Southold Blotter: Woman scammed into purchasing Walmart gift cards

A Greenport woman reported a scam to Southold police Sunday evening.

She was contacted by email by what she thought was her employer and asked to purchase two $1,000 gift cards from Walmart and send over the PIN numbers for each card. She complied and later confirmed with her employer that the request was not authentic, reports said.

• Police responded to Route 25 near Bray Avenue in Mattituck Saturday around noon after the driver of a 2016 Jeep reported that a pedestrian walked into the driver’s side mirror, causing the glass to fall out. The pedestrian did not speak English, she said, and left the scene prior to police arrival.

• A Mattituck man called police Saturday afternoon to report that he saw smoke emanating from a PSEG pole near his Grand Avenue home.

Police found a small fire on a tree that was making contact with a power wire and PSEG officials responded to the scene.

• A kayak valued at $500 was reported stolen from a Sterling Street driveway in Greenport Saturday around 9:42 a.m.

• An anonymous caller reported to police Friday that an unknown person in a white box truck was taking pictures of the playground at Veterans Memorial Park in Mattituck around 1:40 p.m. Police responded and were unable to locate the vehicle.

• Police stopped a Riverhead woman on Route 48 in Cutchogue last Thursday evening after she drove over the solid yellow line twice.

Police did not observe any signs of intoxication; the woman told police she had been sneezing while driving.

• An East Quogue man was issued two traffic tickets last Wednesday morning after he was stopped on Route 48 near Mary’s Road and found to be driving with a suspended license. He was issued two tickets and had a licensed driver pick him up from the scene, police said.

• A Mattituck woman reported that an unauthorized withdrawal was made from her Capital One checking account last Wednesday.

• Police transported a Southampton man from Eastern Long Island Hospital to the First Street bus stop in Greenport last Wednesday afternoon after an anonymous person called to report that he was asking for rides. The man told police he was just released from the hospital detox center and was trying to get home.

• Southold Fire Department responded to a report of a chimney fire at a Highwood Road residence last Wednesday around 4 p.m.

Upon arrival, the fire had been extinguished but responders secured the scene, officials said.

• Police responded to a report of a damaged mailbox at a home on Tuthill Road in Southold last Tuesday morning.

A resident told police he heard a loud noise outside around 10 p.m. Monday night and found the mailbox damaged the next morning. Police reported that an unknown driver drove over the mailbox and left the scene.

• Two drivers were taken to Eastern Long Island Hospital following a crash at the intersection of County Road 48 and Youngs Avenue in Southold last Tuesday morning.

According to an accident report, a 2012 Ford pickup was traveling southbound on Youngs Avenue when it struck a 2017 Nissan sedan making a left turn onto Route 48 around 11:44 a.m.

The extent of their injuries was not specified.

• Police responded to a three-car crash at the intersection of Love Lane and Route 48 in Mattituck last Tuesday afternoon.

Officials said a 2018 Jeep was attempting to make a left-hand turn onto Route 48 and failed to yield to a 2017 Volkswagen traveling east on Route 48. The driver of a third vehicle, a 2016 Toyota, swerved off the roadway into a median to avoid a collision and was also struck by the Jeep.

The crash occurred around 1:22 p.m., reports said.

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.