Hypothermia Set In, He Got Out

An Eastport man arrested for the second time this month for drunken boating tried to escape by diving off a dinghy dock a little after midnight Monday, according to Sag Harbor Village police.

Matthew E. O’Hare, 54, remained in the water for nearly an hour, officers said, screaming profanities at them, until hypothermia set in and he climbed out. He was additionally charged with resisting arrest, obstructing law enforcement, and leaving the scene of a boating accident, and was taken to Southampton Hospital for treatment before being released back to police custody.

According to the report, Mr. O’Hare’s motor-powered dinghy struck several other dinghies in the mooring field as he tried to maneuver in the dark. He had been in the same small craft when he was arrested on July 1, following a call to police from the harbormaster, reporting a domestic incident.

The harbormaster told police that a woman was in a boat in the mooring field and that Mr. O’Hare’s dinghy had been circling around her. Brought to shore, he reportedly failed sobriety tests, and was placed under arrest. At headquarters a breath test was administered, producing a reported reading of .09, just over the number that defines intoxication.

On Monday night, Mr. O’Hara refused to take the breath test.

Following his first arrest, Sag Harbor Village Justice Lisa R. Rana ordered him released without bail. Such was not the case when he appeared in court on Tuesday, dressed in hospital-issued clothing, to face the new charges. Noting that he had been on probation recently for a drunken-driving conviction in Southampton, she said the district attorney’s office had asked that bail be set at $5,000. His Legal Aid lawyer, Sean Cambridge, argued for bail of $2,500, telling the court that Mr. O’Hare has lived in Suffolk County for the last 10 years and is hiring a private attorney.

“Five thousand dollars, cash,” Justice Rana said.

Bail was posted later Tuesday.