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Woken Up by an Officer

Thu, 08/22/2024 - 11:35

After a woman called Sag Harbor Village police to report a man “passed out” in a red Cadillac on Long Wharf on the night of Aug. 14, an officer found the vehicle, which was parked but still running, and attempted several times to wake the man in the driver’s seat, police said.

Eventually, Monte Albers de Leon, 46, of New York City, awoke and agreed to take field sobriety tests, during which he allegedly had difficulty keeping his balance and staying awake. Police also said that his pupils were dilated.

A breath test was negative for alcohol, but the officer then located several small bags of an “unknown substance” in Mr. Albers de Leon’s pockets, which later tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamine, police allege.

Mr. Albers de Leon was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, a felony due to the defendant's prior conviction. He was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. The next morning, Sag Harbor Justice Carl Irace released him without bail after an overnight hold and ordered him to return on Aug. 23 for a follow-up court appearance.

Separately, an East Hampton man faces three charges, including aggravated drunken driving, a Class-E felony, after he was seen driving on the wrong side of Windmill Lane in Amagansett early in the morning of Aug. 10.

After watching the 2016 Dodge Ram cross the double yellow lines and swerve onto the grassy shoulder, police conducted a traffic stop, and said Luis Aguilar, 26, had “bloodshot and glassy” eyes, slurred speech, and was unsteady on his feet. Police reportedly also discovered a small plastic bag in Mr. Aguilar’s rear pocket with a white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine.

Mr. Aguilar consented to a breath test, the result of which is redacted in police reports. By New York State law, however, a test over .18 percent classifies as an aggravated D.W.I.

Police charged Mr. Aguilar with two additional offences, an additional class-E felony for having a standard D.W.I. conviction in March 2023 and a class-A misdemeanor drug possession.

East Hampton Town Justice David Filer released Mr. Aguilar on his own recognizance the following day, ordering him to return to court on Sept. 25.

Long Days on the Fire Line In Orange County

East Hampton and Amagansett firefighters volunteered to head north last week to help fight a 5,000-acre wildfire in Orange County, N.Y., not once but twice, battling unfamiliar terrain to do so. “They fight fires completely differently than we do when we have a brush fire,” the Amagansett chief said.

Nov 21, 2024

Awards for Good Policing in Handgun Scuffle

“It could have gone worse. We’re lucky that I have officers here that weren’t shot,” said Police Chief Jeff Erickson at Friday’s East Hampton Village Board meeting. Chief Erickson was recognizing Sgt. Wayne Gauger and Officers John Clark and Robbie Greene for a traffic stop on Aug. 31 that turned into a scuffle and the eventual confiscation of an illegal gun.

Nov 21, 2024

On the Police Logs 11.21.24

A Three Mile Harbor Drive resident reported an online dating scam on the afternoon of Nov. 16. Somehow, said the 80-year-old man, a person on the dating platform had gotten his phone number and demanded $2,000 from him, threatening to tell his family he was using the site if he did not comply. Police told the man to block the number.

Nov 21, 2024

Head-On Collision on Route 27

A 2-year-old was taken to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital following a head-on collision Saturday afternoon on State Route 27 near Upland Road in Montauk.

Nov 21, 2024

 

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