An East Hampton man was charged with drunken driving shortly after midnight Monday after crashing his 2009 Mercedes Benz into a telephone pole in Wainscott, according to East Hampton Town police.
William A. Dreher Jr., 48, told the first officer to arrive that he had lost control of the car “due to wet pavement.” He had been eastbound, just past the Montauk Highway intersection with West Gate Road, before veering across the highway and hitting the pole.
The officer said there was a strong smell of alcohol about the driver, who denied, however, that he had been drinking, saying, “I don’t drink. I had a soda.” Police, who said his speech was slurred, could not administer field sobriety tests as Mr. Dreher had injured his lower left leg in the crash. He was taken to Southampton Hospital, treated, and released to police custody. Back at headquarters, each time he was asked to take a breath test to determine his alcohol level, he wrote the word “Refuse” on the form, according to the report.
He was released without bail after being arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court, but with a future date on the criminal calendar. Besides the drunken-driving charge, he faces charges of speeding, failure to keep right, and a lane violation.
Southampton Town Police arrested another South Fork man after a one-car accident early Monday morning that sent all four of the vehicle’s occupants to the hospital.
Mosel Katzter, 54, of Southampton was behind the wheel a little before 3 a.m. when he allegedly ran a stop sign at the intersection of Halsey and Paul’s Lanes in Bridgehampton. Police said he lost control of the car, which rolled over and ended up in nearby woods. The Bridgehampton Fire Department’s Heavy Rescue squad was brought in to help remove the occupants, who were transported to Southampton Hospital by ambulances from Southampton Town and Village, and from Sag Harbor.
All four were released after treatment, but Mr. Katzter spent the next several hours in a holding cell at Southampton police headquarters awaiting a morning arraignment. Bail information was not immediately available.
Also in Southampton, Miguel Gonzalez Dominguez, 22, of that town was charged with drunken driving on July 24, as well as unlicensed driving, a felony. He was released the next morning on $200 bail, and will be back in court in the future.
New York State troopers, in coordination with East Hampton Town police, have been patrolling Montauk all summer, and made another arrest last Thursday. Jeffrey R. Arlynn Jr., 38, of Brooklyn, was pulled over on South Embassy Street for crossing lane lines, leading to a charge against him of driving while intoxicated, along with possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor. His passenger, Fahey L. Kira, 19, of New York City, was charged with, possession of a forged instrument, possibly a driver’s license, as well as possession of a small amount of marijuana. They were to be arraigned today in East Hampton.
Sag Harbor Village police charged a Scarsdale, N.Y., woman a little after midnight Saturday with aggravated D.W.I. Police said Mare T. Wilson, 52, ran a stop sign at the Main Street traffic circle before being arrested. At police headquarters, she took the chemical breath test, with a reported reading of .18 of 1 percent, well above the legal level. She was released later that morning with a future date in court.
Also arrested this past weekend on drunken-driving charges were Melanie L. Boccio, 21, of Manorville; Andrew J. Flood, 29, of New York City, and Michael A. London, of New York and Montauk. Mr. London refused to take the breath test, meaning his right to drive a car in New York State has been revoked for 12 months.
Update: easthamptonstar.com/Police/20141002/Charge-Dismissed-Speed-Plea