Amagansett Man Faces Charges

A 56-year-old man with a history of drunken driving was slapped with several charges on Saturday afternoon, including a felony under Leandra’s Law, after East Hampton Town police reported finding him driving while intoxicated in Amagansett with two teenagers in the car.

Just after 3 p.m., Ronald A. Merrill, who lives in Amagansett, was southbound on Old Stone Highway near Albert’s Landing Road when police clocked his 2002 Ford at 45 miles per hour in a 30 m.p.h. zone. A 14-year-old boy was in the front passenger seat and another 14-year-old was sitting on an overturned bucket in the back of the van. 

Mr. Merrill, who was held overnight for a morning arraignment, was charged with two D.W.I. felonies: first, under Leandra’s Law, because his passengers were under 16; second, because of a conviction on the charge within the past 10 years. The conviction was in Southampton Town Justice Court on Sept. 2, 2014, police said. 

Additionally, Mr. Merrill was charged with two counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17, a misdemeanor. East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky released him Sunday on $2,500 bail.

Following a road rage incident in Montauk, James D. Mitchell of that hamlet, 49, was charged Friday afternoon with felony D.W.I. Police said he had two prior convictions, both nearly a decade ago. 

Mr. Mitchell was stopped on Montauk Highway near South Essex Street at about 3:40 p.m. as he was heading west in a 2007 GMC. Police pulled him over after receiving a report that he had pulled out in front of another car whose driver had to brake so sharply that his dog lurched forward. A verbal altercation followed.

Mr. Mitchell was convicted of drunken driving twice, the second time within days of the first, in 2009, in Riverhead and in East Hampton. Had this latest incident occurred after September, it would have been classified as a misdemeanor. Justice Tekulsky arraigned him on Saturday and released him on $1,000 bail.

Polivio B. Pintado-Pizarro, 30, was charged with misdemeanor D.W.I. Friday night after being pulled over a few feet from his house, on Bathgate Road in Wainscott. Police said they stopped his 2008 Jeep, at about 11:20 p.m., for inadequate taillights, and that he appeared intoxicated and performed poorly on field sobriety tests. 

A check with the Department of Motor Vehicles revealed that his license had been revoked in July 2017 for operating without insurance and had never been restored. He was additionally charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, a misdemeanor. 

Justice Tekulsky released him on $250 bail following his arraignment Saturday.

At about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Luis R. Ortiz-Rocano of Springs, 38, was also charged with misdemeanor D.W.I. He was headed south on Three Mile Harbor Road, near Abraham’s Path in East Hampton, when, according to police, his 2006 Jeep swerved into the oncoming lane. He was said to have failed the roadside sobriety tests. Justice Tekulsky released him on $500 bail. 

Finally, an Amagansett man was  charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol, an infraction under the law, on Friday evening at about 9:20 p.m. Julio S. Pena-Tacuri, 25, was stopped on Montauk Highway near Indian Wells Highway in Amagansett when an officer saw his 2002 Nissan swerve onto the shoulder. His blood-alcohol level was below .08, the legal limit, but above .05, police said, enough to bring the impairment charge.

A police sergeant released Mr. Pena-Tacuri on his own recognizance with an order to appear in court on Wednesday.