License Suspended Following Crash in Springs

A Springs woman was charged with drunken driving on Wednesday evening after crashing into a car in the lane opposite the one on which she was driving. The collision occurred on Springs Fireplace Road, the intersection of Fort Pond Boulevard. The driver of the other car was taken to Southampton Hospital, complaining of back pain.

Alexandra Moret, 47, was driving south in a 2016 Volkswagen when she allegedly veered into the opposite lane at about 5:11 p.m., where a 2012 Chevrolet being driven by Wendy Verity of Springs was waiting to turn. Both vehicles were badly damaged and were towed away.

Police said that when an officer arrived, Ms. Moret was out of her car. "I had one glass of wine," she allegedly told the officer. She failed the roadside sobriety tests administered at the site and refused to take a breath test, both on the side of the road and at police headquarters. Besides the driving while intoxicated charge, she was charged with making an unsafe lane change.

Two ambulances were called to the scene, but Ms. Moret declined medical attention. Ms. Verity was treated at Southampton Hospital and released. The report indicated that she was conscious when police arrived.

After being held overnight, Ms. Moret was arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court Thursday by Justice Lisa R. Rana. Ms. Moret's attorney, Edward Burke Jr., entered a not guilty plea on her behalf, telling the court that his client had been returning from a trip out of town at the time of the accident. Ms. Moret began crying when the arraignment was over.

Rudy Migliore Jr., from the district attorney's office, acknowledged that Ms. Moret had never been in trouble with the law but pointed out the serious nature of the incident, asking that bail be set at $1,000, an amount Mr. Burke said Ms. Moret was ready to post through a sister who was in the courtroom.

Justice Rana told Ms. Moret, whose job is in sales, which normally requires driving, that she was not eligible for a hardship license because of her alleged breath test refusal at headquarters. The judge warned the defendant that she could not drive while the charges were pending. A hearing at the Department of Motor Vehicles over refusal to take the test is scheduled for next Thursday. Depending on the decision of the administrative judge who hears her case, Ms. Moret's license could be suspended for at least a year.