Blotter: Three minor fires called in

Southold Town police responded to the following incidents from Jan. 19 to Jan. 26: 

• Several calls were received about minor fires, all of which were quickly extinguished by local fire departments. In Greenport, a homeowner called in a fire in a detached garage, where smoldering ash had been stored next to firewood, which then ignited. The structure was not affected. In Southold, a man reported a fire in a trailer nearby. The man said he had tossed a cigarette into the trailer, which ignited construction materials that were inside. Another caller from Southold called to report observing a fire through a kitchen window. The fire appeared to be caused by a steak left on the stove too long.
• A dispute over guinea pigs escalated into a physical confrontation in Mattituck on Jan. 23, after an 18-year-old dropped his ex-girlfriend off at her residence along with some guinea pigs, which he left on the front porch. Her father came out and told the teen he did not want the animals on the property and an altercation began with the parties cursing at each other. During the verbal dispute, the teen claimed the 53-year-old father grabbed the front of his jacket with both hands, and he reciprocated by grabbing the man’s shirt. The father stated that the teen was acting in an “aggressive manner.” The father reportedly had scratch marks on his rib area as a result of being grabbed. Responding officers concluded that the parties were “mutual combatants” and advised them to avoid each other. No charges were filed.
• An unpaid bill led to an arrest for alleged driving while intoxicated on Jan. 19. Police received call from a Mattituck restaurant, alleging that an irate, intoxicated blonde woman had left the establishment having paid only part of her tab and provided information about the woman’s vehicle. While responding to the restaurant, officers observed a motor vehicle accident that had just occurred at Factory and Sound avenues, in which a vehicle matching the description had failed to stop at a stop sign, continued into the yard of a residence and collided with the building. The driver of the vehicle was allegedly observed trying to leave the scene, was determined by officers to be allegedly intoxicated and placed under arrest. During processing at police headquarters, the driver, identified as 60-year-old Noreen Bedell of Mattituck,reportedly kicked an officer in the leg twice. Reports described her as “belligerent and uncooperative,” at one point reaching under a partition and snapping the wire to a computer mouse. The restaurant declined to press charges for the bar bill.
• A Southold man contact police to report an unknown person possibly in his residence. Responding officers observed a white Volkswagen with Arizona plates parked in the rear of the property and entered the residence through an unlocked sliding door to canvas. They found a man standing in the boiler room attached to the garage. The homeowner said no one had permission to be inside the residence, and officers arrested 49-year-old Robert Mahoney of Bay Shore for alleged burglary.
• A Greenport man called police on Jan. 23 to report that someone had taken $20 out of his car. He told officers he had seen a man about 40 years old nearby who was acting suspiciously, but he did not observe him inside the vehicle. A witness provided camera footage of the incident, which showed a white male wearing a gray sweatshirt, black pants, white shoes and a black backpack entering the vehicle. An investigation is pending.
• An anonymous neighbor called police on Jan. 23 to report seeing a subject with a flashlight walking around inside a house on Soundview Avenue in Southold. Responding officers observed a repair van in the driveway and located an employee of that business inside the house working to fix an issue with the heat.
• On Jan. 24, a Mattituck man called to report a vehicle that was parked in the area for two days. Responding officers observed the vehicle parked off of the roadway with debris on the front driver-side door and window. They called the owner, a Southold man. He stated that while he was hunting in the area, an unknown person allegedly threw eggs at his parked car and placed cardboard with nails sticking up vertically at the parking spot. The car’s owner also stated he had reported the incident to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Responding officers told him he incident would be documented. No further action was taken.

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.