Town police have leveled new drunken-driving charges in separate incidents against two East Hampton men who were convicted of the crime within the last 10 years, which elevates the charges to felonies.
On May 13 at 12:35 a.m., on Springs-Fireplace Road in Springs, officers reported spotting Juan C. Coello-Yunga crossing both the double-yellow lines and the white fog lines. The license-plate lamps on his 2006 Ford van were later deemed inadequate.
He was stopped on Copeces Lane, where he was said to be smelling of alcohol, slurring his speech, and having bloodshot eyes. He later failed roadside sobriety tests, police said, and was arrested shortly before 1 a.m., charged with two felony counts of D.W.I. as well as a misdemeanor count for lacking a court-mandated engine interlock device.
Mr. Coello-Yunga, 38, was arraigned later that morning by Justice David Filer, who released him on his own recognizance. He is being represented by Luis Pagan and is due back in court on June 5.
Five days later, shortly before 3 a.m. on Stephen Hand’s Path near Bull Path in East Hampton, police charged Victor L. Nieves Saca, 32, with two counts of felony D.W.I. They stopped his northbound 2018 Toyota, they said, after the driver failed to dim his bright lights for oncoming traffic. According to the report, Mr. Nieves “performed poorly on parts of the standardized field sobriety tests.”
Justice Filer released him on his own recognizance later that morning. He is due back in court on July 31; he had no attorney as of press time.