It was a week of smoke, misplaced possessions and things that looked considerably more alarming from a distance. A backyard poultry smoker belched enough smoke to bring out the fire department, a forgotten iPhone went joyriding on the roof of a car and a group of after-dark tennis players illuminated their own court — prompting a late night call about mysterious men with flashlights at an elementary school.
Police also went looking for wheelie-popping youths on bikes in Greenport, investigated “fireworks” that may actually have been thunder, checked on a tired, recalcitrant dog that was just done walking and responded to a stolen-car report that concluded with the dopey owner recalling where he had parked. A Cutchogue woman reported increasingly disturbing behavior from a male neighbor this week. And in Orient, a shirtless security guard prowling the darkness at 2 a.m. with a bright light offered a curious explanation for his nocturnal activities: He was hot — and chasing deer.
Aug. 17 – Around 9 a.m., police were called to Silvermere Road in Greenport West to investigate an unspecified alleged act of criminal mischief, according to a police report.
Around 9:30 a.m. police responded to Pequash Ave. in Cutchogue for an iPhone crash detection alert, and located a 70-year-old Hauppauge man who acknowledged that he left his phone on top of his car and drove off.
Around 1:30 p.m., a police marine unit was dispatched to the waters off McCabe’s Beach in Southold for a report of a windsurfer apparently in distress in the water. Prior to the unit’s arrival, the caller observed the windsurfer recover and make it back to shore safely.
Slap-happy smack-talkers
Around 3 p.m., police were called to a residence on Third St., where a 61-year-old, well-known to police, reported that he and a 29-year-old Riverhead man, also well-known to local police, had “smacked each other” in the face while the pair were drinking together. The 61-year-old “states this is common (known to the undersigned and documented with STPD),” an officer wrote in a report.
A real smoke show
Around 5 p.m., police and Cutchogue firefighters were called to a residence on West Creek Ave., after a Cutchogue woman reported seeing “smoke and possible flames” coming from a nearby backyard. Police interviewed a 27-year-old Kings Park grill master, who told cops “he was actively cooking off some poultry in a smoker and that there had not been any fire started as a result, but that a large amount of smoke was initially released after he started cooking.” Firefighters inspected the interior and exterior of the residence and deemed the area safe.
Around 7 p.m., an “anonymous female” contacted police to report that a Greenport West man on Cedarfields Drive has sent a video “stating he was going to abuse his dogs.” Police went to the man’s home and interviewed him. The man told police “the video was a joke and that he would never harm his dogs.” He showed police the video in question, according to a police report, “which clearly indicated no intention to inflict injury to the animal,” an officer wrote in a police report, adding that “both dogs [at the residence] were playful and appeared to be healthy.”
In the course of little over an hour, police received two “open line 911 calls,” and responded in person to locations on Southern Cross Rd. and Fawn Lane in Cutchogue. In each case, the resident told a responding officer that the call was an accident, with one woman telling police she was trying to get her baby to sleep and “may have accidentally held down the SOS button for too long.”
They were among at least seven accidental 911 calls last week that drew an in-person response from local police, as required by department protocol. During some summer weeks, Southold police respond in person to dozens of accidental 911 calls.
Around 8:40 p.m., Jordan Hernandez Cortes, 23, of East Marion, was arrested for alleged driving while intoxicated, following a traffic stop on Pine Neck Rd. in Southold, according to a police report.
Night court
Around 9:30 p.m., police were called to Southold Elementary School for a report of “multiple subjects with flashlights” near the tennis courts. “Four young male subjects were observed actively playing tennis and did have a bright LED light propped up to illuminate the tennis court,” a responding officer wrote in a report. A 23-year-old Southold man told police that he and his friends had tried to play at Tasker Park but that the court lights weren’t working. The group were advised that they’re not allowed to be on school grounds at night. The group “understood and left … without incident.”
Aug. 18 – Around 8:45 a.m., police were called to Main St. in Greenport West for a report of “an intoxicated … male subject stumbling in the area.” They located and spoke with a 36-year-old Yorktown man, who declined police assistance.
Disturbing and unwanted encounters
Around 1 p.m., police spoke with a Cutchogue woman, who told them that ever since Aug. 7, a man identified in a report as a 60-year-old Cutchogue man has been “slowly driving past and/or stopping directly in front of her when she is out for a run, walk or bike ride.” She told police “this has happened multiple times in one day and on multiple occasions.” The woman said she hadn’t reported the incidents before, but given their escalation in frequency she is becoming uncomfortable leaving her house. The police report stated that a detective was “notified due to prior incidents regarding the same individual,” in reference to the man. The following day she contacted police again, to report that as she was pulling her kayak out of the water in Cutchogue, the same man drove by and stopped his car just behind a tree line. She told police that when she took out her cell phone to take a picture of the man’s truck he “sped off.” The next day, she again called to report that the man was allegedly following her. While an investigation is ongoing and police are aware of the man’s identity from unspecified “prior incidents”, reports indicate that because he has not verbally or physically engaged with the woman, police do not yet have a basis for taking enforcement action.
Dog days of summer
Around 5:15 p.m., police were called to First St. in Greenport for a report of a man “wearing all black ‘dragging a tan colored dog’” in the area, according to a police report. A responding officer located a man and dog matching the description, and spoke with him. The 63-year-old Greenport West dog owner told police he was “at the library and the dog was obviously tired so he was walking the canine back to the car when the dog sat down and refused to walk.” An observed the canine “to be in good health and was not in distress.”
Around 6:30 p.m., police received a report of a “group of youths riding bicycles and doing wheelies” near Front St. and Sixth St. in Greenport. A canvass of the area failed to turn up any wheelie-popping youths, according to a report.
Aug. 19 – Around 12:30 p.m., police responded to the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Yaphank to take Charles Tyler, 56, with no known address, into custody on an active warrant. Upon arrival, Southold police were told Tyler was in need of immediate medical care and was transported to a local hospital.
Car-b-que
Aug. 20 – Around 7:30 a.m., Southold police and Fishers Island firefighters responded to a vehicle fire on a front lawn on Pyle Road, and extinguished the blaze. The car’s owner told investigators that “after attempting to start the listed vehicle this morning, he noticed it was running abnormally. Shortly after, [he] heard a loud bang from the undercarriage, which began smoking excessively and subsequently became engulfed in flames,” according to a report. Investigators determined the cause of the blaze to be mechanical in nature, an no foul play is suspected.
Around 10 a.m., police received “anonymous reports” of a vehicle parked at Kenney’s Beach without a town parking permit. A responding officer located the car in question, which had a valid town permit.
Around 10 a.m., police were called to Front St. in Greenport for a report of a motorcycle being driven with only one helmet between two passengers. A ten-year-old passenger was not wearing a helmet, according to a police report. The driver, a 26-year-old from Greenport, was issued “multiple traffic citations,” and the legal owner was contacted to come and collect the motorcycle.
Bulkhead bandit
Around 4 p.m., police were called to a bulkhead on Peconic Bay Blvd. in Laurel, where someone had spray painted “Loot” and “AJAX” in red lettering. The owner told police she didn’t know anyone who would do that. She said the bulkhead “is getting re-done soon,” but wanted the incident documented.
Around 4:30 p.m., police were called to Middle Rd. in Southold, where an 85-year-old Southold woman pointed out that a “sign reading ‘F— ICE’ was leaning on a utility pole. She was “unhappy about the profanity displayed on the sign in public view.” The sign was to be removed and secured at police headquarters, according to a report.
Around 5:15 p.m., police arrested Stephen Jerome, 37, of Southold on an active warrant, according to police, after police received a request for a wellness check on “an intoxicated subject sitting along the shoulder of Route 25.” Jerome was transported to police headquarters.
Around 9:30 p.m., police were called to Edwards Lane and Main Rd. in Orient for an anonymous report of fireworks going off in the area. Police canvassed the area without seeing or hearing any fireworks. A police report notes that “at the time of the call, there had been an active thunderstorm cell passing through the surrounding area.”
Aug. 21 – Around 5 p.m., police were called to Rocky Point Rd. in East Marion for a report of a “deceased dog in the roadway.” The dog’s owner took the animal out of the roadway and back home, according to a police report. An investigation into a possible vehicular hit and run is underway.
Around 5:30 p.m., a 31-year-old Greenport man called police to report his car missing from Wiggins St. Upon an officer’s arrival, the man “stated that he had forgotten where he parked his car and located it prior to undersigned’s arrival,” an officer wrote in a report.
Around 8:30 p.m., police received a vehicle alert about a vehicle traveling westbound on Main Road in Mattituck that was wanted by the New York Police Dept. Police contacted an NYPD detective squad, which confirmed they wanted the vehicle seized. The vehicle was towed to a police impound yard.
Purse panic
Aug. 22 – Around 5:30 p.m., police responded to a location on Soundview Ave. where a 92-year-old Southold woman reported that her purse may have been stolen. Upon an officer’s arrival, the woman acknowledged that she located the purse in question shortly after calling police. It seems “she must have accidentally left the purse outside her vehicle while she was putting her dog in the car and drove away.”
Around 6 p.m., Crisanto Coc Caal, 23, of Cutchogue was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated. According to a police report, cops received a report of a vehicle failing to maintain its lane while driving east on Middle Road. Police located the vehicle on Alvah’s Lane and initiated the traffic stop. Police found “two open beers that were half full and cold to the touch … in the center cupholder of the vehicle.” The driver, according to the report, “admitted to drinking 6 beers.” He was arrested and transported to police headquarters for processing.
Bright lights, bare chest
Aug. 23 – Around 2 a.m., police were called to Lands End Dr. in Orient for a report of a mid-sized SUV “shining a bright light into [a man’s] residence.” Responding officer located a vehicle matching the description. They interviewed the driver, a 61-year-old Greenport man, who stated that he “works security overnight at the Cross Sound Ferry and ‘chases deer out of the area,’” according to a police report. “When questioned why he was in his personal vehicle with no shirt on,” the man “stated that he was hot and trying to stay cool.” He was advised not to shine his car lights into residences.
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.
