‘Somehow I Hit a Tree, Yes, I Am Drunk’

There were numerous arrests last week on drunken-driving charges, including four made overnight Saturday during a county-sponsored police sweep. All charges were at the misdemeanor level.

Christopher S. Verity of Montauk, 23, was arrested around midnight on Friday after his 1990 GMC pickup truck veered off Breeze Hill Road, East Hampton, and hit a tree. “I was driving home and somehow I hit a tree,” he told the arresting officer, adding, “Yes, I am drunk.” Police found an open container of alcohol in the truck and charged him with that as well.

After treatment at Southampton Hospital for facial abrasions, Mr. Verity was released back to police custody. He refused to participate in any tests that would reveal the level of alcohol in his blood, police said.

East Hampton Town Justice Lisa R. Rana set bail of $350 at his arraignment the next morning, which was posted.

In Sag Harbor early Tuesday morning, Scott G. McClain of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., lost control of his 2012 Chevrolet on Washington Street. The car hopped a curb and ended up on Division Street, where police found it.

Mr. McClain reportedly refused to take a breath test at headquarters. Because Justice Rana had a trial scheduled that morning in East Hampton, he was taken to that courthouse, where she set bail at $700. He was taken back to Sag Harbor afterward, where a friend posted bail for him.

Gaspar Acevedo-Rodriguez, Alexander H. Reinwald, 37, Louis C. Balducci, 58, and Cleber Leonidas Penaloza-Ochoa, 48, were arrested during Saturday night’s police sweep.

Mr. Penaloza-Ochoa, who lives in Springs, was charged first. Town police pulled his 2002 Lexus over on Abraham’s Path near Town Lane in Amagansett, saying the car had been swerving across the road and had several equipment violations; he was additionally charged with driving with a suspended license. His breath test at headquarters was reported at .13 of 1 percent.

He was released without bail, as was Mr. Balducci, who told the court that he splits his time between Montauk and Manhattan. He had been stopped yards from his Montauk address for failing to yield the right of way and failing to stay right. His breath test produced an alleged reading of .09, just over the .08 number that triggers the drunken-driving charge.

Mr. Reinwald, a Springs resident who recently moved there from Montauk, tested .13 on the Breathalyzer, Justice Rana said during his arraignment. She noted that this was not his first arrest in recent years on a charge of driving while intoxicated, and set bail at $1,000, which was posted. Mr. Reinwald’s arrest report had not been released as of press time.

Mr. Acevedo-Rodriguez, 27, was stopped in Montauk, where police said he had been speeding and making an ­unsafe lane change, and charged with ­driving while high on drugs as well as possession of a controlled substance. A ­native of Puerto Rico, he told Justice Rana he was working in Montauk for the summer. Bail was set at $1,000, which was posted.

Eight agencies including East Hampton and Sag Harbor officers, county sheriff’s and police departments, Shelter Island police, and officers from Riverhead and Southold Town took part in the sweep. East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael D. Sarlo expressed gratitude Tuesday for the continuing efforts by the office of District Attorney Thomas Spota in coordinating D.W.I. sweeps, and also thanked the participating agencies “for working with us to continue to combat drunk driving and making our roadways safer.”

Others charged with D.W.I. last week were Wilmer Valladarez-Valladares of Springs, 24, who was taken into custody early last Thursday morning. Police said they spotted his 1998 Mazda swerving on Springs-Fireplace Road in Springs. Bail was set at $500 later that morning, which was posted.

Wilmer S. Guartazaca Guartazaca of Amagansett, 27, was arrested in East Hampton Village last Thursday night at the Town Lane-Accabonac Road intersection in East Hampton. His 2000 Mercury Cougar crossed the double yellow line, village police said. His breath test reportedly produced a .13 reading. Held overnight for a morning arraignment, he was released after posting $400 bail.

Angel H. Uyaguri-Farez, 27, of Springs was pulled over on Jackson Street in East Hampton for multiple moving violations, police said. His reading was fairly high, at .16, Justice Rana noted, but he has been in East Hampton for 16 years and has never been in trouble with the law. She released him without bail, but with a place on her very busy criminal calendar this fall.