Blotter: Attempted break-in at Greenport service station

Southold Town Police responded to the following incidents from Monday, July 21, to Monday, July 28:

• Officers responded July 22 to an activated alarm from a Greenport service station, where they found the rear entry door ajar, three steel pins removed, pry marks on the door jamb and black spray paint partially obscuring the security camera lens. A metal rod spanning the entry prevented the perpetrators from gaining further entry. A detective photographed the scene and contacted the owner for possible video footage.
• Last week’s “eat and run” incidents continued, when the same man involved in those situations dined and ditched the bill at two more Greenport Village restaurants during this past week. In these cases, police were called after he failed to pay tabs of $25 to $80. Neither establishment wished to press charges. The man was located and interviewed by officers near the Greenport post office and advised that theft of services was a crime.
• A Southold resident called police July 21 to report squatters at an unoccupied Greenport Village residence that she is trying to sell, which belonged to a deceased relative. Officers observed clothing and human feces at the location, which the woman stated were not there while she was cleaning out the premises a few weeks prior. Officers determined that someone gained entry through a broken, unlocked exterior door. The complainant was advised that installing a security camera would help to identify any subjects entering the property.
• On July 22, an officer on patrol pulled over a vehicle operating with no license plates in the area of Route 48 and Manhanset Avenue in Greenport. The driver, a New York City man, stated that he was “traveling,” not driving, and did not need plates or a driver’s license. A data search showed the man’s license had been suspended and that the vehicle was unregistered and not listed as stolen. The man stated that he had purchased the vehicle and was attempting to ship it to the island of Jamaica via the Cross Sound Ferry. He was advised to remove his belongings because the vehicle would be towed due to violation, and was then escorted by police to the Greenport train station.
• On July 22, police on patrol initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle that crossed a double yellow line at Cardinal Drive and Main Road in Mattituck. The driver, Clarence Turner of Miami, Fla., 51, was observed to have glassy, bloodshot eyes and the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. After roadside sobriety tests registered positive for alcohol, Mr. Turner was placed under arrest, transported to police headquarters for processing and held for arraignment.
• A Cutchogue resident called police July 23 to report an unknown man walking around her yard. The responding office spoke with the man, who said his son’s drone had crashed somewhere in the area, and he had knocked on the door but no one answered. He was found to live nearby and had a drone remote with him. As it was getting dark, it was agreed he would return the next day to continue his search.
• Police responded July 27 to a report of a vehicle in the median on Route 48 in Cutchogue and found Margarito Lopez-Cano of Cutchogue, 42, who admitted to operating a Nissan Frontier and rear-ending a Toyota Camry driven by a Central Islip man. He also admitted to consuming alcohol. Although he showed no signs of impairment, he performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests and refused the preliminary roadside breath test. He was arrested, transported to police headquarters and held for arraignment.
• A Laurel resident called police July 25 to report an unknown running vehicle with its lights on in her driveway. Officers arrived and identified the driver as Jose Caal Jimenez of Riverhead, 23, who stated that he was driving to Starbucks. Police found an open 24-ounce can of an alcoholic beverage in the center console cup holder and a similar empty can on the passenger side floor. They observed bloodshot glassy eyes, slurred speech and an odor of alcohol on Mr. Jimenez’s breath. After he performed poorly on standard field sobriety tests, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated, processed and held for arraignment.

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.