A 51-year-old Bridgehampton man was found hanging from a tree early Saturday morning in what Southampton Town Police say was an apparent suicide.

On Monday, police identified the deceased man as Fabian Seyrig De Saussure.

According to Southampton Town Police Detective James Mazzio, police were called around 6:43 a.m. Saturday morning by a man working in the vicinity of 264 Butter Lane, a fitness center that is home to a number of local businesses. According to Detective Mazzio, the man, a painter, was leaving the area to get a cup of coffee when he discovered Seyrig De Saussure and called police. Police said responding officers determined he was deceased after arriving on the scene.

Seyrig De Saussure, a Butter Lane resident, attempted suicide in November of 2011, creating a noxious chemical mixture before driving himself to Southampton Hospital with the chemicals for treatment.

The emergency room was shut down at the time while emergency service personnel decontaminated scene. He was charged with a felony as a result of the incident, but in an interview with The Southampton Press in 2012 said it was not his intention to hurt anyone or the community.

Southampton Town detectives and the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene on Saturday, with the latter removing the body for examination.

According to Detective Mazzio, while the medical examiner’s office has yet to make an official determination, he does not suspect foul play.

The Southampton Town Detective Division is continuing the investigation and asks anyone with information to call Detectives at 702-2230.

Photo by Bryan Boyhan; Sag Harbor Village Police and officers from Suffolk County Bomb Squad responded to Long Wharf on Tuesday night after a small amount of explosives were discovered in the truck of a man repairing the finger docks on the wharf.

By Kathryn G. Menu

On Tuesday night around 5:45 p.m., Sag Harbor’s Long Wharf was cordoned off after village police said a man working on repairs to the village’s finger docks approached police and said he found explosive material in North Haven. Police said the man brought the material to Long Wharf where he was working and flagged down a police officer.

By Kathryn G. Menu

This week, Sag Harbor Village Police arrested Daniel L. Gonzalez, 32, of Ozone Park in connection with a case involving counterfeit $100 bills police said he tried to use at village businesses this January.

On January 7, around 11 a.m. police said Gonzalez went to Cavaniola’s Gourmet Cheese Shop on Division Street and intentionally used a $100 counterfeit bill, which the clerk at that store accepted. Police said Gonzalez then went to the neighboring Sag Harbor Beverage Store where he also attempted to use what police believe was another counterfeit $100 bill before he was rebuffed by a store employee.

An employee of Cavaniola’s Gourmet Cheese Shop contacted police immediately and provided a detailed description of the suspect. Detective Jeffrey Proctor took charge of the investigation, which culminated in Gonzalez’s arrest by Sag Harbor Village Police on Wednesday morning at LaGuardia Airport.

During the course of his investigation, Detective Proctor made contact with different individuals connected to Gonzalez, and over time the detective was able to obtain a photo of his suspect. He used it in a photo lineup where victims identified Gonzalez as the man responsible for using the counterfeit money.

Gonzalez has no prior convictions, noted Detective Proctor, which made the case more difficult to crack in terms of finding an image for victims to positively identify him and also in tracking down Gonzalez west of the East End.

However, a source contacted Detective Proctor with information that Gonzalez intended to fly from New York to Ft. Lauderdale out of LaGuardia Airport, setting the stage for the Port Authority Police Department to pick up Gonzalez and read him his Miranda rights.

“This was just a case of some good, old fashioned police work yielding results,” said Detective Proctor following the arrest.

Gonzalez was transferred personally from LaGuardia Airport to the Sag Harbor Village Police Department headquarters by Detective Proctor and officer John Natuzzi, where he was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument and attempted criminal possession of a forged instrument — both felonies – and held for arraignment.

By Amanda Wyatt

With a contract negotiation now in arbitration, tensions continue to brew between Sag Harbor Village and the Sag Harbor Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA).

For almost two years, the village and the PBA have been at odds over salaries and benefits.

Last Saturday — two days before the first formal arbitration meeting took place — the pot was stirred just a little bit further at a community forum on the topic of police arbitration at Pierson Middle/High School.

Bill Jones, a former village trustee and a former Suffolk County legislator sponsored the forum, designed, he said, to educate the public on how the arbitration process works.

It’s a process Jones said he believes is “rigged.”

On Saturday, he told audiences he hoped they would come to understand why he thinks “the process is unfair, how that process has led to the arrogance of the unions, and finally, the ultimate effect both have had on local governments — that happens to be tyranny.”

According to Jones, the problem with arbitration is rooted in the Taylor Law — article 14 of the New York State Civil Service Law. It outlines the process, the rights and limits of unions for public employees.

In his view, one major problem with the law is that the panel involved in arbitration is supposed to take into consideration whether the public employer is financially able to meet the union’s requests.

As a consequence, Jones said, some people have the “insidious, cancerous viewpoint” that “since a municipality [has] the unlimited ability to tax, then it always has the ability to pay.”

Jones also said the arbitration panel is made up of three arbitrators, one of which is chosen by the union, another by the municipality and the third by both parties together. He claimed that while there are roughly 50 arbitrators from which to choose on Long Island, “in practice, only about six or seven from the list get chosen on a regular basis.”

“Why this is should be apparent: an arbitrator unfriendly to union demands and with possible sympathies to the municipality’s position is not going to get much arbitration work in New York State,” he declared.

Jones also brought up the list of requests the PBA originally made during contract negotiations, including the request for a 4.5 percent salary increase.

“Only union arrogance would seek such a raise in these times when so many are struggling to make ends meet,” he said.

During the public input portion of the forum, a number of audience members took to the podium to express their thoughts.

Mayor Brian Gilbride raised the issue of the cost of police protection.

“It’s not about police bashing, it’s about affordable police protection,” he said. “It’s not the service, it’s the cost. The costs are starting to price themselves out.”

“On behalf of the village, let me be 100 percent clear. The village has tried every effort not to go into mediation,” Gilbride added.

At the same time, many of Jones’ comments proved controversial to other audience members. Tom Fabiano, chief of police, disagreed with the assertion that arbitrators were likely to be pro-union and that the arbitration process outlined by the Taylor Law was “rigged.”

“Bill, it’s your opinion what the arbitrators will do…I appreciate you saying what you’ve said here, but you’re talking about the Taylor Law — the Taylor Law is one thing and your opinion is greater than what is described by [it],” he said.

Fabiano added that he had been involved in contract negotiations for years and it is always customary for unions to start out with a high offer and wind up with less than they asked for.

Although Pat Milazzo, PBA president, was not present at Saturday’s meeting he echoed Fabiano’s comments in a separate interview.

“What you ask for is not necessarily what you’re going to end up with,” he said. “The way that the village has portrayed it, it’s as though we want everything on the list.”

Although Milazzo would not reveal what concessions the PBA was willing to make, he did emphasize that it did not expect to get everything it had asked for, including a 4.5 percent wage increase.

“I would bet you the deed to my house and three paychecks, when this contract is settled, it will not be 4.5 percent wage increases per year,” he said.

Any claims that the PBA had not been willing to negotiate, he added, were false.

Still, Milazzo said, there was some progress between both parties at their first meeting with the arbitrator, which happened on Monday.

“There was some dialogue between both the PBA and the village, going back and forth, between the arbitrator,” he said. “There was a little bit of movement on both sides, but we’re certainly not there yet.”

Photo by Cully/EEFAS

By Kathryn G. Menu

A Tuesday blaze that destroyed a Noyac residence listed for sale for $6 million likely started because of a rotted chimney flue pipe, according to Sag Harbor Volunteer Fire Department Chief Pete Garypie. However, the Southampton Fire Marshal will ultimately determine the cause of the fire, which kept firefighters from several departments on the scene for close to five hours.

According to Garypie, homeowners at the residence, located at 60 Fourteen Hills Court off Middle Line Highway, went outside to get more wood for their fireplace when they heard a crackling sound. Looking up, they realized the roof was on fire and called 911.

The Sag Harbor Volunteer Fire Department was activated around 11 a.m., and according to Garypie by the time they arrived on the scene flames had already vented through the roof. The department, which called in tankers from Springs, East Hampton, Bridgehampton, North Sea and Southampton, and had Amagansett Fire Department standing by at its Brick Kiln Road headquarters, battled the blaze for several hours, only returning all units back into service at 5:40 p.m. Tuesday night.

Garypie said by the time firefighters arrived on the scene entering the house through the front door was no longer an option, as the home already suffered a partial floor and ceiling collapses.

“We had to use a semi interior and exterior tactic to get at the fire,” he said.

The home, said Garypie, suffered extensive damage as a result of the fire, which he believes was started by a rotted flue pipe in the chimney. The chimney was a pre-fabricated fireplace, with a metal flue boxed in wood — not masonry.

“We were able to get it under control within 20 to 25 minutes,” said Garypie.

However, he added departments remained on hand to ensure pockets of fire were extinguished as debris was moved from the residence.

On Tuesday night, the department was called back into action at the residence after debris began to smolder again, although Garypie said the situation was well within hand within 10 minutes time.

According to the Douglas Elliman Real Estate listing on the property, the residence was 10,000 square feet, with five bedrooms and five baths. An extensive collection of modern art was featured throughout the home.

Family members have said a 26 year-old Sag Harbor man, reported missing Thursday afternoon, has been found.

Victor Weiss, 26, was located in New York City this morning, Friday, said Meikle Blossom, the man’s mother.

Weiss had been in Sag Harbor on Tuesday evening at his mother’s home and left on a Jitney early Wednesday morning to New York City.

Some time between 8 and 9 a.m., he called a friend to say he was going ice skating at the rink at Bryant Park. He had skated there about three times over the past week or so, said his mother.

Shortly after 12:30 p.m. Victor texted another friend to say he was on his way to Penn Station. New York City Police found his cell phone there later that afternoon.

By 3 p.m. Thursday NYPD issued a missing person alert for the man.

“We’re just thankful we’ve found him,” said his mother.

Sag Harbor Village Police have nabbed a Quogue resident they say is responsible for stealing a donation jar at 7-Eleven meant to benefit a Sag Harbor woman critically injured last month after being struck by a motor vehicle.

Thomas Palumbo, 37, was arrested at 5 p.m. at the Suffolk County Probation Department and charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor crime.

According to police, on Saturday, February 2, an unknown male who fled in a black SUV stole a donation jar meant to benefit 7-Eleven employee Jhenny Bueno Arias. The 36-year-old single mother of four was struck by a car on January 15 while crossing Brick Kiln Road at the intersection of Main Street and Jermain Avenue.

A witness described the defendant as a white male, in his 30s, approximately 6-feet tall. Sag Harbor Village Detective Jeff Proctor compiled a photo spread of potential suspects and according to Palumbo’s arrest report, a witness at the scene identified him as being the responsible party on February 4. Working with the Suffolk County Probation Department, Detective Proctor arrested Palumbo after he reported to his probation officer. Palumbo was transported back to Sag Harbor, processed and released on an appearance ticket and $100 cash bail.

Meanwhile, 7-Eleven manager Saqib Hameed has continued fundraising for Arias who sustained significant injuries, is uninsured and is being rehabilitated at her Sag Harbor home.

Donations can be made to Arias by making a check payable to Jhenny Bueno Arias and dropping it off at 7-Eleven or mailing it to P.O. Box 3134, Sag Harbor, New York 11963.

Two Ronkonkoma residents were charged with forgery, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property this week after Sag Harbor Village Police say they intentionally stole blank checks from a Sag Harbor resident, endorsed them, taking over $3,000 in cash with them.

According to Sag Harbor Police Detective Jeff Proctor, the person the checks were taken from — police are protecting his identity — was known to one of the defendants. The victim called police, said Detective Proctor, after being contacted by bank officials, concerned about potential fraud.

On Thursday, February 7, police arrested Kathleen Danielson, 23 and Nicholas Marino, 22 after they were taken into custody at the Suffolk County Police 5^th Precinct in Patchogue and transported to Sag Harbor.

Danielson faces charges of 16 counts of forgery in the second degree, a class D felony, as well as two counts of grand larceny in the third degree, also a class D felony. Marino has been charged with one count of forgery in the second degree, one count of grand larceny and two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, a class A misdemeanor.

They were both arraigned before Justice Andrea Schiavoni on Friday, February 8. Citing what she said were “several open charges in other jurisdictions,” Justice Schiavoni accepted the Suffolk County District Attorney’s recommendation that Danielson be held in lieu of $40,000 cash bail or a $50,000 bond.

Justice Schiavoni also elected to accept the district attorney’s recommendation that Marino be held in lieu of $30,000 cash bail, $40,000 bond, citing open charges in other jurisdictions as well.

According to Detective Proctor, Danielson has known the victim since childhood. Police allege that Danielson and Marino took 19 checks from the victim and endorsed 17 of them, totaling $3,330 in withdrawn money.

Checks were cashed at Capital One bank branches in Sag Harbor, East Moriches, Moriches and Bohemia.

Danielson faces more forgery charges, said police, because she endorsed 16 of the checks, while Marino only endorsed one. Marino faces the criminal possession of stolen property charge, said police, because he had in his possession two additional checks belonging to the victim when he was arrested.

Justice Schiavoni entered not guilty pleas for the defendants on Friday, while they awaited legal representation. They were expected to return to court on Tuesday.

By Kathryn G. Menu

A 23-year-old Sag Harbor resident, Kelly A. Doroski, was killed in a car crash on Route 114 on Thursday night, according to a press release issued by East Hampton Town Police.

According to police, responding officers discovered a 2009 Mazda in a wooded area off the southbound lane of Route 114. Doroski, a 2006 graduate of Pierson Middle-High School, was transported to Southampton Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The accident is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact East Hampton Town Police at 537-7575.

During an arrest over a decade ago, Sag Harbor Village Police seized two boxes from the vehicle of someone charged in a series of liquor store thefts. One was full of brand new Gap jeans, the other Van Heusen shirts.

Today, those boxes, like a lot of items seized during arrests or brought to the department’s lost and found, sit unclaimed in the Sag Harbor Village Police Department.

But not for long.

The Sag Harbor Village Police Department has joined the ranks of close to 2,500 police departments, including the East Hampton Town Police Department, the Southampton Town Police Department and the Riverhead Police Department, in funneling these items to the online auction warehouse, www.propertyroom.com.

Propertyroom.com was founded in 1999 by former Long Beach, N.Y. police detective Thomas Lane, an entrepreneur who remembered how expensive — and time consuming — it was for the Long Beach Police Department to hold its own auctions.

Most often found for auction on the website is jewelry, clothing, watches, art, coins and bullion, but occasionally, says Propertyroom.com CEO P.J. Bellomo, some more bizarre items do occasionally come their way.

Like a colonoscopy machine, or a coffin, for example.

“The first question we asked ourselves was who steals a colonoscopy machine, and the next was, who buys a colonoscopy machine,” said Bellomo.

But someone did.

According to Sag Harbor Village Police Sergeant Paul Fabiano, he decided to contract with Propertyroom.com for the very reasons Lane founded the company.

“We didn’t really have enough property to do an auction and I really wanted to clear this stuff out of here,” said Sergeant Fabiano. “We have been holding some of this property since the 1980s. And I wanted to make sure it was done properly, ethically.”

Most of the items are not seized evidence, but items brought to lost and found and never claimed, he said. The department does send letters out to people who bring in lost and found items if they are not claimed to see if they would like to claim the property. Often, said Sergeant Fabiano, they do not hear back from those people.

Real property law dictates the police department must hold on to items with a value of less than $100 for a minimum of three months. Items that are estimated between $100 and $500 in value have to be held for six months and items valued between $500 and $5,000 must be held for one year. Anything valued at over $5,000 must be held by the department for over three years.

Every effort is made to return any evidence related items to the rightful owners once a case is completed and will not be up for an appeal, but, said Sergeant Fabiano, occasionally things simply go unclaimed.

Sergeant Fabiano initially reached out to the Suffolk County Police Department and it was through a source there that he discovered Propertyroom.com.

According to Bellomo, the website sells everything at open auction, starting at $1.Propertyroom.com takes a small cut of the sale, with the remaining money going back to the police department the item originated from.

According to Bellomo, Propertyroom.com has distributed about $50 million back to police departments in 48 states across the country.

“And that is not taking into account the money saved by these departments not having to hold auctions,” he said. “A lot of police chiefs see the value more in not having to deploy their precious resources on a non-police related activity.”

“We are not looking to make money off this,” said Sergeant Fabiano. “But just to remove the need for us to spend the time and the man hours on organizing an auction,” he said. “Especially with what we have here, which is honestly some old wrist watches, some CDs, a skateboard, a scooter, a little jewelry, mostly costume pieces.”

For the most part, items sent to Propertyroom.com are largely along the same lines – costume jewelry, cellphones, watches, coins, tools and bicycles. However, sometimes a diamond in the rough does emerge.

This year Bellomo said one of his clients in the greater New York City area sentPropertyroom.com a bag a jewelry. The company engages the services of experts, including jewelers, to evaluate items it will sell on its website. In that bag of costume jewelry, the website’s expert found a watch valued at $125,000. It sold at auction for $77,000.

The website was also sent a Persian rug valued at more than $10,000, and a 2.75 carat, pear shaped diamond ring, which also came out of a bag of costume jewelry. That sold for $23,000 at auction.

And then there was the colonoscopy machine.

“With items like tools, cameras, iPods, we always make sure to test them to make sure they work before we put them out to auction,” said Bellomo. “That one went untested.”