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At First He Said He Swerved to Avoid a Pedestrian, but . . .

Thu, 05/23/2019 - 06:39

An East Hampton driver faces D.W.I. charges after crashing into a tree off Middle Highway, a few blocks from his residence, last Thursday evening. A neighbor phoned police after the crash, and an officer found Mario D. Cucunuba standing outside his 2007 Ford pickup truck.

Mr. Cucunuba, 36, told police he had “swerved to avoid a person in the road,” but admitted that he had been drinking, according to the report. Failing sobriety tests, he was arrested and taken to headquarters, where a breath test produced a reported reading of .15.

Besides the misdemeanor drunken-driving charges, he was charged with two moving violations. When police ran Mr. Cucunuba’s fingerprints, they discovered that Southampton Village had a warrant out for his arrest, stating he had failed to pay a fine.

East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky set bail the next morning at $400, which was posted, after which Mr. Cucunuba was turned over to Southampton Village police. They transported him to that jurisdiction’s courthouse, where he paid his outstanding fine and was released.

Joan Henry of East Hampton, 66, driving a 2016 Volkswagen, was pulled over by a town officer on Newtown Lane a little before midnight Monday. Her breath test produced a reading of .09, police said, and she was released without bail after a morning arraignment.

Both Mr. Cucunuba and Ms. Henry refused to take the breath test at the side of the road, before submitting to it at headquarters.

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