Car Crashed Into Montauk St. Patrick's Day Parade Reviewing Stand
A 52-year-old woman from Westchester County whose car crashed into a reviewing stand soon after Sunday's Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick's Day parade ended faces a felony charge of aggravated drunken driving.
The temporary stand, near Carl Fisher Plaza not far from the former O'Murphy's Pub, now called the Saltbox, had emptied out minutes earlier. Bystanders were quick to leave the route, given the day's raw, windy conditions.
Susan L. Colbath of Somers, N.Y., failed roadside sobriety tests, according to East Hampton Town police, and was taken to headquarters in Wainscott, where a blood-alcohol test reportedly produced a reading of .22. Because the woman has been convicted of driving while intoxicated within the past 10 years, the charge is at the felony level.
Ms. Colbath was held overnight for a Monday morning arraignment. It was her third arrest on a drunken-driving charge, East Hampton Town Justice Lisa R. Rana noted. In addition to the conviction, in 2010, she was charged in 1984 with misdemeanor D.W.I.
The district attorney's office asked that bail be set at $25,000, an amount that Brian Francese of the Legal Aid Society called excessive, telling the court that Ms. Colbath has never missed a court date. Justice Rana agreed, but only to a point, setting bail at $7,500.
She asked the defendant if she would be able to post that amount. Ms. Colbath, who told the court she makes only $200 to $300 a week, turned to look at two friends who were seated behind her in the courtroom. Both shook their heads no.
"You guys don't have that kind of money," Ms. Colbath said.
Justice Rana explained that in lieu of bail, she would be taken to the county jail in Riverside, and brought back to East Hampton tomorrow. Under state law, if she has not been indicted by then she will be released without bail.
As she was led away, one of her friends tried to approach her, but the officers guarding her cautioned that they needed to keep their distance. As Ms. Colbath was being placed in the police van to be taken back to headquarters, she began to cry, pleading with her friend, who was standing several yards away, "Please get me out."