The second big holiday weekend of the season brought with it numerous arrests for drunken driving, both in East Hampton Town and Sag Harbor Village.
Last Thursday night on North Main Street in East Hampton, town police charged Alexis Waldo of Sag Harbor, 28, with driving while intoxicated after spotting a broken taillight on her 2009 Chevy. Her breath smelled of alcohol, officers reported, and a breathalyzer test confirmed it. She was held overnight for a morning appearance in East Hampton Justice Court before Justice Steven Tekulsky, and is to return there on July 21.
Later that same evening, police clocked John Banker, 21, of Southampton, driving a 2017 Jeep on Amagansett Main Street at 54 miles per hour in a 30-m.p.h. zone. He was pulled over near Hand Lane, failed the roadside tests, and spent the rest of the night at town police headquarters in Wainscott. He too is to be back in court on July 21.
The following night, Friday, Pablo Caizabravo of Southampton, 47, was similarly charged. Police said they saw his 2004 Dodge cross the double yellow lines on Jackson Street, near Three Mile Harbor Road, after failing to signal the turn. He too failed the field sobriety test and was detained for the rest of the night before being arraigned by Justice Lisa R. Rana in the morning. He is due back in court on Aug. 3.
Two people were parked Saturday night at Maidstone Park when their 2012 Audi S.U.V. was hit from behind by a 2021 Volkswagen. The unattended VW, which had been parked behind them, was pushed into their car by a 2004 Honda, the driver of which fled the scene of the accident. Town police later found its driver, Jonnathan Chapa-Arias, at his East Hampton house, and determined him to be intoxicated. He told the officers he’d been driving on Maidstone Park Road when he collided with a third vehicle, a 2022 Tesla S.U.V.; that collision, police determined, caused the chain reaction affecting the other two cars. Happily, no one was hurt. Mr. Chapa-Arias was taken to town police headquarters, processed, and held overnight. Justice Rana freed him in the morning to await an Aug. 3 court date.
On Sunday night, William Rivas-Ovalle of East Hampton, 47, was charged with misdemeanor D.W.I. after town police pulled him over on Springs-Fireplace Road close to Abraham’s Path. His 2004 Honda had backed out of a driveway, they said; stopped in the middle of the road, then started up again and swerved multiple times into the oncoming lane. Police activated their siren, but Mr. Rivas-Ovalle did not stop immediately; when he finally did, the Honda ran up against a curb. Held overnight, he appeared in the morning before Justice
Rana, who released him with a ticket to be back in court on Aug. 4.
On the afternoon of July 4, an accident at Madison Street and Jermain Avenue in Sag Harbor, in which one of the cars, a 2020 Dodge Caravan, left the scene, sent Sag Village police on a search for it. They found it near Oakland Cemetery, being driven by Agustin Maldonado, 45, of the Bronx, who said he didn’t remember being involved in an accident. Police noticed, however, that the Caravan was missing a bumper, which they’d recovered not long before from the accident scene. They also noticed a bottle of Modelo beer in the van, in plain sight. Mr. Maldonado was charged with aggravated D.W.I. and a violation, and arraigned the next morning in Sag Harbor Village Court.
In late reports from the week before, a Sag Harbor man, 28-year-old Manuel Sacancela-Guaman, was arrested on June 19 after an officer saw his gold 2007 Honda swerve onto the southbound shoulder of Route 114 near Stephen Hand’s Path in East Hampton. The driver consented to a breath test, which recorded a blood-alcohol figure above the legal level. Police later discovered that Mr. Sacancela-Guaman had been convicted of drunken driving just five months ago, in February, which raised the current charge to a felony. Not only that, he was charged with a second felony in connection with an alcohol-related offense that happened last summer, after which his license was revoked, and had not yet been restored. Justice Rana released him on his own recognizance. He is due back in Justice Court on July 28.
A 2008 Chevy Silverado driven by Luis Sagbay-Coyago, 47, of East Hampton was seen weaving, crossing into the oncoming lane, and failing to yield to traffic as he was turning left from Springs-Fireplace Road into Queen’s Lane, East Hampton, on the night of June 26. Police said his speech was slurred and that he failed the roadside tests before being charged with D.W.I. While arresting him, they saw two prior drunken-driving convictions on his record within the past 10 years, and he too faces a raised felony charge. He was additionally charged with a misdemeanor for failure to have a required Interlock device in the car, which would have prevented it from starting if he was intoxicated. He was arraigned the next day by Justice Tekulsky, and is due back in court next Thursday.
Early on June 27, James Woolery, 53, of Bronxville, N.Y., was seen to approach the intersection of Abraham’s Path and Accabonac Road in East Hampton and signal for a right turn. However, he continued straight through the intersection, police said, never disengaging the turning signal, and was pulled over. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol, police said, and he was charged with misdemeanor D.W.I., a first offense. He was held until later that morning, arraigned by Justice Tekulsky, and is due back in court on July 21.
