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Arrivals Find Cold Reception

Thu, 05/23/2019 - 07:11

Bobby Conte Thornton, 24, a recent transplant from the West Coast to Manhattan, was charged with drunken driving early Saturday morning on Cedar Street in East Hampton after his rented 2016 Jeep SUV was spotted swerving across lane lines. At East Hampton Town police headquarters in Wainscott, his breath test reportedly produced a .13 reading.

During his arraignment later that morning, Mr. Thornton expressed concern about the return dates Justice Rana had offered him, Sept. 29, or Oct. 6. “I’m going into rehearsal for a show,” he told her, explaining that he is starring in Robert De Niro’s upcoming Broadway musical “A Bronx Tale.” His pleas fell on deaf ears. Justice Rana said she would not waive his appearance, at least not for the first court date, and expected him to be there with a lawyer at his side. He will be back in court on Oct. 6.

Jake Morris Dante, 18, another recent arrival from the West Coast, was in a 2016 Infiniti on Highway Behind the Pond near Wiborg’s Beach Saturday morning when East Hampton Village police spotted the vehicle in the middle of the road, not moving. They eventually charged him with driving while intoxicated and driving while high on drugs. At headquarters, he refused the breath test.

Because of the time of his arrest, which happened at 7 a.m., not long before that morning’s scheduled arraignments, he ended up spending the next 24 hours in a holding cell at Cedar Street headquarters. On Sunday morning he was taken to the courthouse, where a New York attorney, James Kilduff, and another man, Sam Schwartz, met him. Mr. Kilduff told the court that the youth had just moved from Los Angeles to an apartment on Duane Street in Manhattan, where he lives alone. He is a student at a downtown college, the lawyer said, adding that Mr. Schwartz “serves to assist Mr. Dante.” He has been hired in that capacity by Mr. Dante’s family, Mr. Kilduff said.

Justice Rana expressed concern about the teenager’s past brushes with the law, all apparently drug or alcohol-related; his past arrests are not public record due to his age. “I expect that the next time he comes to court, he is in serious treatment,” Justice Rana told his lawyer. Mr. Dante, too, will be back in court Oct. 6.

Hobson M. Howell, 70, of Montauk, was pulled over on Montauk Highway near Bluff Road in Amagansett Sunday night for speeding, police said, as well as having a burned-out headlight on his 1998 Jeep. He was released without bail.

Also freed without bail was John J. Lehmann, 27, of Springs, who was driving a 2007 Toyota Rav4 Saturday night when he ran a stop sign in Maidstone Park, Springs.

Jason I. Nordlicht, 26, of Lawrence was headed east on Montauk Highway in Amagansett early Saturday morning when his 2015 Infiniti ran a stop sign at the Old Stone Highway intersection by the train station, police said. Charged with D.W.I., he posted bail of $350, and has a future date on Justice Rana’s very busy fall criminal calendar.

Finally, a Hampton Bays man, Josue Valentin Lopez-Guzman, 32, is being held without the possibility of bail after his arrest a little after noon on Labor Day, on a felony charge of drunken driving. Town police had not released his arrest report as of press time, but in court Tuesday it was revealed that he has two prior D.W.I. convictions at the felony level. Under state law, a local court cannot set bail for a defendant with a record of two or more felonies.

As Justice Rana and Sheila Giuffrida, a Legal Aid Society lawyer, discussed the case, it became clear that even if Mr. Lopez-Guzman could post bail, he would not be freed. “He was in immigration custody for two years,” Ms. Giuffrida told the court. Justice Rana noted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had again put a hold on the defendant.

The Department of Homeland Security has deported a record number of undocumented immigrants during the Obama administration. “ICE has prioritized its limited resources on the identification and removal of threats to national security, border security, and public safety,” the agency states on its website. Multiple felony convictions for drunken driving routinely trigger an ICE hold and potential deportation proceedings.

On the Police Logs 08.07.25

An Amagansett man called police around 1 a.m. on Friday after spotting a pair of shoes, not his, on his lawn.

Aug 7, 2025

Driver in Montauk Art Show Case Back in Court

Nicole Ribeiro De Souza, the 23-year-old accused of driving her Nissan Rogue onto the Montauk Green in the early hours of June 29 and knocking down the tents of the Montauk Artists Association Art Show, was back in East Hampton Town Justice Court on July 30.

Aug 7, 2025

D.W.I. Charge After a Crash

A collision on Pantigo Road Friday, near Maple Lane, sent an Amagansett man to Stony Brook Hospital’s new East Hampton Emergency Department and resulted in a charge of drunken driving.

Aug 7, 2025

Police Identify Victim as Homicide Investigation Continues

A woman was found dead on a boat docked off Star Island Road in Montauk before dawn on Tuesday, according to Suffolk County police.

Aug 5, 2025

 

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