A sketchy “patrol” near a Greenport bus stop — just weeks after an early-morning ICE chase rattled the same corner — set the tone for last week’s police blotter, which veered from uneasy to absurd: a man in a black SUV flashing a “volunteer law enforcement” ID was warned not to play cop, a pair of Four Loko cans were lifted from a 7-Eleven, and someone slipped into a firehouse just long enough to flip picture frames. There was also a driver who stopped in the middle of the road to vomit ahead of a DWI arrest, and, before the week was over, police fielded a call about a woman’s pre-dawn scream on Main Street.
Feb. 9 – Around 10 a.m., a Greenport woman reported to police that a man of about 50 in a black SUV was ‘patrolling’ in the area of Ludlam Place and Carpenter St. The woman, a local official, asked the man if he was a police officer or an ICE agent. (Earlier this month, ICE agents raced down Ludlum Place in pursuit of a man in a truck early in the morning as children were heading to a bus stop at that corner.) The driver told the woman he was a volunteer police officer and was driving around to keep the area safe. Responding officers canvassed the area, and located a vehicle matching the description near Cox Neck Road and Route 48. After initiating a traffic stop, the driver produced an ID card from an “Alliance of chaplains and law enforcement volunteers in police service.” Officers advised the man not to “identify or act as any kind of law enforcement official.”
Feb. 12 – Around 2 p.m., a local business owner reported that a vehicle parked near North St. and Second St. in Greenport had been parked there for several months and appeared to be abandoned. Police contacted the registered owner, a local official, who said that he is in the process of working with his insurance company to get the vehicle towed to a repair shop. No further action was taken, according to a police report.
Feb. 13 – Around 2:30 a.m., a clerk at the 7-Eleven in Greenport contacted police to report an alleged petit larceny. The clerk told police an unknown male came into the store and stole two cans of Four Loco, an alcoholic beverage. After reviewing surveillance video, police identified Matthew Gomez, 24, of Greenport as the culprit. The clerk did not wish to press charges, and only wanted the items paid for. Police “retrieved partial payment” from a friend of Gomez, who vowed to return by the end of the day with the rest of the money. A notice of trespass was signed against Gomez, meaning that if he returns to the store he could be arrested.
Around 10:15 a.m., a Greenport fire chief reported a possible burglary at the Third St. firehouse, according to a police report. The chief told police that someone “tampered with the locks to enter the building … [and] flipped three picture frames upside down.” A police detective responded and photographed the scene. An investigation is ongoing, according to the report.
Around 6:30 p.m., police arrested Salvador Garcia Brizuela, 26, of Riverhead, for allegedly driving while intoxicated. According to a report, police received multiple reports of the vehicle Garcia Brizuela was driving parked in various places in the vicinity of New Suffolk Ave. and Deep Hole Road in Mattituck, and in each case, the caller told police the two men in the car appeared intoxicated. Responding officers located the vehicle in the area, and then “observed the vehicle stop in the middle of the roadway,” according to the report. “The operator of the vehicle opened his driver side door and vomited out the door.” Police initiated a traffic stop and identified Garcia Brizuela by his revoked NY state driver’s license before arresting him.
Around 9 p.m., a Pasture Lane resident in Mattituck reported an unknown person shining a flashlight in the windows of his house. Responding officers canvassed the area looking for the person without success, according to a report.
Feb. 14 – Around 9 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, Theodorus Kriek, 54, of Brooklyn, was arrested for alleged driving while intoxicated, according to a police report. A Southold woman contacted police to report a car accident near Main Road and South Harbor Road in Southold.
Feb. 15 – Around 1 a.m., Steven Wilgenkamp, 61, of East Setauket, was arrested for alleged driving while intoxicated, after his car apparently struck a PSEG pole on Middle Road in Southold, according to a police report.
Just after 4:30 a.m., police received a call about a blonde woman in pajamas, screaming for help near Main St. in Greenport. A responding officer located the woman in question, who was identified as a 58-year-old from Greenlawn — who told police she was staying at a Main St. hotel and had locked herself out of the building. The officer made contact with a hotel employee by phone, who advised the cop and the woman on how to regain entry to the hotel. The woman was “able to return to her room without incident,” according to a police report.
Around 2 p.m., police received a report of a boat, about a mile from the shore on Cedar Beach Road, that appeared to be stuck in the ice. The caller said he observed the boat idling for about 20 minutes and grew concerned. Two police marine units and Southold firefighters were dispatched to check on the well-being of the boat operator. Eventually, according to a police report, the boat began to drive away, showing no signs of distress.
All individuals named in police reports are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Charges may be reduced, dismissed or result in an acquittal.