Northport Police Blotter: Drunk Man Drives Into Guardrail

NORTHPORT, NY — Check out some recent arrests and incidents from the Northport Village area, from Aug. 19 to Aug. 25.

The Northport Police Department posted the following information. All charges are accusations and do not signify guilt.

Arrests

• Samantha Brandenberger, 30, of Kings Park, drove with a suspended license on Fort Salonga Road, police said. She was arrested and charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle: three or more suspensions, second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle: based on mandatory suspension, operating motor vehicle with suspended registration and unlawful possession of marijuana on Aug. 19.
• Laurie Tjornhom, 58, of Northport, turned herself in on a Northport Village arrest warrant, police said. She was charged with failure to appear on Aug. 19.
• Paul Catoggio, 56, of Northport, crashed head-on into a guardrail at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Eatons Neck Road at 11:39 p.m. on Aug. 20, police said. Catoggio's breath smelled strongly of alcohol, his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, his speech was slurred and sluggish, he was very unsteady on his feet and he failed several field sobriety tests, police said. Catoggio registered a 0.12 BAC reading at police headquarters, police said. He was charged with DWI and DWI: BAC reading.
• Robert Velez, 22, of Wheatley Heights, didn't signal a turn while he was driving along Scudder Avenue with a suspended license, police said. He was arrested and charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle: three or more suspensions, operation of motor vehicle by unlicensed driver and failure to signal turn.

Incidents

• Loud music was playing at a home on Whispering Fields Drive before the occupant agreed to lower it on Aug. 20.
• A woman refused to pay for a beach permit at Steers Beach. Police told her if she refused to pay for the permit, she'd have to leave. She left. The incident happened Aug. 20.
• Someone stole a car seat off a woman's front lawn on Burr Avenue on Aug. 20.
• A man found bait fish by the walkway of his Waterview Lane home. Police found the home to be secure. The incident happened Aug. 20.
• A woman living on West Fort Salonga Road notified police of disturbing phone calls; she had received multiple calls and two voicemails from an unknown person around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 22. The woman filed a report for informational purposes and was told to call police if the caller kept bothering her.
• Police responded to a Maple Avenue home where a woman reportedly wasn't answering her door or call-outs. When police arrived, the woman was outside and said she didn't hear any shouts or door knocks, as she was in her basement at the time. The incident happened Aug. 24.
• Sewage was coming from a Norwood Avenue home and leaking out into the street. The homeowner said a worker was coming by later to fix the leak. The incident happened Aug. 24.
• A man refused to pay a bill at Rockin' Fish on Aug. 24.
• A wild goose got loose on Burr Avenue on Aug. 24. Police contacted Lewis Oliver Dairy Farm to see if the goose was one of its animals. The farm employee headed to Burr Avenue and said the goose didn't belong to the farm.
• Police responded to Municipal Lot #1 of Constitution Square for a report of a woman unresponsive in her car. Officers arrived and saw the woman sitting in the car with her eyes closed. It turns out she was just taking a nap while her family was fishing on the dock. The incident happened Aug. 25.
• A lost Greenworks leaf blower was turned into police headquarters, where it was placed in the temporary bin on Aug. 25.
• A woman called police after she saw two men "suspiciously" meeting on the corner of Main Street and School Street, but police couldn't find them. The incident happened Aug. 25.
• Police responded to Fort Salonga Road for a reported road rage incident at 9:49 p.m. on Aug. 25. The caller said a car pulled him over with blue lights and continued to slowly follow him. The caller gave police the license plate number of the car that stalked him. Police reached the other man, who said he flashed his high-beams at the caller because the caller was swerving. The man also said the caller might have mistook his LED lights for the blue lights. The driver was warned and admonished for his behavior.
• Loud music was playing at a home on Steers Avenue before the occupant agreed to lower it on Aug. 25.