Fingerprints on the Rap Sheet

A Springs man who has been wanted by the New York Police Department for over nine years was arrested in East Hampton Village Saturday morning and charged with driving while intoxicated. Police in Queens arrested him on the same charge in 2005, but he failed to appear in court and a warrant for his arrest has been outstanding ever since.

Village police said they spotted Juan Romero Garcia’s 2002 Volkswagen speeding along Montauk Highway near Jericho Road and swerving across lane lines, and that the driver failed roadside sobriety tests. Back at Cedar Street headquarters, he agreed to take the Intoxilyzer 9000 chemical breath test, which reportedly produced a reading well over .18 of 1 percent, the level at which a drunken-driving charge is raised to aggravated drunken driving.

Though still a misdemeanor, those accused of aggravated D.W.I. face a much tougher time with the district attorney’s office, with plea bargains hard to come by.

East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky told Mr. Romero Garcia through a court translator, Ana Kestler, that when police ran his fingerprints the arrest in Queens showed up on his rap sheet, along with the outstanding warrant. “You will be taken to Queens County to deal with that,” Justice Tekulsky said.

Besides the D.W.I. charges and a charge of unlicensed driving, Mr. Romero Garcia, 31, faces numerous moving and equipment violations.

Noting the defendant’s failure to answer the 2005 charge, Justice Tekulsky told the man he appeared to have no respect for court orders. “It shows that you do what you want to do,” said the justice.

He set bail at $10,000, which has yet to be posted. Mr. Romero Garcia was transported to the county jail in Riverside and is scheduled to be brought back to court today.

An East Hampton man who was convicted of a D.W.I. charge in 2011 was arrested by town police Saturday night on the same charge, now at the felony level. Police said Hector Vargas-Ajcuc was driving erratically in a 1999 Toyota, swerving across Three Mile Harbor Road near Springy Banks Road in East Hampton before they pulled him over. His breath test at headquarters in Wainscott reportedly produced a reading of .14, well above the .08 number that defines intoxication. “I had four beers tonight,” Mr. Vargas-Ajcuc told the arresting officer, according to the police report.

Through the translator, Justice Tekulsky read Mr. Vargas-Ajcuc the charges, including unlicensed driving, also a felony because of his prior conviction. He faces several road-related violations as well.

At one point, Mr. Vargas-Ajcuc said he wanted to plead guilty. “I’m not going to accept your guilty plea,” Justice Tekulsky said, explaining that the defendant needed to speak with an attorney before making any legal decisions. The Legal Aid Society does not provide attorneys for East Hampton Town Justice Court over the weekends, even when felony charges are involved.

Justice Tekulsky told the man that the D.A.’s office had asked that bail be set at $15,000, and that he agreed, “based upon the fact that you have been charged with several felonies. Two, without having a driver’s license to begin with, you have allegedly violated court orders not to drive, and you have violated court orders to have an interlock device.”

Mr. Vargas-Ajcuc was taken to the county jail. Like Mr. Romero Garcia, he will return to Justice Court today, where both men will be able to meet with a Legal Aid attorney and possibly be released.

A third man arrested on drunken-driving charges last weekend was Gene M. Gilligan, an Amagansett resident for 20 years; he too was charged with several moving violations. Mr. Gilligan, who turns 60 this week, was arrested in Montauk on Friday evening; town police said his breath test produced a .13 reading.

“I’m pleased to see that at least you have a license,” Justice Tekulsky remarked, before suspending Mr. Gilligan’s license and telling him to hire an attorney as soon as possible.

“I have no way to get to work,” the defendant replied. Justice Tekulsky encouraged him to have the attorney apply for a hardship license, although, he warned, “It is very limited in scope. It is only to be used to drive to and from work.”

Citing Mr. Gilligan’s deep roots in the community, Justice Tekulsky released him without bail, but with a future date in court.