Hamptons Police Blotter: Copper Bandit Nabbed, McGumbus Makes a Movie
Summer’s Burglars Take The Fall
If Summer 2013 brought news of house-breaking and burglary, Fall 2013 is bringing news of dogged police work and arrests. Three weeks after Sag Harbor’s thirsty St. Pauli Girl marauder finally felt the cold blast of justice comes word that another serial summer suspect has been apprehended. A 35-year-old East Hampton man, accused of stealing in excess of $126,000 in jewelry, cash and prescription drugs from homes in East Hampton, Southampton and Sag Harbor over the summer, was arrested Thursday while driving on Rt. 114. While it’s not clear that he has offered a full confession, he did admit to robbing houses in order to obtain money to feed his heroin addiction.
Coppers Collar Copper Clipper
Another case of summer’s flowering of crime meeting the frosty wind of punishment, this time from exotic Remsenburg. Regular readers will doubtless recall the string of copper thefts that struck Remsenburg over the summer—thefts that prompted many to wonder, “Where is Remsenburg?” Well, it seems a young Mastic man not only knew how to get to Remsenburg, but also knew how to extract the valuable copper piping from central air-conditioning units, a skill he put to use beginning in April and continuing throughout the summer. Police finally closed in last week, catching the perp “red handed” in the act of stealing copper from yet another Remsenburg residence, and in possession of burglary tools. Ah, well, summer can’t last forever.
A Mac Attack For The Man In Black
Not Johnny Cash, but a black-clad Flanders man was arrested for trying to stick up the Riverside McDonald’s Sunday morning. The man, wearing a black cowboy hat and vest, approached the drive-thru window and threatened the employee with violence if he didn’t give up money and hamburgers. The man either didn’t know enough to ask for fries, or thought they would slow his escape. The employee called the police, and the perpetrator is now being held at the Suffolk County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. The burgers at the jail are probably decent.
“Change” Of The Season
Late Tuesday night, police were directed by an anonymous tip to Mary’s Dress Shop on Shelter Island where they found Old Man McGumbus, 103, WWII vet and miniature camera enthusiast, in the ladies changing room with an array of tools. While McGumbus put up what was described as a “violent struggle,” during which he brandished his dentures at a detective, police disassembled an elaborate camera mechanism that McGumbus had installed. “What’s wrong with being a photographer?” protested McGumbus.