Northport Police Blotter: Man Arrested In Hit-And-Run Crash

NORTHPORT, NY — Check out some recent police incidents for the Northport Village area from June 5 through June 11.

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

Arrest

• Richard Zehner, 59, of Centerport, was involved in a crash on Laurel Avenue and Fort
  Salonga Road around 9:12 p.m. June 9, police said. A witness told police a gray Jeep Wrangler left a parking lot onto Laurel Avenue heading south and struck a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder, police said. Someone in the Pathfinder was injured, police said. Zehner, who was driving the Jeep, kept driving west on Fort Salonga Road, police said. Police found Zehner and watched as he crossed over the white shoulder markings several times, police said. Zehner was stopped on Fort Salonga Road, police said. Zehner's breath smelled of alcohol, his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, his speech was slurred and sluggish, he was very unsteady on his feet, and he performed poorly on several standardized field sobriety tests, police said. Zehner refused pre- screen and breath tests, police said. He was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an incident, unsafe lane change, consumption of alcoholic beverages, refuse pre-screen test, and right of way violation/left turn.

Incidents

• A member of the Northport Village Highway Department accidentally damaged someone's vehicle on Alley Road on June 5. The employee said while grinding a tree stump, he noticed the front driver side window of a vehicle got shattered. The employee did not witness the window break, but assumed the machinery he was using kicked up debris and hit the window. The employee stayed until police arrived. Police told the vehicle's owner about the damage and requested she check the vehicle to make sure none of her personal belongings were taken or disturbed. The woman was understanding of the accident and requested the incident be documented for informational purposes.
• A summons was issued to a vehicle parked illegally on Scudder Avenue on June 5.
• A missing dog was reported on Whispering Fields Drive on June 5. Police could not find the dog. Someone on Whispering Fields Drive found the dog in their garage 20 minutes after the initial call came in. The owner retrieved the dog from the police.
• A Franklin Street woman on June 6 told police her neighbor was cutting off branches from her tree. She said she confronted her neighbor, who told her she couldn't see when backing out of the driveway so she took some low branches off. Police saw several fresh cuts on the tree. The woman called police several times asking if officers could admonish her neighbor. Police spoke with the neighbor, who said she asked the village to trim the tree, as it is on village property. The Highway Department trimmed it.
• A summons was issued to the owner of a vehicle for blocking a driveway on Fifth Avenue on June 7.
• A woman was stopped in traffic at Waterside Avenue and Fort Salonga Road on June 8 when she was hit from behind by someone, causing damage to her vehicle's rear bumper, police said. The woman said they are going to handle repairs to the vehicle civilly and not go through insurance.
• Someone told police that someone was driving a black Audi in a reckless manner and "acting aggressively" toward them on Waterside Avenue on June 9.
• Property was stolen from Giunta's Meat Farm on June 9.
• A vehicle was on fire on Laurel Avenue on June 10. Northport firefighters extinguished it. The driver of the vehicle said he "smelt burning in the vehicle" which made him get out and call 911. The driver was not injured. Artie's Collision towed the vehicle.
• Someone retrieved their lost driver's license from police headquarters on June 10 after someone found it and turned it in.
• A petty larceny was reported at Scudder Park on June 10.
• A man was injured when he fell off his bicycle on Main Street on June 11. Eatons Neck first responders brought him to Huntington Hospital. The man said he thinks his bike tire got caught in a crack in the road. Police found cracks and uneven road surface near where the man fell.