Rancher Is Cleared; Restitution Ordered

Gardner (Rusty) Leaver, the proprietor of Montauk's Deep Hollow Ranch, is off the hook for now on a criminal charge related to the sale of a horse he did not own.

In East Hampton Town Justice Court last Thursday, Mr. Leaver was ordered to repay the Dix Hills woman who purchased the part Arabian, part quarter horse from Mr. Leaver in December only to find she couldn't take possession of it.

Though the woman, Allison Sorrelli, got her $3,085 back, and Mr. Leaver avoided a felony charge of third-degree grand larceny, neither side claimed to be completely satisfied.

"A Nightmare"

The rancher was granted a six-month adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, meaning the charge will be dropped if he is not involved in any other problems.

"The whole thing has just been a nightmare for me and my family," said Mr. Leaver on Tuesday. He stressed that he had attempted to compensate Ms. Sorrelli before she brought the matter to police, and said it could have been resolved as a civil matter.

"I've been in the horse business in Montauk for 30 years and I've never been in small-claims court over anything," he said.

"Duped"

For Mrs. Sorrelli, the resolution still leaves her without the horse she thought she had rightfully purchased.

"I just wanted the horse," she said Tuesday. She has arranged a lease deal with the horse's rightful owner, Anthony Longhitano, allowing her to ride the horse at a stable in Manorville at no cost.

"This hurt me," added Ms. Sorrelli. "This was his fault, bottom line," she said of Mr. Leaver. "He's trying to play it up as a misunderstanding. Yeah, maybe it was a misunderstanding to him, but I was the one who was hurt."

Restitution Offered

Mr. Leaver maintains the horse was left at Deep Hollow, along with another one belonging to Mr. Longhitano, for two years "without so much as a word or a visit" from the owner. Having paid the medical, feeding, and boarding costs for the horses, he said, he believed them to be his.

The rancher said that when the ownership question finally emerged, following the sale, he attempted to make restitution. He said he offered her all her money back or her choice of any of the ranch's remaining 50 horses.

"I offered to pay her verbally and by certified mail," Mr. Leaver said, adding that a certified letter came back unopened. "She didn't want satisfaction. She wanted to publicly embarrass me."

Mrs. Sorrelli said Mr. Leaver's certified letter came only after she had taken the matter to police. "He was crossing his 'T's' and trying to make himself out as mister innocent," she said.