The Evidence Backed Him

A drunken driver with a suspended license drove his van into the back of a vehicle that was stopped on the shoulder of Route 114 in East Hampton at about 9:55 p.m. on June 26, according to East Hampton Town police. 

Oliver L. Dantes of East Hampton, 38, who was headed south, claimed the other vehicle had pulled out in front of his 2002 Ford. But Jose C. Reyes-Valdez of East Hampton said his 2007 Ford was stopped on the shoulder, and police said all evidence backed him up. 

Mr. Dantes, who refused to take any field sobriety tests, was charged with felony driving while intoxicated, due to a prior D.W.I. conviction in 2016. His license was revoked following that conviction, and that brought on an additional felony charge. As part of his 2016 sentence, he was supposed to have an Interlock device on any vehicle he was using, but there was none on the Ford, leading to a misdemeanor charge for lacking it. His van was impounded.

He was held overnight and arraigned the next day by East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky, who released him on $2,500 cash bail.

  Sag Harbor Village police arrested another repeat D.W.I. offender on Saturday night after responding to a report of a domestic dispute. Police were told the driver of a blue pickup truck was following a man on crutches and that both were screaming at each other. 

The pickup, a 2006 Chevrolet, was found at the intersection of Middle Line Highway and Suffolk Street Extension at around 6:15 p.m., with Dirk L. Early, 58, of Southampton behind the wheel. The officer found that Mr. Early was arguing with his son, Jake A. Early, and that he had pushed the younger man down, resulting in bruising of his right elbow. 

The elder Early appeared intoxicated, police said. A check of his license found it had been suspended three times and revoked seven times. He was charged with two felonies, one for D.W.I. and the other for driving with a revoked license. Justice Lisa R. Rana, who sits in both Sag Harbor Village and East Hampton Town Justice Courts, remanded him to the Suffolk County jail in Riverside in lieu of $5,000 bail. 

Also on Saturday night, Stephen Taylor Early, 26, of Sag Harbor caught the attention of police in Springs, who said he had failed to signal a left turn off Springs-Fireplace Road. His Jeep was stopped just after 9 p.m., and police reported him to be intoxicated. Whether he is related to Dirk and Jake Early could not be determined as of press time. Justice Rana released him on his own recognizance.

East Hampton police also reported the arrest of David C. Crisanti, 53, of Manhattan, whose 2012 Mercedes-Benz was pulled over Sunday at about 12:50 p.m. after it failed to come to a complete stop at the corner of Montauk Highway and Abram’s Landing Road. Charged with misdemeanor drunken driving, he was arraigned before Justice Rana in East Hampton later that day and released on his own recognizance. 

One other man faced Justice Rana on D.W.I. charges on Sunday. Jack Cronin, 27, of Hampton Bays was arrested at about 1:05 that morning after police said they saw his 2008 Ford swerving on Montauk Highway, near Green Hollow Road in East Hampton. He was released on $350 cash bail.