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Police blotter: Suffolk County incidents and arrests, March 7-13

by TBR Staff - March 17, 2016

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Three’s company
A 27-year-old man from Dix Hills, a 29-year-old woman from Commack and a 46-year-old man from Dix Hills were arrested on March 10 at 9:15 p.m. inside a 2004 Mercedes-Benz parked on Village Hill Drive in Dix Hills after police found drugs in their possession. The 27-year-old man was charged with two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance for having crack cocaine and heroin on him, according to police. The 29-year-old woman was charged with one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance after police said they found her in possession of cocaine. The 46-year-old was charged with two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance for prescription pills and cocaine, police said.

Cut off
Police said a 21-year-old man from Greenlawn punched a man in the face, causing cuts, at a municipal parking lot on Elm Street in Huntington on March 13 at 3:40 a.m. He was arrested and charged with third-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury.

Kiss of theft
A 26-year-old man from Brooklyn was arrested on March 12 just before 5 p.m. after police said he stole lipstick and denim jeans from Lord & Taylor in Huntington. He was charged with petit larceny.

Pail protection
Police said an unknown man used a plastic garbage pail to hide various items he stole while inside Island Thrift in Huntington Station at 11:30 a.m. on March 12.

Dunkin’ Donuts drama
On March 11, a 32-year-old man from Huntington was arrested after police said he stole a wallet and assorted cash from a vehicle parked in the parking lot of Dunkin’ Donuts on Wall Street in Huntington at 1:20 p.m. He was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny.

On March 10, a 51-year-old man from Huntington was arrested at 4:30 p.m. after police said he took out a kitchen knife and started swinging it at another man in the parking lot of Dunkin’ Donuts on Wall Street in Huntington. He was charged with second-degree menacing with a weapon.

Toyota troubles
Police said a 37-year-old man from Kings Park had cocaine on him on March 9 just after 5 p.m. while driving a 1993 Toyota sedan on Townline Road in Commack. He was originally pulled over for driving with a suspended license, when police said they saw cocaine in plain sight. He was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

Lots of drugs
Police said a 33-year-old man from Huntington was arrested on March 11 on the corner of Dickinson Avenue and Imperial Court in East Northport after he was found to have marijuana, cocaine and prescription pills on him. He was charged with three counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and two counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

You’ve got (no) mail
Police said an unknown person stole a mailbox from a front yard on Elwood Road in Elwood on March 12 at 6 p.m.

Jewlery nabbed
On March 13, at a Sears on Jericho Turnpike in Elwood, police said an unknown woman stole jewelry.

Police crack down
At about 11:30 p.m. on March 12 at the Commack Motor Inn on Jericho Turnpike, a 24-year-old woman from Queens and a 25-year-old woman from Manhattan were arrested when they were found to be in possession of Ambien and cocaine, according to police. They were both charged with seventh-degree possession of a controlled substance. A 26-year-old man from Copiague was also arrested at the scene and charged with third-degree possession of a controlled substance with the intention to sell crack cocaine, police said.

Laptops looted
On March 11, a 19-year-old man from Ronkonkoma was arrested for stealing laptops from Sachem High School North on Smith Road in Lake Ronkonkoma at about 2 a.m., police said. He was charged with third-degree burglary.

Driving with drugs
According to police, a 20-year-old man from Centereach was arrested on Dorchester Road in Lake Ronkonkoma on March 11 for possessing heroin while driving a 2005 Mitsubishi. He was charged with seventh-degree possession of a controlled substance.

Bumpy ride
At about 2 a.m. on March 10, police said a 47-year-old man from Patchogue was pulled over on Pond Road in Ronkonkoma for having items in the bed of a pickup truck that were not secured. During the stop, police discovered that he was under the influence of drugs. He was charged with first-degree operation of a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

Walmart — one stop theft
Police said a 20-year-old man from Central Islip was arrested for stealing air pistols and cartridges from Walmart on Veterans Memorial Highway in Islandia at about 5 p.m. on March 10. He was charged with petit larceny.

Unapologetically unlicensed
At about 5 p.m. on March 10, a 35-year-old man from Central Islip was arrested for driving a 2004 BMW on Townline Road in Hauppauge with a suspended license, police said. He was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

How did that get here?
Police said they responded to a call at a home on Lake Terrace Road in Ronkonkoma just before noon on March 9 and found more than two ounces of marijuana in plain view. A 49-year-old man from Ronkonkoma was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

Kindly leave
A 40-year-old woman from Port Jefferson was arrested on March 9 for refusing to leave a home on Hawkins Ave in Lake Grove, police said. She was charged with third-degree criminal trespassing.

Expensive car thief
On March 9, a 45-year-old man from Amity Harbor was arrested in Hauppauge for stealing a Mercedes-Benz from a home on Wicks Lane in Head of the Harbor on Sept. 21, police said. They also said he stole cash and credit cards from a 2001 Porsche at a home on Meadow Gate East in Head of the Harbor on Sept. 20. When he arrived at the 4th Precinct, police discovered he possessed a controlled substance, and he was charged with third- and fourth-degree grand larceny, as well as seventh-degree possession of a controlled substance.

Idle Buick
Police discovered a man in a 2002 Buick parked for a prolonged period of time in the parking lot of a Marriot Hotel in Ronkonkoma at about 11 p.m. on March 9. He was found to be in possession of heroin, police said, and was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Drunk driver crash
Police said a 28-year-old man from Northport was driving drunk in a 2002 Subaru on Sunken Meadow Road in Kings Park at about 3 a.m. on March 13 when he lost control of the car and crashed into a tree. A 24-year-old man from Kings Park who was in the passenger seat was injured and transported via Suffolk County Police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical condition, police said. The driver was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Head-on
A motorcyclist is in critical condition after an allegedly drunk driver crashed into him on Sunday afternoon.
The 2003 Indian motorcycle was going east on North Country Road while a 2002 Subaru Outback was headed west on the same road, and the two collided near Mountain Ridge Drive in Mount Sinai, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
The 60-year-old motorcyclist, who is from Mount Sinai, was in critical condition at Stony Brook University Hospital, police said. A 36-year-old Rocky Point resident, the driver of the Subaru, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.
The suspect was also treated for minor injuries at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson and was released, police said.

Crash into me
Police arrested a Huntington woman for driving while ability impaired on March 12. The 59-year-old woman was in a 2003 Chevrolet on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station that night when she crashed into another car at Nesconset Highway.

Rise and shine
A 57-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station was arrested on March 11 for criminal possession of a controlled substance after officials found him unconscious in a parked 2001 Volvo. Police said the car was running and was not parked in a safe location on Davis Avenue in Port Jefferson Station. Police found the man in possession of crack cocaine and marijuana and arrested him at the scene, around 8:14 a.m.

No vacation
Police arrested a 24-year-old man from Brentwood on March 12 after he failed to maintain his lane of travel in a 2005 Mazda. Police pulled the man over near Malibu Lane in Centereach and arrested him for driving while ability impaired.

Sword of destiny
On March 9, police arrested a 23-year-old man for petit larceny. Between Feb. 9 and 13, police said, the Selden man stole a guitar and a sword from a store along Eastwood Boulevard.

Wrong way
A man from East Meadow was arrested on March 11 for driving while ability impaired in Stony Brook. According to police, the 21-year-old man was driving a 2012 Nissan south in the northbound lane of Route 25A around 1:52 a.m.

The Tudors’ violent end
Around 1:30 a.m. on March 13, an unknown person threw a large rock at a 2006 Chrysler that was parked on Tudor Road in Centereach.

Gone in 60 seconds
On March 12 around 9:14 p.m., an unidentified person entered the Sunoco gas station on Route 25A in Mount Sinai and demanded money from an employee. Police said the employee was counting the money when the suspect punched the victim in the face and fled with the cash. According to police, the employee didn’t need medical assistance.

Might as well jump
Police said two unidentified people got into a confrontation on March 11 around 4:50 p.m. on Ruland Road in Selden. According to police, the suspect jumped on and damaged the other individual’s 2005 BMW.

Go ahead and jump
Police arrested a 25-year-old man on March 11 for driving while ability impaired, after authorities said the Miller Place man, who had been driving a 1998 Ford from Route 25A onto Broadway in Rocky Point, pulled over and jumped the fence of King Auto Sales.

Bent out of shape
According to police, on March 8 around 12:20 p.m. a man reported that the side of his 2011 Ford was smashed and the parking brake was bent.

Plebe’s rebellion
On March 8, a woman entered the King Kullen on Middle Country Road in Selden and stole several shopping bags of assorted items before fleeing in a white Dodge.

Thieves flushed with jewels
On March 10, between 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., someone entered a residence on Market Path in Setauket-East Setauket and stole jewelry. Police said the suspect entered the home through a second-floor bathroom window.

According to police, a woman returned to her Stony Brook residence to find an unknown man in her living room who then fled with money and jewelry. Police said the incident happened on March 12 around 11:10 p.m.

Drugs and rock ‘n’ roll
Between 7:30 a.m. on March 7 and 1:14 p.m. the following day, someone entered a residence on Eastport Drive in Sound Beach, ransacked the house and stole drugs and music equipment.

Deforestation
On March 7 around 7:25 a.m., someone damaged the front door frame of a residence on Forest Road in Rocky Point.

Rocket will return to revamped children’s park

by Elana Glowatz - March 16, 2016

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rocketship-park-modelw — A new model will invite kids to Rocketship Park. Photo from Port Jefferson Village

By Elana Glowatz

The new Rocketship Park’s entrance will be a blastoff to the past.

A new model will invite kids to Rocketship Park. Photo from Port Jefferson Village

Port Jefferson Village announced on Tuesday that TRITEC Real Estate Company has built and donated a rocket ship model to go in the playground once it’s reconstructed, paying tribute to its past.

While it’s formally known as Clifton H. Lee Memorial Park or Kip Lee Park, the spot off Barnum Avenue at Roessner Lane got the Rocketship nickname from a popular piece of playground equipment that has since aged out of use. Some residents have lamented the loss of the rocket and the fact that the design plans for the new park, which began forming a few years ago, didn’t include one.

The plans call for more natural-looking playground equipment with a high level of handicap-accessibility, including what looks like a giant tree house and a pirate ship that harkens back to the village’s shipbuilding days. There are also plans for swings with different types of seating, walkways, picnic tables, plantings and other play equipment.

Adrienne Kessel, the chair of the Treasure Your Parks Committee that has fundraised for the park reconstruction and operates under the Port Jefferson Harbor Education and Arts Conservancy, previously said play equipment that looks like a rocket is hard to find.

Kessel launched the effort to revamp the downtown children’s park when she was a village trustee. After looking at security features in the wake of vandalism at the site, Kessel saw the need for a full makeover.

“It began with a conversation about adding better lighting but that wasn’t the answer,” she said in a previous interview. “When we went to fix the damaged pieces, we weren’t able to find them. The equipment was obsolete.”

She focused on increased accessibility for kids with special needs because, “Every child should have the chance to play. I couldn’t imagine a park a child couldn’t utilize.”

The reconstruction is expected to cost roughly $550,000 and as of this week, village spokeswoman Jill Russell said, the committee had brought in more than $200,000 toward that goal, between donations of both money and services.

According to the village’s rocket announcement, the first work phase is scheduled to start in October.

TRITEC, which is also working on an apartment complex on the other side of Barnum Avenue at West Broadway, built the rocket ship so that when the park is redone, it “will serve as a lasting reminder of the original rocket ship that first graced the park in 1972,” the village said in a statement.

The company worked on the project for the nonprofit Long Island Home Builders Care, with the help of Huntington-based Kleet Lumber Co., Long Island-based Pro-Coat Painting, and sprinkler system contractor Central Outdoor Services in Port Jefferson Station.

“The model will be placed alongside the entranceway to the new playground and will incorporate ornamental plaques into the design that will highlight the park’s history as well as the generous contributions from the playground’s in-kind donors,” the village said.

Russell explained that the historical information will make mention of the previous rocket: “So that when you come to Rocketship Park, you actually know why it’s called that.”

Community dreads dredging plan for Long Island Sound

by Giselle Barkley - March 15, 2016

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East-Beach-Port-Jefferson-03211403_Glowatzw — East Beach in Port Jefferson is on the Long Island Sound. File photo by Elana Glowatz

By Giselle Barkley

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency got more than it bargained for at a North Shore library earlier this month when concerned residents showed up to oppose a plan that would allow dumping of dredge spoils into the Long Island Sound for the next 30 years.

EPA officials had finalized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed open water dredging plan in January, and had set the public hearing at the Port Jefferson Free Library to get input on possible rules and regulations for the 30-year plan, which calls for the Army Corps of Engineers to dump upward of 50 cubic yards of dredge material from Connecticut waterways into the Long Island Sound.

The group has practices this type of dumping for years, but has recently faced opposition from environmental advocates.

About 60 community members attended the EPA’s hearing on the Long Island Sound Dredged Material Management Plan.

“We’re not offering … specifics in the rulemaking because we’re not going to approve a plan that pollutes the Long Island Sound,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director for the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “We’ve been having public hearings for 10 years and all of the public input has been unanimously ignored.”

The EPA has said it is open to finding alternative ways to dispose of the spoils, and invited communities to partner with that agency and with the Army Corps to line up resources to explore those other methods and do the investigation.

New York State demanded that the Army Corps reevaluate its disposal process in 2005, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has yet to make a public statement regarding the new dredging proposal.

“The Long Island Sound should be protected from adverse activities, rather than have this activity go forward,” Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) said.

Englebright, the head of the state Assembly’s Committee on Environmental Conservation, said spoils could instead be used to replenish eroded beaches: “We’re going to need to defend our coastlines and we’re going to need a lot of sediment to do that.”

Esposito had similar ideas at a press conference in February. She suggested the spoils could be used for wetlands and beach restoration and for capping landfills.

County officials like Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) were disappointed in the EPA’s support of the plan. “We’ve invested so much [money] in improving the health of the Sound,” she said. “To have them make a decision that flies in the face of all that investment … is very discouraging.”

In a previous interview, Stephen Perkins, a member of the EPA’s dredging team, said the agency tests the material before dumping it into the Sound. Highly toxic spoils are not dumped.

But Hoffman said spoils jeopardize the water’s health.

“It’s an estuary of significance, it’s an estuary that’s endangered,” Hahn said.

Comsewogue High School presents 29th Annual ‘Night for Jason’

by Heidi Sutton - March 15, 2016

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Night-for-Jasonw — Dana Urbinati and her team of students took a break from rehearsals Monday night to pose for a photo. Photo by Heidi Sutton

For the past 29 years, students at Comsewogue High School have showcased their eclectic talents with the community at “A Night for Jason,” a student-run variety show produced in honor of Jason Mariano, a child in the school district who succumbed to leukemia in 1987. This year’s event will take place on Friday, March 18, at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium.

The money raised from the event benefits Friends of Karen, a tristate children’s charity with an office in Port Jefferson, that offers emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families in order to keep them stable, functioning and able to cope.

“This is always such a great way to keep our students involved in caring for our community,” said Dana Urbinati, a teacher at the high school and coordinator of the event. “Along with the talents and energy of everyone involved, we want people to know that the funds raised are going to help some very special families in our communities.”

A diverse mix of talents have graced the stage in the past and this year is no exception. Emceed by Jason Kellar, Eli Smith, Aleyna Kaya, Nicholas Keller and Ethan Wright, the evening will feature 22 acts including musical performances by the high school’s Jazz Band and female choir, Tapestry, along with singing, dancing, comedy and student bands. “This is an extremely talented, hardworking group and I’m just so grateful that we are able to help such an amazing charity,” said Urbinati.

Comsewogue High School is located at 565 N. Bicycle Path, Port Jefferson Station. Tickets for this one-night event are priced at $12 in advance by calling 631-474-8179 or $15 at the door. For more information about Friends of Karen, call 631-473-1768.

Volunteers brave the shave for St. Baldrick’s

by TBR Staff - March 14, 2016

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By Bob Savage

Locals shaved their heads for a good cause on Saturday at Schafer’s restaurant in Port Jefferson, raising money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and research into childhood cancers.

Among those going bald were TBR News Media’s own Michael Tessler, who said goodbye to his curly locks.

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Parking meters come alive again

Port Times Record

by Elana Glowatz - March 11, 2016

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Port Jefferson Village will start charging for parking in the downtown area again next week, with the free winter season scheduled to come to a close.

On March 15, visitors to the business district without a village resident sticker will have to pay $0.25 for every half hour they park in the municipal lots, between 10 a.m. and midnight every day.

The funds collected through the parking meters have supported capital projects around the village, such as parking lot improvements and work at Baker’s Alley, a historical strip downtown that due to neglect over the years had become overgrown and hidden.

Throwback Thursday: Names are important

by Elana Glowatz - March 10, 2016

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pj-historic-mapw — This 1797 map by surveyor Isaac Hulse shows ‘Drown Meadow Bay,’ which is now called Port Jefferson Harbor. Image from the Port Jefferson Village historical archive

For the last 180 years, it’s been Port Jefferson. But before that, the village had a peculiar name given that shipbuilding was its main industry.

When John Roe, an Irish shoemaker, became the first permanent European settler to make his home there in 1682, “the settlement was called Drowned Meadow because the area that now comprises most of the commercial district was a marsh that flooded every high tide.” That’s according to the book “Images of America: Port Jefferson,” written by Port Jefferson library staffers Robert Maggio and Earlene O’Hare. They said, “That flooding, and the steep hills and deep ravines that surrounded the marsh, made farming difficult, and the village grew slowly. In fact, by 1800, there were only a handful of houses.”

But the village did grow. It became home to several shipbuilding families, to the point where the name “no longer seemed to fit [the village’s] progressive image,” the book said.

It was Elisha Bayles, the head of the Bayles shipbuilding family, who got the ball rolling. According to an account by the late George Moraitis, a local cemetery historian, the Bayles patriarch came to Drowned Meadow in 1809 from Mount Sinai and “was a strong [Thomas] Jefferson Democrat.” He “urged the renaming” to Port Jefferson.

A vote on the matter took place at a schoolhouse on March 7, 1836. According to “Images of America: Port Jefferson,” the residents “voted overwhelmingly” in support of the name change.

The Long-Island Democrat newspaper published a notice of the change later that month, describing the vote as occurring “at a large and respectable meeting of the inhabitants” chaired by Daniel Tooker.

From there, the village became more and more of what residents know today. The “Images of America” book noted that the year after the renaming vote, William L. Jones, of another prominent shipbuilding family, “began filling in the ‘drowned meadow’ by building an 18-foot-wide elevated road across its center. … This was the beginning of today’s Main Street.”

Police blotter: Suffolk County incidents and arrests through March 6

by TBR Staff - March 10, 2016

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Drug bust

At about 4 p.m. on March. 4, in a parking lot outside of Upsky Long Island Hotel in Hauppauge, two 25-year-old men and a 20-year-old man, all from Lindenhurst, as well as a 26-year-old woman from Greenlawn, all seated in a 2005 Ford, were arrested for having heroin in the car, police said. They were charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. At the same time and place, a 26-year-old man from Patchogue and a 23-year-old woman from Rocky Point, seated in a 2012 Honda, were arrested for having heroin in their car, according to police. They were also charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. A 28-year-old woman in a 2015 Chrysler was also arrested at the same time and place. She was charged with fourth-degree criminal facilitation for enabling another person to sell narcotics.

No license, no drive

A 30-year-old man from Holbrook was arrested on March 4 after he was pulled over for driving a 2009 Hyundai on Motor Parkway in Central Islip with a dark cover over the car’s front license plate just before 2 a.m., police said. He was charged with third-degree unlicensed operation of a vehicle when it was determined he was driving without a license.

Parking lot party

On March 4, a 55-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman from Ronkonkoma were arrested while seated in a 2009 Lincoln outside of Kohl’s in Lake Ronkonkoma. Police said there was crack cocaine in plain sight in the car, and pills found on the man, which he did not have a prescription for. The man was charged with two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and the woman was charged with one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

You can run, but you can’t hide

At about 10:20 p.m. on March 4, a 21-year-old man from St. James, a 19-year-old man from Brentwood and a 19-year-old man from Nissequogue were approached by Smithtown Park Rangers while parked in a 2011 Nissan Maxima at Short Beach Town Park in Nissequogue. As the Rangers got closer to the vehicle, the driver took off and eventually crashed into a utility pole and flipped the car into the woods on Short Beach Road, police said. The driver and front seat passenger were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital by St. James ambulances and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The rear seat passenger was transported via Nissequogue ambulance to the same hospital but was listed in critical condition. The driver was charged with first-degree driving while under the influence of drugs and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Headlight out, handcuffs on

On Nesconset Highway in Smithtown, at about midnight on March 3, a 24-year-old man from Medford was pulled over by police for driving a 1999 Honda with one headlight out, police said. He was later found to be driving without a license. He was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Lucky to be alive

A 35-year-old man from Dix Hills crashed a 2012 Acura at about 11 p.m. on March 3 while driving on Johnson Avenue in Ronkonkoma, police said. He was charged with driving while intoxicated with a previous conviction in the last 10 years.

Bug bombed

At about 1 a.m. on March 2, an 80-year-old man from Islip was arrested for throwing three 32-ounce cans of indoor fogger, used to kill insects, through a window of a home on Grand Boulevard in Islip, police said. He was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief with the intent to damage property.

Careful who you steal from

At LA Fitness on Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge, an unknown person stole money and credit cards from a 2014 Jeep parked there on March 5, just after noon, police said.

Put a ring on it

Police arrested a 29-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station for grand larceny, for allegedly stealing an engagement ring from a residence and pawning it on Feb. 22. Police arrested him on March 2 on Route 25A in Port Jefferson.

Axe to grind

On March 3, a homeless man allegedly held a metal axe over his head as he advanced toward another man near a home on Old Post Road in Mount Sinai. Police arrested him for menacing at the scene.

ShopWrong

Police arrested a Hampton Bays resident on March 6 around 10:16 p.m. for petit larceny, after the 36-year-old woman allegedly took assorted groceries without paying from ShopRite at College Plaza in Selden. Police arrested her at the scene.

Bracelet blunder

A 18-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station was arrested for criminal possession of stolen property, after police said the man stole a 14-karat gold bracelet from All Island Jewelry & Loan on Middle Country Road in Centereach on Feb. 29 at 11:15 a.m.

Swiper, no swiping!

A Port Jefferson Station resident was arrested on Feb. 29 for driving while ability impaired. Police said the man was driving a 2000 Toyota Camry when he sideswiped a parked car on Joline Road.

Caught off-guardrail

On March 5, a Stony Brook resident was driving a 2000 Toyota Camry on Route 25A in Setauket when she crashed her car. According to police, the 28-year-old woman struck a guardrail before hitting several trees along the road. Police arrested the woman for driving while ability impaired at the scene, around 2:08 a.m.

People, stop driving impaired!

Police charged a 45-year-old man with driving while ability impaired on March 4. The Lake Grove resident was driving a 2008 Jeep when an officer allegedly saw him speeding on Route 25A. Police pulled over the man on the corner of Route 25A and Hawkins Road in Stony Brook and arrested him at the scene.

Planted into jail cell

A 31-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station was arrested on March 2 after allegedly loitering on Garden Road in Rocky Point. According to police, authorities discovered he was in possession of cocaine and arrested him at the scene for loitering and unlawful use of controlled substances.

Breakfast of champions

On the morning of March 2, police charged a 36-year-old man from Rocky Point with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. The man was driving a black Toyota Camry on Route 25A in Port Jefferson Station when an officer pulled him over. Police allegedly discovered the man to be in possession of heroin and prescription medication, as well as hypodermic needles.

Emancipating cash

On March 3 around 8 p.m., someone broke the rear window of a residence on Lincoln Avenue in Port Jefferson Station and stole cash from inside.

No photos, please

Police said a man took photos of a female couple on March 4 at Grumpy Jack’s Sports Bar & Grill on Oakland Avenue in Port Jefferson. When the man refused to delete the photos, one of the women hit him in the head with a bottle. The couple fled and the man refused medical attention.

Crazy thief

Between March 3 and 4, according to police, someone pried open the rear door of the Crazy Beans coffee establishment on Route 25A in Miller Place and stole a safe containing money.

Stop that shopping

Police said a woman left her purse in a shopping cart after shopping at Stop & Shop on Pond Path in South Setauket on March 6 and drove off. The purse was stolen before she returned to the store. Police said several credit cards were used.

Rather safe than sorry

Between Feb. 29 and March 4, someone broke into a residence on Magnolia Drive in Selden and stole money from an unlocked safe.

A little housekeeping

Around 1:45 p.m. on March 6, someone stole two blenders and a vacuum from Walmart on Nesconset Highway in East Setauket.

Thief is on fire

Police said sometime between March 1 and March 2, someone stole a Kindle Fire and coins from a car parked on Strathmore Gate Drive in Stony Brook.

Sound Beach slasher

Someone slashed the tires of a 2014 Hyundai Elantra that was parked outside a residence on Blue Point Road in Sound Beach on the night of March 2.

I will avenge you!

Around 11 p.m. on March 2, an unknown person damaged the rear window of a 2008 Dodge Avenger parked near Route 25A in Rocky Point.

Port Jeff Documentary Series returns with fervor

by Melissa Arnold - March 9, 2016

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Marah-Zahalka-Speed-Sistersw — ‘Speed Sisters.’ Photo from GPJAC

By Melissa Arnold

Movie buffs, rejoice! After a long and dreary winter, it’s time to explore politics, health care, pop culture and more with a new season of the Port Jeff Documentary Series.

This month will mark the beginning of the 23rd season for the PJDS, which has brought compelling and award-winning documentaries of all kinds to our area in the spring and fall since 2005. The festival is sponsored by the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council, the Suffolk County Film Commission and the New York State Council on the Arts.

It’s a labor of love for the “film ladies,” the six board members who plan the festival from the ground up twice each year. They include co-directors Barbara Sverd and Lyn Boland, as well as Wendy Feinberg, Honey Katz, Phyllis Ross and Lorie Rothstein.

Each year, the film ladies travel to some of the biggest film festivals in the area, among them the Tribeca Film Festival in Lower Manhattan, the Stony Brook Film Festival and the Hamptons Film Festival. They also closely follow online buzz for film festivals they can’t attend.

‘Sweet Micky for President.’ Photo from GPJAC

“Everyone on the board searches for films independently and brings them back to the group. This way, we get a lot of variety because we all like different things,” said Boland.

While each board member has her own opinions, they’re all looking for those films that generate a lot of interest and offer wide appeal. All of them are fresh off the circuit, and you won’t be able to see them on TV or other outlets, Boland explained.

Boland has always loved documentaries, and the series was born out of the desire to see them closer to home. She said those first films were chosen sitting around a kitchen table with the help of her late friend and law partner, Sondra Brooks. “I would hear about these great documentaries nominated for Academy Awards, but there was absolutely nowhere around here to see them. We wanted to change that,” Boland said.

These days, documentary film is one of the most common entry-level styles, leaving more titles and themes to explore than ever.

Each film lady selects two of her personal favorite documentaries to bring back to the group for discussion. Then, they write letters to directors and production teams of their favorite films, asking them to consider sending the group a copy for screening. Once the films arrive, everyone gets a say; 5/6 of the group must love the film in order for it to make the festival’s short list. It also has to fit well with that season’s other selections and budget. The final list features seven films, one for each board member and a seventh unanimously chosen by all the ladies.

Boland admitted that her two favorites for this season are the films she chose, which she affectionately calls “her babies.” They are “The C Word,” an eye-opening expose into cancer treatment and its many flaws, and “Speed Sisters,” which follows the unexpected experiences of five female race car drivers in Palestine.

During the series, each film is followed by a Q-&-A session or discussion with someone on the film’s production team, usually the director. It is an opportunity for audiences to delve deeper into the film’s development and themes.

Boland said that putting the series together twice each year is a lot of work, but there’s never bad blood in the group when they make the final selections.

“[The board members] volunteer to do this and it’s really like a year-round job,” Boland said. “I can’t even say how many films I see each year, but I watch several every week. All but one of us have been involved from the beginning and it’s such a respectful environment. We do this because we’re passionate about it.”

In addition to showing the films at Theatre Three, the festival has recently added the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook as a co-host. The film ladies approached the museum after its former co-host, Stony Brook University’s Wang Center, could no longer participate.

The museum works with the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council on a regular basis, which made them a perfect fit. They’ve recently obtained a new projector and sound system, and Boland is looking forward to showing films there.

“Film is a vibrant artmaking medium, and the museum will be adding even more films to see as we move forward with our expanding public programming,” said Neil Watson, executive director of the Long Island Museum. “Partnering with the Port Jefferson Documentary Series is the perfect opportunity to extend both of our organizations into this rich and diverse community.”

The documentary series wouldn’t be possible without the support of numerous volunteers. Every season, help is needed for each part of the process, from distributing flyers and running the ticket booths to tracking down directors and even recommending new films. A contact page for volunteers and board members can be found at the festival’s website, www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com.

The film ladies encourage hesitant viewers to try even one of this season’s films. Boland said that documentaries offer an extra touch of magic you just won’t find in a fictional movie.

“When you see a moving documentary, it shakes you the way a feature film does, but you have that extra level of emotion in knowing it’s all real,” she said.

The Port Jefferson Documentary Series will be held at 7 p.m. every Monday from March 14 to April 25 at Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, and the Long Island Museum, 1200 Rt. 25A, Stony Brook. For the first time this year, moviegoers can purchase their tickets in advance. General admission for each film is $7. To learn more about the PJDS, this season’s films or to purchase advance tickets, call 631-473-5220.

Film schedule

A scene from ‘The C Word.’ Photo from GPJAC

■ The spring season will kick off with “Sweet Micky for President” at Theatre Three on March 14. Winner of the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival and Best International Director Award at the Documentary Edge Film Festival, the film recounts the story of Pras Michel, Grammy Award-winning rapper and founder of The Fugees, as he returns to his homeland of Haiti postearthquake and finds a corrupt government in paralysis. Wanting desperately to turn the tides there, he becomes the backbone of a presidential campaign for Michel Martelly, aka “Sweet Micky,” Haiti’s most popular and outlandish pop star. The film is presented in English, Creole and French with English subtitles. Guest speakers for the evening will be Director Ben Patterson and Pras Michel.

■ The second film in the series, “Janis: Little Girl Blue” by Amy Berg, will be screened at Theatre Three on March 21. It follows the life and career of renowned classic rock musician Janis Joplin prior to her sudden and tragic death in 1970 at the age of 27. The film explores the private side of Joplin’s life with new intimacy. Joplin’s own words tell much of the film’s story through a series of letters she wrote to her parents over the years, many of them made public here for the first time. The screening will be followed by a live performance of Joplin’s music by Amber Ferrari and a Q-&-A moderated by Norman Prusslin, director of the Media Arts Minor at Stony Brook University, co-founder of The Long Island Music Hall of Fame and founding general manager of WUSB 90.1 FM in Stony Brook.

■ On March 28, the Long Island Museum will host a screening of “The Anthropologist,” a film that tells the stories of anthropologists Margaret Mead and Susie Crate through their daughters’ perspectives. The film highlights how people all over the world, from Siberia to the Chesapeake, deal with changes in culture and the environment. The documentary won the Best Environmental Film award at the Nevada International Film Festival. The film is presented in six different languages. Director Daniel Miller will speak after the screening.

■ “Waiting,” to be screened on April 4 at the Long Island Museum, explores the cultural experiences and adjustment of three Italians from varied backgrounds immigrating to middle-class America. The film won the Big Apple Film Festival Cityscape Award and a 2015 Spotlight Documentary Film Award. Presented in English and Italian with English subtitles, guest speakers will include Director Cristian Piazza and one of the subjects followed in the film, actor-turned-opera-singer Paolo Buffagni.

■ On April 11, you’ll rethink your perspective on cancer treatment when Theatre Three screens “The C Word.” Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the film asks one pointed question: “With all of the resources and efforts in the war on cancer, why are we still losing?” It also exposes the multilevel, systematic problems in cancer care — the habits that predispose us to disease and a fixation on treatment instead of on the root causes of our ailments. The film is presented in English and French. “The C Word” was directed by one of its subjects, cancer survivor Meghan O’Hara, who will be on hand as the evening’s guest speaker.

■ “Karski and the Lords of Humanity” will take you back in time to World War II on April 18 at Theatre Three. This film tells the little-known and amazing story of Jan Karski, a highly intelligent and multilingual Polish man who was once a prisoner of war. He then goes undercover into Hitler’s concentration camps to bear witness to the Nazi atrocities and expose them worldwide. The film received the Best Polish Film award at the The Jewish Motifs International Film Festival in Warsaw, and Jan Karski was awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. The evening’s speaker will be Director Slawomir Grunberg.

■ The final film in the series, “Speed Sisters,” will be shown at Theatre Three on April 25. Set in Palestine, it follows five female standouts in a thriving car racing scene. Held at improvised tracks — a vegetable market, an old helicopter pad, a security academy — the races offer a release from the pressures and uncertainties of life on the West Bank. These women are setting a precedent in a male-dominated sport in a male-dominated country, and people everywhere are taking notice. “Speed Sisters” was awarded Best Documentary at the Adelaide Film Festival and the Audience Award at the IFI Documentary Festival. It is presented in Arabic and English with English subtitles. Director Amber Fares will speak after the film.

Basketball courts will rebound with repairs

by Elana Glowatz - March 9, 2016

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basketball-court-12_glowatzw — Village Hall is visible in the background of a basketball court at Rocketship Park. Photo by Elana Glowatz

Basketball players could soon be shooting hoops on a fresh surface in downtown Port Jefferson.

Village officials have approved a $15,000 proposal to repair the basketball courts at Rocketship Park, between Barnum Avenue and the municipal parking lot behind Village Hall.

“Our basketball courts are in disrepair out back,” Mayor Margot Garant said at the board of trustees meeting on Monday night.

But there is surplus money the village previously set aside, in the event those courts would have to be completely renovated. Instead, work simply needs to be done to repair cracks and “take away what we call the ‘birdbaths,’ or puddles,” she said.

The plan, which the board approved at its meeting, includes putting in lines for pickleball play at the courts. That sport involves paddles and has similarities to tennis and badminton.

Trustee Stan Loucks, who is the board’s liaison to the Port Jefferson Country Club, said the village feels comfortable hiring East Norwich-based Championship Tennis Courts LLC to do the basketball court project because that same company has done work on the country club’s tennis courts for the last five years.

“They do a terrific job,” Loucks said.

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