A high-end local developer and builder was charged with misdemeanor assault Friday night after kneeing the founder of a major South Fork real estate brokerage in the thigh during an argument at the East Hampton Grill on North Main Street in the village.
Village Police Lt. Greg Brown said this week that Jeffrey A. Colle, 67, of Wainscott turned himself in on Sunday after detectives asked him to come in for questioning. The incident left the victim with a “pretty big bruise” on his thigh, Lieutenant Brown said. Officers responded to the restaurant, which is next door to police headquarters, at 7:09 p.m.
Police at first withheld the name of the victim, but Mr. Colle’s attorney, Joseph Conway of Mineola, confirmed on Tuesday that it was Andrew Saunders, chief executive officer of Saunders & Associates. Mr. Saunders did not go to the hospital.
Mr. Colle is to be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court today. “We deny the allegations,” Mr. Conway said. “We believe that when evidence is presented in court these charges eventually will be dismissed.”
Police said that Mr. Colle contacted them after the incident. Lieutenant Browne declined to discuss details of the incident, but said there was “an ongoing dispute between the two parties.”
Mr. Colle was arrested on Sunday at about 11:30 a.m. and charged with third-degree assault. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to appear in Justice Court today. He did not return a request for comment.
Mr. Saunders’s attorney, Anthony LaPinta, told The Star that they “will pursue all necessary means to stop Mr. Colle’s escalating and unacceptable behavior.” Mr. LaPinta did not return a request to elaborate.
In other police news, after trespassing Sunday evening at a house on 19th Street in Springs, an East Hampton teenager was found passed out at its kitchen table. The 18-year-old was arrested after the resident came home at 8:15 p.m. and found him in the kitchen. The teen’s name was withheld by police because he is eligible for youthful offender status.
He was charged with criminal trespass in the second degree, a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. Police found a small amount of marijuana in his pocket, a report said. There were no signs of forced entry.
A sergeant released the youth on $150 bail. He is due to be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court on Oct. 24.