Skip to main content

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.

On the Police Logs 10.09.25

An “older gentleman” was at the bar at Rosie’s in Amagansett with a younger woman who “did not appear to be his daughter,” another patron, who was “concerned about her well-being,” reported Friday night. But she was the man’s daughter.

Oct 9, 2025

Fake IDs and Felony Charges

A 31-year-old man faces felony charges for possessing forged documents following a traffic stop in Sag Harbor early Friday morning.

Oct 9, 2025

Sun’s Glare Was to Blame

A cyclist was transported to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital on Friday afternoon after colliding with a BMW sedan on Route 114 in East Hampton.

Oct 9, 2025

On the Police Logs 10.02.25

Four men were seen “rearranging” the metal benches in front of the Yummylicious ice cream and frozen yogurt shop in Sag Harbor last week. They told a police officer they’d moved the benches “because they wanted to hang out.”

Oct 2, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.