A judge has dismissed a drunken-driving charge against Mosel Katzter, whose vehicle was involved in a roll-over accident on Aug. 4 that sent him and three passengers to the hospital.
“I was not intoxicated the night of the car accident,” Mr. Katzter said in an email to The Star. He blamed the accident on faulty brakes. “Too late for me, I found out the hard way that my car model was recalled twice in the last five years for braking problems.”
Southampton Town police had brought the charge against Mr. Katzter, a real estate agent who was represented in court by Edward Burke Jr. He had pleaded guilty to imprudent speed in Southampton Town Justice Court on Sept. 17.
The accident occurred a little before 3 a.m. at the intersection of Halsey and Paul’s Lanes in Bridgehampton. Police said Mr. Katzter 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 from the vehicle and they were taken to Southampton Hospital by ambulances from Southampton Town and Village and Sag Harbor.
Brian C. Doyle, an attorney for Mr. Katzter, said last week that he had blood drawn at the hospital after the crash. When tested, Mr. Katzter’s blood alcohol level was recorded at .04 of 1 percent, far below the .08 reading that would trigger a driving while intoxicated charge, Mr. Doyle said.
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