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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.

Sailors Undeterred After Rescue Off Montauk

A pair of sailors who paid an unexpected visit to Montauk last month said from Brooklyn on Friday that they plan to continue their voyage down the East Coast despite an April 24 rescue off Montauk’s downtown ocean beach.

May 16, 2024

On the Police Logs 05.16.24

Employees of Montauk's Memory Motel called police at 1:25 a.m. Saturday to have a man “known to them to have no money” removed from the bar. The man had been refusing to leave, but complied when the request came from an officer. He promised to take a train or bus back home to Brooklyn, but showed up a couple of hours later at 7-Eleven, attempting to use “multiple bank cards” to pay for merchandise. He was also said to have made “a threatening statement,” and was taken in the end to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for evaluation.

May 15, 2024

On the Police Logs 05.09.24

On April 30, police got a call from a passer-by about “a male subject opening doors with a crowbar” at the Sands Motel. Upon investigation, it was learned that the man was an employee performing renovations and maintenance. “The salt air environment often causes the door locks to freeze, therefore he has to force the doors open with a bar,” officers reported.

May 9, 2024

On the Police Logs 05.02.24

A 17-year-old girl fell victim to an online scam when she attempted to sell a prom dress on the website Poshmark on April 14. She ultimately sent more than $1,000 in Apple gift cards, thinking there was an error with her account after receiving an email from the company that turned out to be fake. An investigation is still ongoing.

May 1, 2024

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