Allege Attack on Rare Car

The holiday weekend produced many arrests, some on unusual charges.

A 1965 gray Shelby Cobra, a car that according to the internet sells for six figures, figured in a charge of criminal mischief against Ronald P. Balcuns, 55, of Springs.

East Hampton Town police said Mr. Balcuns, after a heated argument with Jeremy Greenfield and Xavier Creel outside the Balcuns house on Copeces Lane, dumped a bucket of rocks onto the hood of the classic car, which belongs to Mr. Greenfield. According to TopGear.com, only 998 Cobras were ever made.

The charge against Mr. Balcuns is a felony; the Cobra was reportedly damaged to the tune of more than $1,500.

The police report did not make clear the cause of the July 3 confrontation, and Mr. Balcuns tried to tell East Hampton Town Justice Lisa R. Rana about it at his arraignment the next morning.

“I know there are two sides to every story,” she said, interrupting him. “I don’t want to hear about it right now. You probably want to tell me right now, but I am telling you not to do it.” She reminded him that every word he was saying was being recorded, and could be used by the prosecution against him.

Justice Rana set bail at $300. Mr. Balcuns protested that he did not have the money. “That is a very reasonable amount,” Justice Rana said. “Can I put a couple of hundred down?” Mr. Balcuns asked. “No. It has to be paid at once. It’s bail,” was the answer. It was posted.

Also facing a felony charge, in this case involving possession of a forged instrument, is William Carl Beck of Lexington, Ky. On Saturday just before midnight, Mr. Beck had a drink in his hand outside the Stephen Talkhouse on Amagansett Main Street, which is against the no-alcohol-in-public law, when police asked him for identification. He handed the officer a driver’s license, which, they allege, was not his. At 19, Mr. Beck is under the legal drinking age in New York State.

Mr. Beck told Justice Rana he was a student, and was interning for the summer at a marketing company in the city. “You need to get an attorney, like, now,” Justice Rana warned, as she released him without bail.

Alleged marijuana possession and use brought on three recent arrests on misdemeanor charges, two in Sag Harbor. While possession of small amounts of marijuana is charged at the violation level, that changes when the weed is smoked in public in New York State.

David J. Ramunno of Sag Harbor, 55, was said to have been walking down Middle Line Highway while smoking a joint on Friday afternoon. He was released from village police headquarters after posting $250 bail, and will be arraigned at a future date. The other pot possession charge was against a New York City man, Neel F. Cameron, 25, who, police said, was sitting on a stoop on Washington Street, smoking a joint. He posted $100 bail at headquarters.

Finally, in East Hampton, a Brooklyn man, Joshua Samuel Payton, who turned 30 on Sunday, was seen smoking the weed on Ocean Parkway off Springy Banks Road, East Hampton, on the afternoon of June 25. He faces not one charge but two, because police reported finding crystals of methamphetamine in his pockets. He was released from East Hampton Town police headquarters in Wainscott after posting $200 in bail, with a future date on Justice Court’s criminal calendar.