Blotter: Accidental arson reported at Sterling Cemetery

Southold Town police responded to 63 incidents from Sept. 15 to 22, including the following:

• An officer on patrol in Greenport was approached by a Lake Grove man for assistance on Sept. 15. The man explained that while on a break from delivering food, he had stopped to look at the statuary in Sterling Cemetery. When he returned to his vehicle about 45 minutes later, he said, he smelled burning and noticed burn marks on the passenger seat. He told the officer we was certain someone had tried to set fire to his car. While inspecting the burn marks, the officer determined that they had been caused by a glass jar sitting on the car seat in direct sunlight.
• Police responded to an anonymous call at about 10:42 a.m. on Sept. 16 reporting an intoxicated man passed out on Second Street in Greenport. Police found the man with an open container of alcohol and advised him to leave the area, which he did. Just before noon the same day, a complaint came from the Greenport IGA of an intoxicated man attempting to buy alcohol, who became agitated when which he was refused. After confirming that no criminal activity had occurred, police located the same man, who stated that he was upset and just wanted to buy more alcohol. The responding officer offered the man transportation to the hospital for voluntary evaluation, which he accepted.
• A Southold man called police Sept. 16 to report that a gray Toyota pickup had followed him and his wife in their vehicle from a local 7-Eleven into the parking lot of the Southold BP gas station. Upon police arrival, the man pointed out the truck. The subsequent investigation revealed that the truck’s driver, Elder Miguel Miguel of Riverside, 33, was intoxicated. Mr. Miguel Miguel was arrested for alleged DWI, processed at headquarters and held overnight for arraignment.
• A woman summoned police to Greenport Sept. 17, after hearing a male and a female yelling at each other in the area and then seeing two subjects walk toward a vehicle. Police arrived to find two subjects inside the designated vehicle, which tried to pull away when officers ordered them to exit. The individuals admitted that they had been arguing because the man could not find his phone. When the driver, identified as William Pastern, 59, of Taylor, Mich., did exit the vehicle, police observed that he had glassy eyes, slurred speech and the odor of alcohol on his breath. He performed poorly on field sobriety tests, was transported to headquarters, processed and released on a field appearance ticket for alleged driving while intoxicated.
• A disturbance brought police to Harbes Family Vineyard and Farm in Mattituck on Sept. 19, after two women were asked to leave and refused to do so. An employee stated that they were being loud; were vaping and had brought outside food into the establishment, which are not allowed; and had taken ice from a machine at the location. The women explained that they’d arrived via Uber with food purchased elsewhere, which they could not leave in that vehicle and that they were not told they couldn’t smoke there. They had asked an employee for the ice after purchasing bottles of wine and were directed to the machine, they said. The women told officers they had already contacted another Uber to depart from the establishment.
• While on patrol near Mattituck-Laurel Library at about 3:15 a.m. on Sept. 20, an officer observed a vehicle hit a utility pole. Its operator, Jose Gonzalez Fuentes of Jamesport, 39, was allegedly determined to be intoxicated and, during an arrest-related search, was also allegedly found in possession of a small clear plastic bag containing a white powdery substance. Mr. Gonzalez Fuentes was transported to headquarters, processed and held for arraignment.
• An officer responded at about 5 a.m. on Sept 20 to a report of a car vs. telephone pole accident on Main Road in Peconic. At the scene the driver and sole occupant of 2023 Ford Bronco, which had been westbound when it left the roadway, was identified as Anthony Vaudo of Cutchogue, 53. He was allegedly found to be intoxicated and was arrested, processed at headquarters and held for arraignment, Verizon was notified of damage to the pole.

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.