On The Beat

A retired minister was bound, gagged, and held in his own Shelter Island house on Oak Tree Lane for several days by unknown assailants last week. The Rev. Charles Mccarron told Shelter Island Police he had gone to the home of Paul Wancura, 87, Monday after the man had missed church services the day before, and found Wancura tied to a chair. No one else was in the house when police arrived. The victim was shaken up, confused, and had to be taken to Stony Brook University Hospital and reportedly needed surgery.

Saved The Seal

An alert beach walker may have saved a seal on March 18. The 85-year old man was walking on the ocean beach near Lily Pond Lane when he came upon a seal tangled in a gill net. He called the East Hampton Village Police, and they in turn called the Riverhead Foundation. A team was sent to untangle the creature.

No Return

Woman returned an item to the Red Horse market and got a refund. Upon reviewing the store tape, however, the manager ascertained she hadn’t purchased the item to begin with. When she tried the maneuver again, the woman, from Hampton Bays, was told not to frequent the store anymore. The would-be purloiner was gone when police arrived.

Taken Trees?

An East Hampton town property owner called police when he noticed 44 holes on a vacant lot he owns on Koala Lane. He said there had been white pines on the lot. Oddly enough, a house under construction nearby had dozens of freshly planted white pines. Police are investigating.