Police

Blotter: Fraudulent checks cashed against local business accounts

A Southold woman reported nearly $240,000 in fraudulent activity on her Bank of America business account, according to a Southold police report filed last Thursday, Jan. 12.

The report provided no details beyond stating that six checks totaling $238,330 were reportedly written against the business account, which was not identified by police.

Additional information about the business or the theft was not made available.

• Nearly $4,000 in fraudulent checks were cashed against a Greenport restaurant’s account, according to a police report filed Friday afternoon.

An employee reported that five checks totaling $3,963 were written to an individual from the business and cashed, police said. A suspect has been identified, but that person’s identity was not released by police.

• Two people took a fire hydrant in Southold sometime after a car collided with it and fled the scene last Monday, Jan. 9, police said.

The fire hydrant on Route 48 had apparently been struck by a snowplow, according to a report filed after a police investigation. A homeowner nearby told police she saw two people get out of a dark-colored Honda Pilot and taken the fire hydrant just before 5 p.m.

Police notified the Suffolk County Water Authority about the incident. No arrests were reported.

• About $75 in firewood was reported missing from a house on Main Street in Greenport Sunday afternoon, according to a police report. A man watching the house said a “large amount of firewood” went missing from a fenced-in yard at the property, according to the report.

The owner, who was away at the time, confirmed the firewood was missing and hadn’t been misplaced. The man requested extra patrols around the property. Police said they have no suspects in the reported theft.

• A hunter apparently forced open a mechanical gate at a Cutchogue man’s Oregon Road home to go hunting, causing about $200 in damage, police said.

According to a police report filed Saturday afternoon, the hunter — who has not been identified — forced the gate open, walked onto the property and fired a shotgun into the open field next to the victim’s property, according to a police report.

Empty shell casings were found on the property, police confirmed. No arrests were reported.

• A Peconic man called police just before 4 a.m. Tuesday from Southold asking for help, according to an incident report. The man explained he needed a ride home, police said. The police officer arrived and took the man to his house without any further help needed.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.