Community Corner

Town Police Log: Cops Say Young Driver Put Brother in Danger

The following information was supplied by the East Hampton Town Police Department. A criminal charge is only an accusation and does not indicate guilt.

The following was released for the week of April 2.

• A 17-year-old from East Hampton was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, as a felony, under Leandra's Law, child endangerment, possession of marijuana, and several other violations following an accident on March 24. The driver's name was withheld due to his youthful offender status. Police said the driver was behind the wheel of an uninsured 2006 Toyota with his 15-year-old brother and a 17-year-old boy as passengers when he crashed with with a 2000 Jeep as he tried to turn onto Austin Road from Three Mile Harbor Road at about 12:40 a.m. The driver of the Jeep complained of injuries, but neither she nor the occupants of the other car were taken to the hospital. Justice Cahill set bail at $5,000.

Domestic Incident Leads to Jail

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

• Just days after turning 24, Jose B. Maria-Jimenez, of East Hampton, was arrested on a charge of criminal obstruction of breathing, a misdemeanor, and second-degree harassment, a violation, and held on $12,500 bail. Police said he punched a woman in the stomach and tried to choke her during a domestic argument on March 29 around 3 p.m. An order of protection has been served. Justice Catherine A. Cahill arraigned him the following day.

Man Says He Was Threatened with Bat

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

• Carlos M. Altagracia, 21, of Montauk, was arrested on charges of second-degree menacing with a weapon and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon in Montauk on March 24. According to his arrest report, he allegedly threatened another man, sitting in a work van, with a baseball bat around 8 a.m.

Ignoring a Court Order

• Carlos G. Morocho, 31, of Sag Harbor, was arrested after he was founding driving without a court-order device that checks his alcohol level before the ignition will start. Police said they responded to a domestic dispute on the side of the road on Swamp Road on March 28 at about 10 p.m. A check of his driving record revealed Morocho's license had been revoked and suspended for alcohol-related charges. He also has to use an Ignition Interlock device, but did not have one. He was charged with two misdemeanors, including second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation.

• Jose A. Rea-Barrera, 50, of East Hampton, was also arrested on a charge of circumventing an Interlock device. He had been pulled over in a 2002 Gold Saturn for allegedly speeding on Cedar Street on March 28. Pulled over on Stephen Hands Path, the driver produced an Ecuadorian passport with the name of Victor M. Rea-Barrera and a 1984 birth date. Police arrested him on a charge of false personation, another misdemeanor. A history check also revealed his license had been revoked on March 7 for a driving while intoxicated charge. He was additionally charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vechicle with aprevious conviction.

• Jorge L. Zuniga, 28, of Hampton Bays, was also charged with circumventing an Interlock device. He was arrested on March 26 at 6:35 p.m., after being pulled over on Three Mile Harbor-Hog Creek Road, near Boatyard Drive, in East Hampton. His license had been suspended after a DWI arrest and subsequently for other reasons since 2005. He was released on $200 station house bail.

DWI Arrests

• Patrick M. Rice, 55, of East Hampton, was arrested on a DWI charge on March 24 at 8:20 p.m. Police said Rice was swerving in a 1991 Mitsubishi on Stephen Hands Path, near Cedar Street. Rice refused to take a breath test at headquarters. Held overnight, Justice Catherine A. Cahill released him the following day on his own recognizance.

• Ivan F. Yupa-Buestan, 28, of East Hampton, was arrested on a misdemeanor aggravated DWI charge on April 1 at 4:20 a.m. According to police, an officer on patrol saw a 2003 Ford Taurus being driven on the shoulder of the road. He appeared drunk. Police also discovered his license had been suspended three times for failure to answer a summons. He was released on $500 bail.

• Andrew P. Gualtieri, 21, of East Hampton, was arrested on a DWI charge in Amagansett on March 25 at 3:15 a.m. Police said they observed Gualtieri speeding on Montauk Highway, near Miankoma Lane. Justice Cahill arraigned him later that day and released him on his own recognizance.

Parade-Day Arrests

• This week, police released the name of the driver who allegedly drove drunk in an Amagansett crash that sent two to the hospital. Christian L. Topping, 31, of Bridgehampton, was arrested and charged with DWI after he . Police said they were called to the accident at 3:18 p.m. When they arrived, they saw a man in a sweatshirt and navy pants walking away from the scene. An officer spoke to him and he appeared intoxicated, so he was placed under arrest. One woman was airlifted to Stony Brook University Medical Center to be treated for her injuries and another woman, the owner of the Chevy truck that crashed, was taken to Southampton Hospital. Another passenger was not injured. Topping refused to take a field sobriety test or a breath test at headquarters. He was held overnight and released on his own recognizance.

• A 17-year-old from Shirley was charged with criminal impersonation in the second-degree, a misdemeanor, during the parade in Montauk on March 25. Police on foot patrol observed the defendant holding an open Bud Light beer can in public on Montauk Highway. When asked for his identification, he identified himself as someone else. They also found him in possession of 29 beer cans, all of which was confiscated. He was released into the custody of his father.

• Matthew J. Cullen, 22, of the Bronx, was arrested on a DWI charge in Montauk on March 25 at about 7:30 p.m. Police said they saw his 2002 Mazda swerving on Main Street, near South Eldor Street, and pulled him over. He refused to submit to a breath test. He was released on $2,500 bail the following day.

• Richard O. Stevens, 40, of Sag Harbor, was picked up on an aggravated DWI charge on March 25 at about 8:30 p.m. Police also said he was swerving in a 2007 Toyota on South Flamingo Avenue, near North Farragut Road, and failed to signal, before driving onto a grassy area off the roadway. He was held overnight and released on $1,500 bail.

• Kurt D. Lawrence, 46, of Manorville, was arrested on a felony DWI due to two prior convictions, and first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, also a felony. According to his arrest report, he was pulled over on Flamingo Avenue, near Falcon Road, in Montauk on March 25 at 10:30 p.m. Police said his license had been suspended three times. His vehicle was suspended.

• Alexander C. Borg, 28, of Huntington, was arrested on a charge of fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor, in Montauk on March 25 at about 2 p.m. An officer said he saw Borg smoking from a pipe in a parking lot on Montauk Highway. He was released on his own recognizance and given an appearance ticket.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here