Wedding Party Ends in Court

A 28-year-old from Nashville, with a history of drunken driving in Tennessee, was only in town over the weekend to attend a wedding with his parents and girlfriend, but now has to return to East Hampton Justice Court to answer felony drunken-driving charges. 

Clifton T. Noonan was driving a Hertz rental car, a 2017 Nissan, when he struck two parked cars on East Hampton Main Street at around 7 on Sunday morning, according to village police. He sideswiped a 2013 Honda, owned by Luis N. Realozado of Springs, and a 2015 Lexus, owned by Betsy J. Flinn of Port St. Lucie, Fla., that were parked across the street from the entrance to the Circle. All three cars were damaged.

Police said Mr. Noonan appeared intoxicated, with an odor of alcohol on his breath, his speech slurred, and his eyes bloodshot. After failing roadside sobriety tests he was taken back to Cedar Street headquarters, where his blood-alcohol level produced a reported reading of .15.

Because he has an alcohol-related conviction within the last 10 years, the charge is a felony. Mr. Noonan was also charged with unsafe lane-changing, unlawful possession of marijuana, and refusal to take a pre-screen breath test.

He was held that day and overnight. At his arraignment Monday morning, Justice Lisa R. Rana suspended his New York State driving privileges and set bail at $5,000. His family was expected to post it that day. He was told to return here for a Dec. 12 court date. 

A Sagaponack man, David A. Weinzweig, 40, was driving through Sag Harbor Village at about 4:15 a.m. on Sept. 23, intoxicated and in possession of a small amount of cocaine, according to village police, who noticed that his 1999 Mercury Mountaineer had no brake lights and was swerving. They pulled him over in the Gulf station on Hampton Street and said he performed poorly on field sobriety tests.  

Police said they found a small clear baggy containing a white powdery substance in one of his pockets and a small wooden box containing a green leafy substance in another.

Police also noticed two open Camel cigarette packs on the floor of the car. One pack reportedly contained three cigarettes and two more baggies with white powder; the other contained 10 cigarettes and five more baggies with the same white powdery substance. Tests revealed the white powder was cocaine and the green leafy substance was marijuana, according to the report.  

Mr. Weinzweig was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. His blood-alcohol level was .18, police said, the figure that triggers a charge of aggravated D.W.I. He faces additional charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. Justice Rana, presiding over Sag Harbor Village Court, arraigned him later that morning and released him on $500 bail. He is due back in court tomorrow morning. 

His car was impounded because it was in a private parking lot, according to Chief Austin McGuire. 

Sag Harbor police also reported the arrest of David C. Gaviola, 26, of East Hampton, on a misdemeanor D.W.I. charge. Police said his 2006 BMW 325 was coming out from an alleyway next to Conca D’Oro restaurant at about 1 a.m. on Sunday when it crossed a safety zone in violation of the posted signs. An officer confronted Mr. Gaviola after he pulled into a parking space in front of the Apple Bank and said he failed the field tests. He reportedly refused to submit to a chemical test back at headquarters. 

  Justice Rana released him on his own recognizance later that morning.  

East Hampton Town police charged Erik A. MacMurray with misdemeanor D.W.I. Sept. 26. The 37-year-old, who lives and works in Montauk, was stopped on West Lake Drive there just after 2 a.m.; police said they clocked his 1997 Toyota Camry at 39 miles per hour in a 30 m.p.h. zone. He was additionally charged with numerous traffic infractions, including following another car too closely, making an unsafe turn, failing to keep right, and failing to signal. His blood alcohol level was reported to be .09. 

Police also found that Mr. MacMurray’s license had been suspended four times, and charged him also with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, another misdemeanor. Justice Rana released him on his own recognizance. “You need to get an attorney by 10/5,” she told him, “and in the meantime, don’t drive. No reason you cannot walk to work.”

Also in Montauk, Colin David Murray, 36, of San Diego was charged with misdemeanor D.W.I. on Saturday. Police stopped him on Flamingo Avenue at about 3:40 a.m. saying he had been speeding at 50 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. zone. Justice Rana released him on $2,500 bail.