Queens Man Charged Under Leandra’s Law

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s task force to combat drunken driving was in East Hampton over Columbus Day weekend, resulting in seven arrests, including that of a Queens man who was said to have a child in his 2006 Honda when it was pulled over on Sunday at about 2:50 a.m.

Wilson O. Vera-Carmona, a 25-year-old from Corona, was speeding east on Montauk Highway in East Hampton before an officer caught up to him, according to the report. He reportedly failed all field sobriety tests.

Mr. Vera-Carmona was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, a felony under Leandra’s Law since the child was under 15. He was also charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17, a misdemeanor.

A Mastic Beach man with a police record dating back to 1976 is being held at the county jail in Riverside, unable to post bail, after his arrest on Sunday. Lorenzo R. Smith, 57, was finally stopped on Hand’s Creek Road in East Hampton after first being spotted weaving and failing to signal on Cedar Street and then speeding on Stephen Hand’s Path. His 2008 Dodge Avenger was going 18 miles over the 30-mile-per-hour speed limit, officers reported.

They said his license had been suspended several times, in 2000 for failure to pay child support, in 2004 for driving while ability impaired by alcohol, and in 2006 and 2011 for possession and/or sale of drugs. According to the records, Mr. Smith has been in and out of jail since he was 18, for charges ranging from petty larceny to burglary and from harassment to assault.

Charged with misdemeanor D.W.I., he was arraigned before East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky, who set bail at $2,500 cash or $10,000 bond. Mr. Smith was turned over to the county sheriff’s office when he was unable to make bail, and remained in custody as of yesterday.

Jennifer L. Farbar of East Hampton, 52, was arrested Sunday on a felony charge of driving while ability impaired by drugs. The charge was a felony because of a prior conviction within the past 10 years.

The Shelter Island officer who stopped Ms. Farbar, Anthony Rando, said she had been driving without headlights when he pulled over her 2009 Ford at 1:50 a.m. on Main Street near Newtown Lane, and that she had failed to maintain her lane and disobeyed a “no turn on red” sign. The driver was released on her own recognizance following arraignment before Justice Tekulsky later that morning.

John F. Cabrera-Guazhambo, 27, of Springs was charged with felony D.W.I. following a traffic stop there on Saturday. The East Hampton Town police officer who pulled over his 2008 Chevrolet van on Gardiner Avenue, Steven Niggles, said the driver had failed to signal when turning off Springs-Fireplace Road.

A computer check revealed that Mr. Cabrera-Guazhambo’s license had been revoked in August 2012 following a D.W.I. charge. He was supposed to have an interlock device on any car he operates, but there was none, and he was additionally charged with a misdemeanor. He was released on $1,000 bail.

Robert T. Lemmo of Smithtown, 55, was charged Saturday afternoon following an accident in Montauk. Police said they saw his 2002 Buick, headed east on South Erie Avenue, pull into a parking lot at 54 South Erie Avenue and strike a parked Jeep there, causing minor damage to a tire and rim. Mr. Lemmo told the officer he had misjudged the distance between the two vehicles.

There were no injuries, but the officer said the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, and he was charged with misdemeanor D.W.I. Mr. Lemmo was arraigned the next morning before Justice Tekulsky, who released him on $500 bail.

Clifford Joseph Cunningham, 62, of Kensington, Md., was charged on Saturday night around 11, also in Montauk. Police said Mr. Cunningham, who was driving a 2005 GMC on Flamingo Road near Kettle Hole Road, had pulled onto the shoulder without signaling and then made an illegal U-turn while blocking traffic. There was a strong odor of burnt marijuana in the car, police said. Mr. Cunningham reportedly performed poorly on the roadside sobriety test, and police found a small amount of marijuana in his possession. 

Charged with misdemeanor driving while ability impaired by drugs or alcohol and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation, he was released on $1,000 bail after an arraignment before Justice Tekulsky.

Victor E. Pacheco of Amagansett, 34, was charged with misdemeanor D.W.I. at about 12:10 a.m. on Sunday after a traffic stop on Pantigo Road in East Hampton. According to town police, his 2002 Ford, with Illinois license plates, crossed several times over the double yellow lines, and he reportedly failed field tests. Justice Tekulsky released him on $1,000 bail later that day.

East Hampton Village police made one drunken-driving arrest this past week, that of Angel Garcia Alvarez of East Hampton, who was charged with misdemeanor D.W.I. On Saturday at about 3:30 a.m., Mr. Garcia Alvarez was headed south on Jericho Lane in a 1999 Dodge Durango when, police said, he turned right onto Jericho Close Lane without signaling. He appeared intoxicated, they said, and was found to be driving without a valid license, his license having been suspended four times.

In addition to drunken driving, he was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, also a misdemeanor; unlicensed operation, a violation, and a traffic infraction. Because he had a prior conviction for driving without a license, his Durango was seized. Mr. Garcia Alvarez was sent to the county jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.

Town police made three other D.W.I. arrests during the week, before the holiday weekend task force sweep.

Gerald T. Keating Jr. of East Hampton, 34, was behind the wheel of a 2002 Toyota that lacked headlights, according to police, when they pulled it over on Springs-Fireplace Road in Springs at around 1 a.m. last Thursday. Police also said the car had swerved onto the shoulder before being stopped. Back at Wainscott headquarters, they said, the driver took the Intoxilyzer test and his blood-alcohol level was above 0.18, triggering a misdemeanor charge of aggravated D.W.I. Justice Lisa R. Rana arraigned Mr. Keating and released him on $500 bail.

The same charge was leveled against Maxwell D. Sztabnik, 30, of Flushing, Queens, who also had a reported blood-alcohol level above 0.18. He had been pulled over on Friday at around 12:30 a.m., on Route 114 near Coultes Lane in East Hampton, after swerving and failing to signal a turn, police said. Justice Rana released him on $500 bail as well.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, Arnulfo E. Moncayo-Rivera, 26, of Springs was charged with misdemeanor D.W.I. Police stopped him at 1:40 a.m. on Three Mile Harbor-Hog Creek Road; one headlight on his 1994 Toyota with Illinois plates was out, they said. The arresting officer said there was an open Corona beer in the cup holder, empty Corona bottles on the driver’s-side floor, and three full Corona beers in the back seat, and that Mr. Moncayo-Rivera performed poorly on all field sobriety tests. Justice Tekulsky released him later that morning on $750 bail.