Blotter: Traffic stop leads to drug arrest for Riverhead man

Terry Smith, 58, of Riverhead was arrested last Monday after Southampton police discovered 500 milligrams of cocaine in his vehicle, according to a police report. 

He was pulled over for not wearing his seatbelt and for a cracked windshield, police say. Police found that the vehicle had switched plates, was unregistered and lacked insurance. Mr. Smith was also driving with a suspended non-driver’s I.D.

He’s been charged with driving a car with improper plates, driving without a seatbelt, driving a vehicle without an inspection certificate, third degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, an equipment violation, criminal possession of a controlled substance, operating a motor vehicle without financial security and operating an unregistered vehicle. Police say he was taken to headquarters for processing. 

• Police responded to a call about a potential gunshot victim in Flanders Sunday morning but found instead that a man had been pepper sprayed during a roadside dispute. 

According to a police report, a complainant reported a group of motorcyclists nearly hit him while passing him on Sound Avenue, leading one of the riders to start verbally threatening him. He claimed that two or three riders then dismounted their bikes at the intersection of County Road 105 and Flanders Road and tried to break into his car, while continuing to threaten him and punching his vehicle. 

He deployed pepper spray through a slightly open window and fled through a red light while calling police, according to the report. A witness corroborated this story with police. The motorcyclist hit with pepper spray refused further medical attention from Flanders Northampton Volunteer Ambulance. 

Both parties reported the incident. Nobody was arrested, but the investigation is ongoing. 

• A Riverside man called police to report a case of potential identity theft last Tuesday morning. 

The day before, he called a number that was sent to him over Facebook Messenger to express interest in an alleged government grant for business owners. A man calling himself Agent Scott answered and informed the caller that there’s a $200 filing fee. 

The man responded that he didn’t have $200, but could send $50, and proceeded to give the so-called Agent Scott all his personal information, including his address, Social Security number and driver’s license number. The caller went to the bank afterward, where he was told the agency was a possible scam. 

He did not send the $50 and called police to document the incident. 

• A Flanders man called police last Tuesday to report receiving letters in the mail from the New York State Department of Labor for unemployment in late April, even though he did not file for it, according to a police report. 

Police advised him to call the agency and the Federal Trade Commission to report the fraud, and to call his bank, credit cards and three major credit reporting agencies to activate a fraud alert under his Social Security number. 

• Two men were issued appearance tickets for false personation and the open consumption of alcohol in Riverside last Tuesday morning. 

Daniel Rubiorayes, 22, of Riverside initially gave police a false name and address and lacked identification. He was taken to police headquarters for fingerprinting, where he admitted providing false details. Rafael Caneltinti, 20, of Eastport also admitted he provided false details while being processed for fingerprints. 

• Police responded to a call complaining of disorderly conduct at a 7-Eleven in Flanders last Thursday evening. 

According to the police report, the cashier claimed 33-year-old Douglas Palacios of Flanders, who was intoxicated, refused to leave the store. The responding officer similarly asked him to leave for the night and not return, but he returned shortly after. 

Mr. Palacios was arrested and charged with trespassing. 

• A 27-year-old Flanders man was arrested on Flanders Road Friday night for driving while intoxicated, after a witness reported a vehicle swerving all over the road. 

Ervio Bolvitocojon faces a litany of charges, including failure to use designated lanes, illegal driving in center lane, aggravated DWI, driving without a license, moving from a lane unsafely, failure to appropriately signal and failure to obey a police officer. 

• Cesar Coxicbenito, 30, of Riverhead was charged with driving while intoxicated, drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle on a highway, moving from lane unsafely and speeding after crashing his car into a tree in North Sea on Friday night. 

• Christopher Mcerlean, 37, of Flanders was arrested in his hometown on Thursday morning after he was involved in a minor motor vehicle accident and was found to be driving with a revoked driver’s license, police said. He was released on a summons.

• Police arrested Anthony Hawkins, 30, of Riverside Saturday in Flanders for driving without a required interlock device, driving with an obstructed view and a suspended registration, according to a police report. He was released and is expected to appear in Southampton Justice Court.

• Oscar Reyestorres, 29, of Wainscott was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle Friday afternoon after causing property damage while driving with a suspended license. 

• Police filed a report documenting the theft of jewelry from a home in North Sea sometime between January 2020 and June 15, 2021.

Riverhead Town

• Three men entered the Ulta store on Route 58 last Tuesday afternoon and stole $5,645 worth of merchandise, according to police. 

• A man and woman were observed stealing $950 worth of merchandise from the Polo Ralph Lauren Big & Tall store at Tanger Outlets last Thursday afternoon and then fleeing on foot in a westbound direction in the parking lot, according to police.

• A Toro lawn mower was reported stolen from property on Cross River Drive and Hubbard Avenue Friday. The estimated value of the stolen items was not reported by police.

• A woman told police last Wednesday that someone had made unauthorized charges to her Bank of America debit card, according to police.

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.