Editor's Note: The following information was supplied by various town police departments. A criminal charge is only an accusation and does not indicate guilt.
An 18-year-old is being held on $5,000 cash or $25,000 bond after he allegedly peeled the paint off the wall in his cell at East Hampton Town police headquarters on Jan. 13. The young man, whose name was withheld due to his eligibility for youthful offender status, had been picked up the previous day on a bench warrant and he was held overnight for arraignment. Police had just returned with the defendant from court and placed him back in the cell, when he was found standing on a wooden bench in the detention area picking at the paint. A lieutenant assessed the damaged and decided to charge him with fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned, yet again, before Justice Cahill. Later, he was turned over to the Suffolk County Sheriff's office and is being held at the county jail in lieu of bail.