East End Report: Riverhead Man Charged With Murder, Rape

RIVERHEAD

A man has been charged with murder after Mirian Garcia, 29, was found dead last week behind the Department of Motor Vehicles in Riverhead allegedly strangled her with a belt after raping her.

Suffolk County homicide detectives arrested Guillermo Alfonso Alvarado-Ajcuc, 21, of Riverhead for the  on Wednesday at approximately 6 p.m. 

EAST HAMPTON

A Shelter Island police chase led to the arrest of a Montauk man who was reportedly in possession of about $70,000 in proceeds from burglaries around East Hampton.

Following his arrest on Wednesday, William A. Donnelly Jr., 30, is being held at the Suffolk County jail in Riverside without bail.

Shelter Island Police Detective Sgt. Jack Thilberg said in a statement on Friday that police tried to pull over Donnelly in a stolen van on Route 114 on Wednesday at 3:56 p.m., but he refused, leading police a short case down Smith Street and Menantic Road. He ended up crashing on Menantic Road and exited his vehicle and fled on foot into a residential area.

WESTHAMPTON-HAMPTON BAYS

Members of the  of Westhampton were on hand at the Westhampton Beach Village meeting on Wednesday evening to garner approval for a new, annual Westhampton Beach Oyster Festival to be held on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend.

Ralph Schenk, a Kiwanis committee member, said his club is looking to create an event similar to one held each year in the Village of Oyster Bay, complete with a chowder contest, wine tasting, blue grass music, vendors, rides for the kids and of course, fresh oysters and clams.

SOUTHAMPTON

The 's  failed, 228-275, on Tuesday, and former School Board member  ousted incumbent  by an 8-vote margin.

Steudte received 220 votes to Grindle's 212. At least 71 voters abstained from deciding on a candidate.

Under the proposed budget, the tax rate was projected to rise by 9.54 percent to $7.23 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The tax rate increase was pushed up by a 4.91 percent dip of the total assessed value of properties in the district, meaning the impact on homeowners whose property values decreased would have been less than 9.54 percent.

NORTH FORK

Oysterponds Elementary School was the only district on the North Fork to fail in passing its 2012-13 budget Tuesday night. Voters spoke out 192 yes to 253 no to vote down the $5,353,894 budget —  a plan to reduce spending by $270,000 this year, but the tax levy increase is estimated at 2.5 percent.

Though  board incumbent members Linda Goldsmith and Krista de Kerillis won their bids for re-election Tuesday night after polls closed, the victory was bittersweet. To de Kerillis, the failure to pass what seemed like a reasonable budget is the result of an ongoing distrust the Orient community feels toward their board of education.

Recently, the issue of whether or not Oysterponds should allow parents the option of sending their kids to  for secondary schooling has been a main source conflict in the district. Commenters on election 2012 stories on Patch havequestioned the motivations of board members for allowing this secondary school choice, some citing elitism and racism.