Blotter: Dix Hills man arrested in connection to vehicle thefts

Southold Town police detectives arrested a 31-year-old Dix Hills man in connection to two vehicle thefts on March 10.

In a press release, police said Lonnie Ellis-Elder stole two cars and stole credit cards from others in Greenport Village in December 2021 and used the credit cards throughout the towns of Southold and Riverhead.

He was arrested in the town of Huntington and charged with two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and three counts of criminal possession of stolen property/credit cards, officials said.

He was processed at police headquarters and released on an appearance ticket, police said.

• A 22-year-old Moriches man was arrested for criminal mischief after he reportedly punched the door of the county S92 bus and broke the glass in Mattituck Friday morning.

Reese Lawrence-Schero was allegedly upset that the bus passed him near the Love Lane bus stop.

• Two injuries were reported following a two-car crash along Route 48 in Mattituck last Wednesday morning.

According to an incident report, a 68-year-old Mattituck woman was attempting to make a left turn at the intersection of Route 48 and Mill Lane and failed to yield to a westbound vehicle operated by an 18-year-old Virginia woman.

The Virginia woman and an 87-year-old passenger from Pawcatuck, Conn. reported injuries to police, the report said.

• Police were called to a physical altercation between two students at Mattituck High School last Tuesday morning. The incident was documented and according to a police report, stemmed from a Snapchat message. No further information was available.

• A 70-year-old Orient man filed a police report last Monday evening after discovering that an Amazon package arrived at his home and the watch he had ordered had been removed from the box.

Detectives were notified about the incident.

• Police responded to the Sound View Dunes preserve in Peconic Saturday night and found teenagers from across the North Fork having a “large party” near the beach. The students were escorted off of the property and asked to remove their garbage shortly before 10 p.m., reports said.

• A 53-year-old Southold woman called police after she was defrauded out of thousands of dollars last Tuesday.

Police said the woman received a text message about a $1,600 Amazon purchase she did not make and spoke with a man claiming to work with the company’s fraud department. The man gained access to her computer remotely and transferred $30,000 from the woman’s business account into her personal checking account.

The man then told her that he added an extra zero to the amount and requested that she wire transfer the money back to him in Hong Kong via Zelle, a mobile application.

She ultimately sent the man $1,400 and police advised the woman to cancel her Zelle account and monitor her accounts for fraudulent charges. An investigation is ongoing.

• A 60-year-old Southold man contacted police last Thursday after he discovered he sold his car to someone who issued him a fraudulent check.

According to the police, the man posted his vehicle on Craigslist for $10,800 and received a check from someone who wanted to buy the car for $15,689.98. The woman told him the extra money was to pay for the car to be transported and was instructed to send a postal order totaling $4,859.75 to pay for transporting the vehicle. 

The man sent the money and then learned that the check he deposited was canceled by the bank, who advised him that it had been altered.

Detectives were notified about the incident, reports said.

• Police responded to Henry’s Lane in Peconic to assist a 90-year-old Greenport woman walking in the rain who appeared confused. An officer brought the woman back to her residence, where her daughter reported that she didn’t realize her mother had left the property.

• An unknown person broke the lock in an attempt to gain entry into a detached garage at a home on Boisseau Avenue in Southold last week. No items were reported stolen when the incident was reported to police Friday around noon.

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.