Engine Fluids Trail Led Cops to Alleged Drunk Driver in Montauk

The following reports were announced on Oct. 25.

Following an accident in Montauk on Oct. 19 at about 10:30 p.m., East Hampton Town police followed a trail of engine fluids to a house and arrested Maureen T. Keller, 55, of Montauk, on drunken driving and drug charges. A witness called police after she saw a small, white sport utility vehicle hit a retaining wall on Essex Street. The trail engine fluids left behind led them to a driveway on Fairview Avenue, where they saw a Suzuki with "severe front end damage," parked and running with its hazard lights on, the arrest report said. Keller was allegedly in the driver's seat. Police said she told them she swerved to avoid hitting a deer. While she reportedly performed poorly on the field sobriety tests, Keller refused to submit to the Intoxilyzer test. She was arrested just after 11 p.m., and during a search of her person, police found "a pink Ziplock-style bag containing a white powdery substance that later field tested positive for the presence of cocaine" in a match box in her front jacket pocket. She was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and leaving the scene of an accident, also a misdemeanor. East Hampton Town Justice Catherine A. Cahill released her on her own recognizance.

East Hampton Village police arrested a 17-year-old East Hampton man on a driving while intoxicated charge on Oct. 24 at about 3:20 a.m. Police witheld his name because he is eligible for youthful offender status. They said they pulled him over after he failed to stop at a stop sign on corner of Railroad Avenue and Newtown Lane. He appeared drunk and allegedly admitted to drinking three beers. East Hampton Town Justice Lisa R. Rana released him on $750 bail.