Extra Charge After Elbow Jab

A Southampton man who had been charged with drunken driving Monday night hit a Sag Harbor Village police officer in the face while in custody, according to village police.

Officers arrested Rafael A. Valdespino, 50, after responding, at about 11:20 p.m., to a complaint of a suspicious vehicle on Madison Street. They reportedly found Mr. Valdespino asleep behind the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee parked in the driveway of 115 Madison Street, with its ignition and lights on and music playing inside. Police said they saw an empty bottle of wine, as well as a tall glass of “clear liquid” in the cupholder, within reach of the sleeping man. 

An officer woke him up and could smell alcohol on his breath, the report said, adding that Mr. Valdespino performed poorly on field sobriety tests. Back at headquarters, his blood-alcohol level was above .18, leading to an aggravated charge of driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. 

Police said he struck an officer with his left elbow, hitting the officer in the left eye, causing redness and swelling. He was additionally charged with harassment in the second degree, a violation. 

Mr. Valdespino was arraigned in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court the next 

morning by Justice Lisa R. Rana, who released him on his own recognizance.

On April 15 at about 5:30 p.m., a single-car accident on Old Stone Highway in Springs led to a drunken-driving charge. Jessica E. Rubio, 32, who lives in the hamlet, was headed east in a 2008 Nissan sedan when she crashed into a split-rail fence just east of Springs-Fireplace Road. She was the sole occupant of the car and was not hurt. 

Ms. Rubio was charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol, an infraction. She was released on her own recognizance and she will be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court on May 8.

Christoth Y. Potharas, 38, of Leonia, N.J., was charged with misdemeanor D.W.I. in Montauk on April 9. According to East Hampton Town police, his 2005 Subaru became disabled on Old Montauk Highway, near Davis Drive. The car had white marks on the front bumper and damage to the driver’s side wheel. Mr. Potharas told police he had hit something, but he was not able to say what it was. He was standing by the car when police first spoke to him, the report said. 

Mr. Potharas was released on his own recognizance and taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for evaluation. He appeared in court last Thursday and is due back on May 16.