Martin Jr. was in the parking lot of the Montauk train station a little before 11 a.m. when he saw a 2013 Nissan pull out of the lot by Ciao, a new restaurant where its driver, Matthew R. DiGirolomo, 22, of Whitestone, is employed as a waiter.

Jun 26, 2014
Ross Students Charged

East Hampton Village police arrested five Ross Upper School students on the evening of June 18 at the East Hampton Nature Trail, charging all five with possession of open containers of alcohol. One of the students, four of whom are foreign nationals, was charged with possession of marijuana. Because the five are all 17 or younger, police did not release their names.

Police were tipped off to the youths’ nightly activities by a video posted on Facebook.

Jun 26, 2014
Town, Village May Share Emergency Dispatching



East Hampton Town and Village stand to save a combined $600,000 if an initial cost savings analysis about consolidating 911 dispatching services rings true.

That is why the municipalities are hoping to receive a $25,000 matching grant from the Local Government Efficiency program to help fund a more in-depth study, which will consider operational and cost impacts.

Jun 26, 2014
Assault Alleged in Georgica Bar Incident



East Hampton Town police made several arrests over the past two weeks on violence-related charges, all of which resulted in court orders of protection for the alleged victims.

A Southampton man who was convicted of a felony drug charge earlier this year but has yet to be sentenced, and who is facing a second felony charge as well, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on yet another felony count, assault with a weapon.

According to Maggie Bopp, the assistant district attorney representing the county during the arraignment of Gabriel L.

Jun 19, 2014
Brother, Sister . . . How Many?



Two Brooklyn siblings who had spent Sunday night in Montauk with a group of friends spent Monday morning in East Hampton Town Justice Court, where they were arraigned on charges of driving while intoxicated.

East Hampton Town police pulled over Harryson F. Gallegos, 25, at about 3:30 a.m. as he was headed west on Napeague, saying his 2003 Nissan S.U.V. had been speeding. His sister, Ashley M. Gallegos, 21, was in the car, along with a number of other passengers. Mr.

Jun 19, 2014
Child Fatally Injured



A 6-year-old girl died on Sunday morning after being struck by a car on Blank Lane in Water Mill. The child, Tess Burstein, was declared dead at Stony Brook University Hospital, where she had been rushed by ambulance after first being taken to Southampton Hospital.

According to Southampton Detective Sgt. Lisa Costa, Tess’s condition was initially thought to have stabilized, but she regressed.

Jun 19, 2014
He Had Carte Blanche, or So He Said



An East Hampton man was charged with felony burglary on Friday afternoon. East Hampton Town police said Dustin G. Miller, 25, had entered a garage at 91 Whooping Hollow Road in East Hampton on May 18 and removed items without the owner’s permission.

A worker on the property, Carlos Guzman, told police that he was in the basement that day, after other workers there had left, when he heard voices in the yard. Going outside, he saw Mr. Miller and another man.

Jun 19, 2014
On the Police Logs 06.19.14



East Hampton

A vandal smashed a driver’s-side window and a rear taillight and dented the left-rear quarter panel on a 2008 Honda Accord parked in a lot at 121 Springs-Fireplace Road early Friday morning. Maria Restrepo estimated the damage at $500.

 

East Hampton Village

Two men police described as homeless got into a brief scuffle at the train station on the morning of June 10. One of the two said he had confronted the other man because he was “spreading rumors” about him, and ended up with a “bump” on the head.

Jun 19, 2014
Sleeping Driver Suspected



An S.U.V. rolled over on the Napeague stretch of Montauk Highway, west of the Lobster Roll restaurant, on June 11, injuring the driver. The single-car accident happened at about 1:05 p.m.

The 20-year-old driver, Andy J. Amando, who said he had been wearing a seatbelt, was already out of his 2002 Mitsubishi when police arrived. He was conscious, but bleeding severely from his head, according to an East Hampton Town police accident report. 

The Amagansett Fire Department’s on-duty paramedic treated Mr.

Jun 19, 2014
Adrift on Napeague Bay



A Coast Guard search for a boat in distress ended with the season’s first boating-while-intoxicated arrest.

According to Petty Officer Corey Carlucci, who was involved in the rescue mission, the Coast Guard station on Star Island, Montauk, was notified by the East Hampton Town Police Department of a call reporting a 20-foot boat adrift in Napeague Bay. The pilot was reported to be slumped over the wheel, apparently unconscious.

The Coast Guard treated the situation as a boat in distress and began searching for the vessel.

Jun 12, 2014
Fined for Spearing Bass



The captain of a Montauk fishing vessel pleaded guilty last month to a single misdemeanor charge of illegally harvesting striped bass worth over $250. Christopher L. Miller, 44, the captain of Sea Spearit, which docks at the West Lake Marina, had been indicted by a grand jury on April 2 and was facing multiple charges, including a felony for harvesting over $1,000 worth of the protected fish. After pleading guilty to the single charge on May 22 before Acting Supreme Court Justice Fernando M. Camacho, in Central Islip, the additional charges were dismissed. Mr.

Jun 12, 2014
Galeano to Resign From Force



Julio Mario Galeano, an East Hampton Village police officer who allegedly used a house on Talmage Lane in East Hampton for a romantic encounter with a female member of the department in December without the permission of the house’s owner, will resign from the department effective Aug. 2.

Terms of his resignation are subject to ratification by the East Hampton Village Board, according to a statement issued Monday by Rebecca Molinaro, the village administrator. On Tuesday, Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr.

Jun 12, 2014
Nanny Arrested



A Northport nanny is facing felony drunken-driving charges following her arrest on the afternoon of June 3. Town police said Inese Stankiewicz, 55, was backing up a 2014 Ford in the public parking lot east of South Edgemere Street in Montauk shortly after 1 p.m. when she hit a parked car, then drove away. Witnesses described the Ford, which was pulled over a few minutes later on Second House Road.

Back at police headquarters, Ms.

Jun 12, 2014
On the Police Logs 06.12.14



Amagansett

An unwelcome visitor apparently looking for a bed to sleep in free of charge kicked open a door at a Pine Way house at some point over the past two weeks. The frame and door were damaged and will cost about $300 to repair. Adam Young told police on Saturday that the intruder had slept in a bed, but had not taken anything.

 

East Hampton

An American flag on a wooden pole was stolen from the driveway of an Indian Hill Road house on Friday night.

Jun 12, 2014
Hearing for Suspended Cop



A disciplinary hearing for Julio Galeano, the East Hampton Village police officer who allegedly used a house on Talmage Lane for a romantic visit with a fellow member of the force without its owner’s knowledge, is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at the Emergency Services Building.

John G. Callahan, an attorney who was appointed by the village board as an independent arbitrator to hear the charges against Mr. Galeano, will listen to comments and testimony. After the hearing, which may take more than one session, Mr.

Jun 5, 2014
Investigate Death



East Hampton Town police have identified a woman found dead in her car in Montauk on Monday as Nikole Doering, 37, of Coram. Her family had reported her missing the day before.

Det. Sgt. Greg Schaefer said yesterday that police were investigating the cause of death, but that it did not appear suspicious.

The body was found in an S.U.V. parked in a public lot on an Old Montauk Highway bluff facing the ocean. Two guests at the Surfside Inn, which is across the road and a little to the east, called police at about 3 p.m.

Jun 5, 2014
On the Police Logs 06.05.14



Amagansett

A locksmith making a house call apparently visited the wrong house last month. Thomas MacNiven told police that sometime between May 1 and May 9, “the backdoor knob and lock were drilled out, and were replaced” on an Amagansett house with a Montauk Highway address. Nothing was removed from the house, and the old lock and knob were found just inside.

Jun 5, 2014
Punched With His Bare Fists



A Springs man who was standing in the middle of the Main Street-Jermain Avenue intersection in Sag Harbor Monday night, punching the hoods of cars stopped at the traffic light there with his bare fists, faces two felony charges of criminal mischief.

Sag Harbor Village police said Adam P. Kopoulos, 24, who was reportedly intoxicated, caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. It took both police officers on duty that evening to subdue him after a caller told a dispatcher what was happening.

Two cars suffered the most damage, a 2009 Nissan Sentra and a BMW.

Jun 5, 2014
The Calm After the Storm



Relative calm returned to local roads after a Memorial Day week that saw 15 arrests on charges of drunken or drugged driving. East Hampton Town police have since made only two such arrests; village police, just one.

Police stopped the driver of a 2002 BMW on Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton early Tuesday morning for failing to dim her headlights and wound up charging her with driving while intoxicated after administering roadside sobriety tests.

Theresa Fisher, 24, was also charged with unlicensed driving.

Jun 5, 2014
Also on the Logs 05.29.14

East Hampton Village

An East Hollow Road woman called police Friday when she saw what appeared to be a dead deer in her driveway. When police arrived, they discovered what was in fact a fawn. According to Ginnie Frati, executive director of the Evelyn Alexander Animal Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays, the best thing to do with newborn deer is stay away. It is not uncommon for the mother to leave her baby alone for a time. “She will return,” Ms. Frati said.



A Pleasant Lane couple had a visit from the police last week.

May 28, 2014
Holiday Weekend Arrests

There were 15 alcohol or drug-related arrests on East Hampton Town roads over the past nine days, including the long holiday weekend.



East Hampton Village police arrested a New York man Sunday morning after he reportedly left the scene of an accident near Hook Mill. Ian Simpson Reisner, 45, faces several charges including driving with ability impaired by drugs.



According to Chief Gerard Larsen, Mr. Reisner was headed west at about 11 a.m. when he sideswiped a car parked on Pantigo Road near the windmill and drove away without stopping.

May 28, 2014
Odd Fires at Two Estates

At the guest house of the art dealer Larry Gagosian, 424 Further Lane in Amagansett, a fire began on May 21 after a landscaper used a propane torch to burn weeds — a common practice, said Tom Baker, an East Hampton Town fire marshal.



Mr. Baker surmised that dry leaves between the Belgian-block driveway and the guest house had smoldered and caught fire, which worked its way into the frame of the house and started to burn the wood.



A property manager discovered the blaze and used a fire extinguisher to put it out before firefighters arrived.

May 28, 2014
Weekend Crashes Keep Police Busy

The driver of a 2012 Harley Davidson was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital Monday evening after losing control of the motorcycle.



Town Police Capt. Chris Anderson described the incident Tuesday. The cycle was headed west on Route 27 in Montauk, he said, approaching the intersection of South Fox Street near Shadmoor. “A deer ran onto the roadway,” the captain said. “He tried to avoid the animal and lost control.” He was rushed to the East Hampton airport, where a helicopter took him to the hospital.

May 28, 2014
Also on the Logs 05.22.14

Amagansett

    The lug nuts on a rear wheel of a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer were loosened to the point where the tire almost fell off on Atlantic Avenue on May 11. The driver, Jeremy Burton of Bluff Road, told police that another motorist managed to wave him down to tell him about the tire. He speculated that the lug nuts might have been loosened by someone he had had an altercation with at the Memory Motel in Montauk the night before.



East Hampton

    A pool heater was stolen from a Bull Path residence earlier this month or late last month.

May 21, 2014
Fire Reported at Art Dealer's Amagansett House

Amagansett firefighters are working to contain a fire in a guest house on the art dealer Larry Gagosian's Further Lane property, which was the scene of a fire back in 2011, as well.

May 21, 2014
Two D.W.I. Arrests, Kids In Vehicles

    Police made two arrests in recent days of people they say were driving drunk with children as passengers, and in both cases there could be multiple felony charges.



    A Scarsdale, N.Y., man was charged with three felony counts of aggravated drunken driving after being arrested last Thursday afternoon by East Hampton Town police.



    Philip Porpora, 39, was said to have struck a sign on the eastbound side of Montauk Highway on Napeague with a 2007 Ford that was pulling a camper.

May 21, 2014
Couple Returns to Court



A 36-year-old man who was charged in Montauk a few weeks ago with striking and choking his girlfriend until she passed out was back in custody last week, this time charged with felony burglary after reportedly breaking into her house and again knocking her unconscious.

On the night before David M.

May 15, 2014
Emergency Open House Sunday



A quick course that could help save a life will be given Sunday by members of the Bridgehampton Fire Department Ambulance Company during an open house at the firehouse on School Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The public has been invited to stop by to watch demonstrations by emergency medical technician volunteers and learn hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation and get a close look at the inside of an ambulance. There will be free blood pressure tests, information about first aid, child-identification kits, and details about joining the squad.

May 15, 2014
On the Police Logs 05.15.14



Amagansett

A car parked in front of an Ocean Lane house had its rear left tire slashed last Thursday afternoon. Christoph Jorg told police it will cost about $150 to replace.

East Hampton Village

“Three subjects walking in her yard” brought police to a residence on The Circle early Sunday morning. The three told police they were neighbors, searching for a lost dog. The homeowner, however reported that “one of the suspects did knock on her front door. She was able to see the suspect from her bedroom and it appeared the suspect was looking around.

May 15, 2014
Plea in Panoramic Ponzi Scheme



Adam J. Manson, one of two men accused of running a $118 million Ponzi scheme in connection with a failing investment in the Panoramic View Resort in Montauk, pleaded guilty in United States District Court on Monday to conspiring to commit securities fraud, a felony. Robert Nardoza, a spokesman for the Federal prosecutor, said Tuesday that all unsold units in the oceanfront cooperative, which he valued at over $60 million, will be turned over to the federal government to be auctioned.

Mr.

May 15, 2014