More than 60 parents of East Hampton High School students gathered at Calvary Baptist Church in East Hampton on Tuesday night to voice their unhappiness over what they see as a runaway explosion of drug use at the school, and to search for answers.

The meeting was triggered in large part by an apparent drug overdose during what parents called a “rave” party at a house on Neck Path in Springs at which alcohol and a variety of drugs were said to have been passed around. Christine Moran, the mother of the victim, Jordan Johnson, 18, a former student at the school, said her son was not treated for about 12 hours after he passed out, until a call went out to police on the morning of Jan. 30. Mr. Johnson suffered at least one stroke while he was unconscious. Doctors feared for his life, and inserted a breathing tube.

He has made great progress since then, Ms. Moran said during a phone interview Tuesday. It is hoped that after six months to a year of rehabilitation, he will regain full use of his arms and legs, she said. He was scheduled to be moved to the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation yesterday. “I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support,” she said.

Those in attendance at Tuesday night’s session, which was led by two parents, Kim Jones and Bobbi Edwards, were clearly angry. “Let us come together. What can we do, in our homes and outside of our homes, to fight against drug addiction, these pill parties, binge drinking, and risky behavior?” Ms. Jones asked the room at the start of the 90-minute meeting. A Bonac graduate and a credentialed alcohol-abuse counselor specializing in drug prevention, she told the audience that young people today are taking a dizzying array of drugs. “Kids are always trying to find something new,” she said.

Several parents claimed that teens were taking drugs openly in classrooms with teachers looking the other way, and not just in class. “All of a sudden, they have to go to the bathroom,” said a woman who said she works at the school. “You would be surprised about the teachers who see and don’t see.”

Some people suggested that teachers be trained in the administration of Narcan, which reverses the effects of an opiate overdose.

Many parents said class size was an issue. “You’re not allowed to babysit more than five kids at a time,” one mother said, pointing out that some teachers have to deal with classes of 40, without an aide in the room.

Mostly, parents were looking for hard answers. “About 10 years ago, my neighborhood did a community watch program,” one mother said. “We can do that. Bring it back. It used to work. It might stop some of the house parties.” The neighbors met with police, she said, and were trained in what to watch for.

“One of the reasons we are doing this is for us parents to bounce ideas off each other,” Ms. Edwards said, adding that she does random drug testing in her own home and has strict rules about language and behavior.

Benito Villa of Sag Harbor had tears in his eyes as he spoke. A coach of the Pierson High School baseball team, he has been trying to organize a similar gathering in Sag Harbor. “We had a kid on the baseball team O.D. last year during the playoffs,” he said. “We had practice interrupted by police cars.” He told the audience about a state program to combat drug parties. “Dial 866-Under21,” he said. The call goes directly to state police, who then redirect it to local authorities.

One mother told the room about her experiences raising her son, who just turned 22. When he was younger, she said, “I would go through his room. I would search his car. I would go through his phone. I showed up at parties. And I’m constantly asking questions. ‘Mom!’ I was so annoying.”

“Parents need to engage their children,” she continued. “Getting to know them. Conversation. And don’t forget to tell them we love them.”

Ms. Jones agreed, underscoring that it was okay to look through your teenager’s cellphone. “Who pays the bill?” she asked rhetorically.

Parents should also question doctors’ prescriptions for drugs, she said, if they call for more than a few pills.

Another mother questioned the early use of drugs for attention disorders, saying it could become a gateway to addiction. Easy access to marijuana, and its widespread acceptance as harmless, was also mentioned. “You don’t just start on heroin,” Mr. Villa said.

“My husband is on heavy-duty pain-killers,” said one woman. “It’s stuff kids want. It’s not just my child. I have a 14-year-old who is in ninth grade. You don’t know who is coming into your house. Kids will rummage. They are going to rummage through your medicine cabinet, they are going to go into your bedroom and rummage through your drawers. You have to lock this stuff up. You cannot leave them around. It is a little inconvenient, but you are saving a kid’s life.”

“There’s nothing for them to do” was a common refrain. Ms. Jones and several other parents suggested a return to the church. “Parents drop off their kids [at church], then they leave. Our churches are failing,” someone said.

“It comes down to a very important thing,” Capt. Chris Anderson of the East Hampton Town Police Department said yesterday. “Parenting. You can’t wait until they turn 14 or 15 and put a new set of rules in place.” He said detectives were actively continuing to investigate the incident at the party in January.

Walter Thompson Jr., pastor of Calvary Baptist, gave closing remarks. “I’m deeply concerned about the community,” he said. “Each child is important. Each child.”

Ms. Jones told the group she would email all of them for further suggestions and to see what individuals might be able to do, with the understanding, in terms of money and time, that “we are working-class people.”

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Correction: An earlier version of this article that appeared online and in print incorrectly said that Jordan Johnson was making great progress since being flown to Stony Brook University Hospital’s trauma center, and attributed that statement to his mother. While she did say that he has made great progress, she did not refer to the hospital. Mr. Johnson was not treated at Stony Brook. 

Two teenagers charged with robbing the Speedway gas station in Wainscott on New Year’s Day were seen laughing last Thursday as they were being led away to jail following their arraignment in East Hampton Town Justice Court.

Maximilian H. Bonilla of Mattituck, 18, and Joseph G. Worysz of Southold, 19, each accused the other of holding what looked like a gun and being the stickup man, though both admitted being at the scene of the robbery. East Hampton Town police say they were on a days-long drug binge.

The Speedway holdup happened at about 11:38 a.m. Earlier, according to police, at about 5:30 a.m., the teens had threatened a clerk at the Bolla Market Mobil Gas Station on Middle Country Road in Calverton, both brandishing weapons, before making off with cash.

Mr. Bonilla has also been charged with a Dec. 28 robbery at Gamestop on Old Country Road, Riverhead.

The two were taken into custody on Jan. 2 by Southold Town police and turned over to Riverhead Town police. An East Hampton detective questioned them in Riverhead later that day.

Mr. Worysz told the detective he had rented a U-Haul van to celebrate his birthday. “We were pumped,” he said of their two-day odyssey in the vehicle. They slept in the van, he said. On Dec. 31, he and Mr. Bonilla woke up and realized they were out of gas. He went to a station, he told the detective, bought a gas can for $16, and filled it with $20 worth of gasoline.

Then the two were off. “It gets real foggy for me,” Mr. Worysz stated. “On New Year’s Eve, I took one and a half K-Pins. New Year’s morning, I took four K-Pins. I was extremely high. The day was a blur.” (K-Pin is street slang for the drug Klonopin, which is frequently mixed with other addictive drugs. Mr. Bonilla told police they were also taking Xanax.)

Both men said the Speedway holdup was spontaneous, but that it was the other’s idea. That they were in Wainscott at all was because they were lost, Mr. Bonilla said, explaining that they had started near Mr. Worysz’s house in Southold and decided to drive to the Shinnecock reservation in Southampton to buy cheap cigarettes. “We were driving around and smoking weed,” Mr. Bonilla said. “We got lost and ended up in East Hampton,” where, he said, his father owns a house.

From Route 114, they found their way to Montauk Highway and headed west. As they approached Speedway, according to Mr. Bonilla, Mr. Worysz said, “Let’s hit that one.” They pulled into a lot north of the gas station. Each said the other got out and went inside. The robber, caught on video wearing a hoodie, mask, glasses, and gloves, got away with $443.

In Mr. Worysz’s account, Mr. Bonilla came sprinting out of the gas station. “Max started yelling at me, ‘Don’t tell no one. We can’t tell our friends.’ He was in a Xanax rage.”

The man caught on video was wearing the same clothes Mr. Bonilla had on when he was arrested — an incriminating circumstance that he explained away to the detective: “Joey told me he didn’t feel like wearing my dirty clothes anymore, so we switched.”

Each young man said the guns allegedly used were only pellet guns. Mr. Bonilla identified the one displayed at Speedway as an Airsoft gun, which can look a lot like a real weapon.

The combined bail amount from several charges against Mr. Worysz is $40,000. The cumulative amount for Mr. Bonilla is $85,000. Both teens have been transferred from the Riverside jail to the one in Yaphank.

As they were led out of East Hampton Town Justice Court last Thursday, handcuffed, chained to each other, legs manacled, Mr. Bonilla posed for a photographer, making what appeared to be gang symbols. He was asked if he had robbed the Speedway station. “No. We stole some flowers,” he said, laughing, as a county sheriff put a hand on his neck and ducked him into the back of a police car.

East Hampton High School students taking classes in business and criminal law got a taste of the criminal justice system recently, first touring the Suffolk County jail in Riverside and then, on Jan. 5, sitting in at a court session here with Justice Steven Tekulsky on the bench. Their teacher, Catherine Tyrie, who is in her first year at the school after many years in the corporate world, said on Monday that she had always wanted to teach and is now living that dream.

“The students were excited to experience firsthand what they had learned in the classroom,” she said. Several told her after the court session that they were surprised at the speed of the proceedings.

Another surprise was how many defendants they knew personally. That was an eye-opener, Ms. Tyrie said. “There were some young ones,” one student remarked afterward. Particularly jarring, another student said, was seeing a former classmate in court.

 “We discussed the arrest process in class; however, to actually witness someone being handcuffed and taken to jail had an impact on them,” Ms. Tyrie said, speaking of Edwin Puin-Gutama, who was sentenced to 25 days in the county jail in Riverside. He had been convicted of unlicensed driving in the past and sentenced several times, but this was his first jail sentence. One student described watching a woman seated next to him in court who “came out and she was crying.” But Mr. Puin-Gutama himself, like other repeat offenders, got little sympathy from the group. “They should learn,” one teen said.

Several Spanish-speaking students marveled at the speed with which Sandra Ramos-Connor translated, with her inflections matching Justice Tekulsky’s tone of voice. When he issued stern warnings, a defendant heard the same severity of tone, only in Spanish.

After the busy court calendar concluded, students got a tour of the courthouse, with Justice Tekulsky explaining the legal process and answering questions. They also spoke with court clerks and officers.

Whether her students actually go into law or law enforcement is beside the point, Ms. Tyrie said. Their visits to jail and court will make them better able to deal with legal nuances in whatever field they pursue, she said.

One of the students in the group has a legal leg up on the others. Alex Vecchio, a senior who has been interning with Justice Tekulsky this year, will attend the State University at Albany in the fall and hopes to be accepted to a program designed for accelerated graduation in three years, followed by law school. She has no idea what field of law she might specialize in, though. “I’m not sure yet,” she said. “That is kind of why I’m doing this.”

The cause of the fire on Sag Harbor’s Main Street, which led to the demolition of two buildings, including the iconic front of the Sag Harbor Cinema, may never be known.

Tom Baker, an East Hampton Town fire marshal leading the investigation, said Tuesday afternoon that he was wrapping up his investigation and working to complete his final report on the Dec. 16 fire. He has uncovered nothing new since revealing two weeks ago that he could not pinpoint exactly what sparked the devastating blaze, but that he felt certain there was no criminality involved. The cause will be listed as undetermined.

“That’s where I’m comfortable leaving it. The insurance companies have all been to their respective buildings and done what they needed to do,” Mr. Baker said. He does not plan to conduct any more interviews or visit the sites again barring any new information from the public.

In the days after the fire, there were reports that cigarettes were to blame, but Mr. Baker shot down that theory. He found charring when he pulled apart the wooden steps leading to the Compass real estate office at the back of 84 Main Street.  Telephone and cable lines were found behind the steps, but he said he believed that a cigarette could not have made it into this area.

The building at 84 Main Street was demolished just three days after the fire, following a decision by Thomas Preiato, the village building inspector, based on its compromised structural integrity. The front portion of the Sag Harbor Cinema had been demolished the night of the fire. Both demolitions made the investigations more difficult, the fire marshal has said.

Meanwhile, as of Tuesday afternoon, the building at 96 Main Street, which housed the Brown Harris Stevens real estate office, remained standing, despite questions over its structural integrity. An engineer’s report was ordered before Christmas, and while an engineer had visited the site, the building owner had not yet furnished village officials with the report, Mr. Preiato said, which he said is a cause of concern.

According to Mr. Preiato, the brick walls are compromised and the roof is open to the elements. “The condition only worsens as more rain falls on what is left standing,” he said, adding that he is going to seek advice from counsel on the next steps.

Update, 10 p.m.: Officials made the decision, after consulting with a structural engineer and historic preservationist, to demolish the facade of the Sag Harbor Cinema, as it was in danger of collapse. It was demolished around 8 p.m. The neon "Sag Harbor" sign was salvaged. 

Other buildings will have to be demolished, as well. Work has been suspended for the evening and will begin again on Saturday morning. 

Update, 5:10 p.m.: After government officials from across Suffolk County met on Friday afternoon in Sag Harbor, it was decided a structural engineer would assess the damage there before any buildings damaged in Friday's fire were demolished. 

Officials are worried, in particular, about the Sag Harbor Cinema. The facade has been separated from the rest of the structure — what is left of it, that is — and appears to be leaning, according to fire and building officials. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, who was in attendance at a meeting held in the Municipal Building, is sending the county's chief engineer and an historic preservationist to assess the situation Friday night. Fire officials will light the area so they can fully view the destruction. 

All of the officials agreed, it is in the village's best interest to get Main Street in Sag Harbor opened sooner, rather than later. 

Update, 3 p.m.: Tom Preiato, the Sag Harbor Village building inspector, said he has demolition crews at the ready to knock down some of the buildings destroyed by the fire on Main Street Friday morning. It is not clear yet how many of the buildings will be demolished, but the Sag Harbor Cinema is one of them. While it is an historical landmark, it is too structurally compromised and dangerous to leave standing, he said. Many on Main Street have been asking whether the neon sign on the front of the building could be saved, but officials said it would be dangerous to retrieve. It also is not the original sign, but a replica that was put on the building about a decade ago. 

Update, 12:02 p.m.: Damage to several buildings, incuding the Sag Harbor Cinema, is "catastrophic," according to Sag Harbor Village Police Chief Austin McGuire. 

"It's probably one of the worst fires I've ever seen," said the police chief, who is a 14-year volunteer firefighter with the Sag Harbor Fire Department, which responded to the morning blaze. 

The fire has been fully extinguished nearly six hours after it began. No foul play is suspected, the chief said. However, fire marshals are investigating the exact origin of the blaze. 

Village Police Officer Randy Steyert was coming into work for his 6:30 a.m. tour and stopped at Sag Town Coffee when he smelled smoke. He found a second-story deck on fire in the back of the Compass real estate agency at 82 Main Street. He alerted the employees at Sagtown Coffee and then went upstairs to an apartment above Compass, banged on the door, and woke up a resident.

"There was enough time for him to get a jacket and shoes on and get out the door," Officer Steyert said. His apartment was not yet filled with smoke. 

The officer said it took about a minute for the fire to go from a small fire to fully engulfing the building. "Once the fire got going, Main Street was pitch black."

Firefighters arrived on scene within four minutes. The fire spread quickly with gusty winds from the northwest. Sag Harbor Cinema sustained significant damage, Chief McGuire said. "There was a partial collapse, if not a full collapse," he said of the roof. "There were firefighters in the building, but they pulled them out. They knew it was structurally unsafe." The cinema, which was built in the 1930s and has been on the market for $14 million, was a likely a total loss, he said. The iconic neon "Sag Harbor" sign that hangs on the exterior of the cinema remains intact. 

No one was injured.

The other buildings involved include the Corner Closet, Collette Luxury Consignment, the Brown Harris Stevens real estate agency, and Henry Lehr. "The smoke and water damage is going to be significant," Chief McGuire said. 

Village officials are working to determine how many people have been displaced from apartments above the stores. "We are going to make sure those people are taken care of," Chief McGuire said. Tom Preiato, the village building inspector, said he did not know immediately know how many apartments there were. 

Main Street, between Bay Street and Madiston Street, remains closed. The chief said the street could remain closed for a few days, depending on the weather. "The freezing weather changes things quite a bit." 

Icicles formed on the trees in front of the buildings where firefighters sprayed water from aerial trucks, and firefighters' gear was covered in ice. Large puddles formed in the municipal parking lot behind Main Street. Water flowing down Main Street iced over.

Twenty different departments from across the East End, from Montauk to Eastport, responded to assist either at the scene or to stand by at other firehouses. Chief McGuire estimated 300 firefighters and emergency medical service personnel responded. 

Firefighters took breaks in nearby buildings to warm up and have food and drink. Several businesses, including Baron's Cove, Schiavoni's, 7-Eleven, and Grindstone Coffee, dropped off food and coffee. 

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone is expected to visit Main Street by 3 p.m., according to Mayor Sandra Schroeder, who declared a state of emergency earlier on Friday. The declaration allows the village to recoup money for overtime policing and to access other emergency funding. 

This is the third major fire on Sag Harbor's Main Street. Mayor Schroeder recalled a serious fire at Ryder's luncheonette in the mid-1970s, and in 1994, a fire broke out at Emporium Hardware on Easter Sunday.

Update, 10:20 a.m.: While the fire on Main Street in Sag Harbor is largely extinguished, firefighters continue to dump water on the buildings and fight back pockets of flames. 

Mayor Sandra Schroeder declared a state of emergency for insurance purposes, she said from the Municipal Building, diagonally across from the fire. "It's slowing down. We haven't seen a flare up in 15 minutes or so," she said while fielding calls in the front office.

She said she first learned about the fire when "my husband's Plectron went off." Her husband is one of the many Sag Harbor firefighters called out to a deck fire at 78 Main Street. Tom Preiato, the village building inspector, said the deck is on the second story, in the rear of the Compass real estate building, to the south of Sagtown Coffee. The fire spread to neighboring buildings, including Sag Harbor Cinema, the Brown Harris Stevens real estate office, Collette Luxury Consignment, and Henry Lehr. 

There were reports that the Sag Harbor Cinema collapsed, but they could not be verified immediately and it was not evident from the front of the building.

Apartments above the buildings were evacuated, Mayor Schroeder said. She said she is most concerned about the emergency personnel and ensuring they do not get hurt. "Everything out there is nice and slick," she said. Firemen, dressed in their gear, are covered with icicles. 

Firefighters are taking breaks by ducking into the Municipal Building and other stores that are open in order to stay warm. Sag Harbor merchants, including employees at 7-Eleven, Grindstone Coffee, and others, brought food and coffee to Main Street for emergency workers. Baron's Cove on West Water Street is offering hot coffee, refreshments, and a warm place for firefighters and other emergency personnel. 

"That's why we all live here," the mayor said. 

No injuries have been reported.

"If anybody needs things, we'll try to help them. I think this is times when communities come together," Robby Stein, the deputy mayor, said.

The East Hampton Town fire marshal's office is investigating the fire. The office is contracted through the village to handle fire investigations.  Tom Baker, a fire marshal, has already responded. 

The mayor and deputy mayor asked that bystanders stay off Main Street due to icy weather conditions. "And we want them to stay out of the firefighters' way." 

Original, 7:50 a.m.: A fire broke out on Main Street in Sag Harbor Village that involved several buildings, including Sagtown Coffee, the iconic Sag Harbor Cinema, and others on Friday morning.

The fire was reported as on a deck at Sagtown Coffee, which is one of the business at 78 Main Street, at 6:11 a.m. With the high winds, flames quickly spread. Several people at the scene said flames spread to the Sag Harbor Cinema at 90 Main Street. Firefighters were also in the Brown Harris Stevens building at 96 Main Street.

Main Street is shut down in both directions from Madison Street to Bay Street. 

At 7:35 a.m., firefighters still reported flames showing in the coffee shop. At one point, around 7:15 a.m., flames could been seen from Long Beach across Sag Harbor Cove.

According to the National Weather Service, the wind is from the northwest at 9 to 17 mph with gusts as high as 29 mph. Wind chill values are between zero and 10. 

Every fire department on the South Fork, including Shelter Island, is assisting with the fire, whether helping to fight it or standing by at various firehouses in case there are other calls. 

The Friday morning fire is reminiscent of the 1994 Easter Sunday morning fire on Main Street in Sag Harbor that started in the Emporium Hardware and spread, destroying several businesses and displacing a dozen second-floor apartment residents. 

Check for more updates as they become available.

Update, Nov. 10, 2 p.m.: East Hampton Village police have identified Harry Greenfield, 72, of Lighthouse, Fla., as the man killed in an accident Wednesday night. 

Jose Cifuentes-Monzon, 32, of East Hampton was driving a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee east on Montauk Highway when he "reportedly swerved to avoid hitting a deer and subsequently struck the victim," who was walking on the shoulder by Cafe Max restaurant, police said in a statement Thursday. 

No criminal charges have been filed against the driver. However, he was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle without a license and improper lane usage, both violations. 

Originally, Nov. 9, 8:37 p.m.: A man walking on the shoulder in front of Cafe Max on Montauk Highway in East Hampton Village was killed Wednesday evening after being struck by a vehicle.

At about 6:30 p.m., village police received a 911 call about an unresponsive man in front of the restaurant at 85 Montauk Highway. The victim, a 72-year-old with a Florida address whose name police did not release yet, had stopped with his wife, pulling his car into the parking lot behind the restaurant, according to Police Chief Gerard Larsen. He got out of the car, walked around to the front to look at the menu, and was walking back, along the eastbound shoulder on the south side of the highway, when a Jeep Cherokee struck him. 

The driver — a man in his 30s who lives nearby — claimed to have swerved to avoid a deer that ran from near Cafe Max to the fields across the street. The driver stopped and is being interviewed by police. His name was also not immediately released, as police are still in the throes of the investigation. However, Chief Larsen said he did not believe the driver had a license. 

Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the accident, the chief said. Village police will likely levy a charge of unlicensed driving, but no further charges were immediately expected. The preliminary investigation has not revealed any prior convictions on the driver's record. 

The victim's wife was sitting in the car around the corner from the accident. "She didn't know he got hit," Chief Larsen said, until the emergency vehicles began responding. "It's a very sad situation — very unfortunate. There were hardly any cars on the road," the chief said. 

Montauk Highway is closed between Cove Hollow Road and Jericho Road. East Hampton Town police are assisting with accident reconstruction and the road will likely be closed for several hours, Chief Larsen said. 

Cafe Max is closing after 25 years in business on Thanksgiving weekend. 

East End voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to extend the Peconic Bay Region Community Preservation Fund through 2050 and to allow up to 20 percent of its future proceeds to be used for water quality initiatives.

The vote for Proposition 1 in East Hampton Town was 6,842 to 1,909, according to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections. In Southampton, more than 78 percent of voters had approved the extension. It also passed decisively in Riverhead and Southold Towns, where nearly 75 and 80 percent of voters, respectively, said "yes."  Results for Shelter Island Town had not been posted on the Board of Election's website as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The preservation fund, financed by a 2-percent tax on most real estate transfers, was initiated in 1999. Voters approved a 10-year extension, through 2030, in 2006.

Since its inception, it has raised over $1 billion for open space and historic preservation in the five East End towns. Supporters of the measure, looking at a 10-year-average of past revenue, expect that it could provide East Hampton Town with some $4.6 million annually for water projects such as wastewater treatment, aquatic habitat restoration, stormwater diversion, and other pollution prevention efforts.

"I think the water is as important to our community as the land is," Jeanne Frankl, chairwoman of the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee, said at a Democratic Party gathering Tuesday night at LTV. "The high water table makes our drinking water fragile . . . 20 percent is not too much to invest in water." 

Each town has drafted its own plan listing possible projects that could be undertaken with the money. In East Hampton, Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc has said, the first step will likely be testing ground and surface waters to establish baseline water-quality levels before improvement efforts are undertaken.

With Reporting by Christine Sampson

Three men, the driver of a Chevrolet S.U.V. and two passengers, were arrested on felony charges related to cocaine trafficking after a routine traffic stop in Montauk at about midnight Friday.

According to East Hampton Town police, a 2004 Trailblazer driven by Elvin Silva-Ruiz, 38, was pulled over on Main Street in front of the Shagwong Tavern because an officer saw the vehicle make an unsafe lane change and swerve across lane markings.

Police said that as Mr. Silva-Ruiz was being questioned, the officer noticed some small plastic bags containing a white powder inside the car. Additional officers were called, the driver and the passengers were searched, and were allegedly found to be in possession of small amounts of marijuana. The police then searched the car and reportedly found eight small plastic bags, one larger plastic bag, and several cellophane packets, the contents of which all later tested as cocaine, leading to the B felony charges of possession with intent to sell and possession of over an eighth of an ounce of the narcotic.

The men, Eddie Matos-Ramos, 31, and Jonathan Hernandez-Ruiz, 29, in addition to Mr. Silva-Ruiz, who had been additionally charged with driving an uninsured vehicle and a broken windshield, were brought to East Hampton Town Justice Court Saturday morning to be arraigned, but the proceedings were delayed by questions about legal representation.

As frequently happens on weekends in East Hampton, no attorney was on hand. Justice Steven Tekulsky spoke to Mr. Silva-Ruiz, the first to stand before him, through Ana Kestler, who is the head translator at the county court during the week.

Asked if he expected to be represented by an attorney, Mr. Silva-Ruiz, said, "I would like to contact one."

"Have you contacted one?"

"No. I have to call my friend to ask him because I have never been in trouble before," Mr. Silva-Ruiz answered. Mr. Silva-Ruiz was taken to a side room to call his friend, but the phones were down. When he was brought back to court, Justice Tekulsky said, "Sir, we can proceed without an attorney at this point, if you like, and I will protect all of your rights by entering a plea of not guilty to the non-felony charges, and a denial of the felony charges. However, if you wish, we can defer the formal arraignment until such time as you have an attorney. How would you like to proceed?"

"I'm confused. I don't know how you're going to protect my rights, " Mr. Silva-Ruiz said, adding that he has leukemia and asking about bail. The Suffolk County district attorney's office had asked that bail be set at $20,000, but Mr. Tekulsky said, "We're not at that point yet. I'm not telling you what you should do. I'm giving you a choice."

"I'm very confused."

"Because of your confusion, I'm not going to proceed."

"That's okay," Mr. Silva-Ruiz said.

Mr. Matos-Ramos and Mr. Hernandez-Ruiz had already told Justice Tekulsky they did not want to proceed. The men were taken back to police headquarters, from which Mr. Silva-Ruiz was able to contact his friend. Brought back to court the next morning, it turned out that each defendant had already engaged a lawyer.

Mr. Hernandez-Silva, with Christopher C. Brocato at his side, went first. He said he has lived in Montauk for the past two years and is a kitchen worker at Sloppy Tuna. Mr. Brocato briefly questioned the legality of the searches that led to the arrests, noting that his client has no criminal record. Justice Tekulsky noted that the defendant had some roots in the community, had retained private counsel, and set bail at $10,000.

Mr. Matos-Ramos was next. His attorney, Richard B. Stafford, told the court his client was a dishwasher at Arbor restaurant in Montauk. He had been planning to return to Puerto Rico, where he and the others were born. Although noting that the defendant did not have a criminal record, Justice Tekulsky said, "His roots to the community are much less significant," and he set bail at $15,000.

Mr. Silva-Ruiz, who was represented by Ian T. Fitzgerald, was arraigned next. He works in the kitchen at the Montauk restaurant called Navy Beach, has never been arrested, and has been in Montauk for the past few years. Mr. Fitzgerald also questioned the legality of the search. Bail was set $10,000.

Within an hour of the men being taken back to police headquarters, another employee of Navy Beach arrived with $20,000 in cash as bail for Mr. Hernandez-Ruiz and Mr. Silva-Ruiz, and they were released. No one, however, had posted bail for Mr. Matos-Ramos as of Tuesday morning, and he was sent to county jail in Riverside. The three are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, but if Mr. Matos-Ramos is not indicted by a grand jury on the felony charges by the end of that day, he will be set free.

The National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm warning for Long Island.

As of 11 a.m. Saturday, forecasters watching Tropical Storm Hermine upgraded the area between Watch Hill, R.I., and Sandy Hook, N.J., from a tropical storm watch to a tropical storm warning. The designation means that storm-force winds and bay and ocean surges were likely to affect the region in the next 36 hours.

"Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours, and Hermine is expected to be near hurricane intensity on Sunday," the hurricane center said in its 11 a.m. alert.

Hermine is expected to become a hurricane late Sunday and meander slowly over the Atlantic until Wednesday, when it will lose strength and begin to move more rapidly and away from shore.

Flooding at times of high tide, as well as heavy surf and dangerous conditions on the ocean are expected through Wednesday.

"The slow motion and large wind field associated with Hermine will result in a long duration of hazardous conditions along much of the mid-Atlantic coast extending into southern New England through the holiday weekend," the hurricane center said.

Update, 2:40 p.m.: A man accused of pistol whipping a Springs man during a robbery on Soundview Drive in Montauk on Sunday morning was sent to county jail by East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky on Monday without the possibility of bail.

Jarryd J. Cox, 31, of Mastic and his alleged accomplice, Keirsten Escobar, 22, of Islip Terrace were arraigned on multiple felony charges.

Capt. Chris Anderson of the East Hampton Town police said that Ms. Escobar had lured Tai Truong into a desolate area off Captain Kidd's Path, apparently to have sex. It was then that Mr. Cox attacked him with a loaded pistol, according to Rudy Migliore Jr., an assistant district attorney. Police allege that Mr. Cox then stole Mr. Truong's watch, jewelry, and cash.

The two fled in a green Ford Explorer. Using a description provided by the victim, East Hampton Town police searched for them with the help of state park police, East Hampton Town Marine Patrol, and East Hampton Village Police.

The Explorer was spotted approaching Amagansett on Montauk Highway at about 10:45 a.m. Police said Mr. Cox tried to get away by driving into the Amagansett Fire Department grounds, and then crashed his car into a fence behind the Firehouse before continuing on foot into the woods and fields north of there.

A manhunt that included local, state, and county police, a state police k-9 unit, and the county's aviation unit ended when police caught up with Mr. Cox at the Balsam Farms stand on Town Lane in Amagansett.

Both defendants are facing matching multiple felony charges, including two classified as violent felonies — robbery and criminal use of a firearm — each of which calls for a minimum of five years in state prison upon conviction.

Because Mr. Cox has two prior felony convictions he is not eligible to have bail set at the local level. He served five years in state prison on a 2009 felony conviction and has also been previously convicted of robbery. Represented on Monday by Brian Francese of the Legal Aid Society, he pleaded not guilty and waived his right to be released if not indicted by Friday. Ms. Escobar also entered a not guilty plea.

Bail for her was set at $200,000, an amount she said she would not be able to post. Rudy Migliore Jr., an assistant district attorney, pointed out that Ms. Escobar has a prior arrest on a felony drug possession charge, but that charge was later adjudicated at the youthful offender level, so she has no criminal record. Under state law, she would have to be released from custody if not indicted by Friday. Mr. Migliore indicated during the arraignment that the case could well be presented to a grand jury by then. Mr. Francese told the court that Ms. Escobar lives with her mother and her daughter.

"These are extremely serious allegations," Justice Tekulsky said as he set bail.

According to Captain Anderson, the meeting between the two defendants and Mr. Truong was not by chance, but was facilitated through the internet.

Asked about the charges as he was being led out of the courthouse, Mr. Cox said, "There was no assault," adding that Mr. Truong was "a liar. It's all going to come out."

Mr. Truong was taken to the hospital to be treated for head injuries, and was released.

Original, 9:43 a.m.: A robbery at gunpoint on Soundview Avenue in Montauk Sunday morning ended with a manhunt in Amagansett and the arrest of the alleged assailant and his accomplice. Jarryd J. Cox, 31, of Mastic, and Keirsten Escobar, 22, of Islip Terrace allegedly confronted a victim with a handgun, demanding money and jewelry.

The victim, whose name was withheld by police, was struck repeatedly with the pistol on the face and head before the two fled in a green Ford Explorer. As he received medical attention before being taken to Southampton Hospital, the victim described the two attackers and their vehicle to police. Officers from East Hampton Village, the State Park police, and the Marine Patrol joined East Hampton Town police in their search. The Explorer was soon spotted approaching Amagansett on Montauk Highway.

When a police officer turned on his vehicle's emergency lights, Mr. Cox tried to get away by driving onto the Amagansett Fire Department grounds, toward the Long Island Rail Road tracks. Mr. Cox abandoned the Explorer, and Ms. Escobar, and tried to flee on foot through woods and farmland north of the highway. A helicopter was dispatched by Suffolk County police, along with a state police K-9 unit. Police caught up with Mr. Cox, they said, at Balsam Farms farmstand on Town Lane in Amagansett, where he had been trying to blend in with customers. He was taken into custody without incident, police said.

Mr. Cox served almost five years in state prison following a 2009 reckless endangerment conviction.

A search of the car turned up the stolen property, along with a handgun and a quantity of cocaine. The two are facing numerous charges for which they will be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court Monday morning, the most serious being robbery in the first degree and criminal use of a weapon in the first degree, both violent felonies carrying a minimum of five years in state prison each. They are also each facing charges of criminal possession of a weapon, assault, possession of stolen property, and cocaine possession, all felonies.

Mr. Cox is facing four additional charges, including reckless driving, driving without a license, unlawful fleeing from a police officer, and resisting arrest, all misdemeanors.

The victim was treated at the hospital for his injuries and released.

Police have asked anyone with information about the incident to contact them at 631-537-7575. 

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Correction: An update of this story following the defendants' arraignment in East Hampton Town Justice Court credited an assistant district attorney with saying that the alleged victim had been lured lured  into either a vehicle or a residence. According to Capt. Chris Anderson of the East Hampton Town police, the victim was lured into a desolate area off Captain Kidd's Path in Montauk.