Needles, Spoon, Heroin in the Sunglasses Case

East Hampton Village police charged a Bohemia man early Friday morning with possession of heroin and two other misdemeanors.

An officer stopped David J. Birgeles’s 2013 Nissan on Montauk Highway for speeding, according to the report, and while talking to him felt he was “extremely nervous” and “making furtive movements.” Mr. Birgeles, 35, agreed to have his car searched, and police said they found a sunglasses case in the driver-side door containing four hypodermic needles, a spoon, a tourniquet, and a metal rod. One needle was reportedly filled with what later tested positive as heroin.

Mr. Birgeles was additionally charged with possession of the needles and driving with a suspended license, as well as two traffic infractions. He was released from Cedar Street headquarters on $1,000 bail, and will be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court on Dec. 5.

James R. Cherry, 27, of Bridgehampton was arrested in Sag Harbor just before 6 p.m. on Friday on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge, following a traffic stop on Long Island Avenue. Police said there was a strong odor of pot coming from his car, and a search found several bags and a jar of marijuana, together weighing 4.3 ounces. Possession of marijuana rises from a violation charge to a misdemeanor when the weight is two ounces or higher. Mr. Cherry was released from police headquarters and will be arraigned in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on Nov. 25.

A man from Queens who has been seen wandering the streets of downtown Montauk for the past two months, described by Brian Francese of the Legal Aid Society at his arraignment as homeless, was arrested in the hamlet last Thursday morning for trespassing at St. Therese of Lisieux Church. East Hampton Town police said church authorities had told the man, Maurice T. Archer, 35, that he could not sleep in the building and offered to take him to a shelter, but he continued to return.

In East Hampton Justice Court the next morning, Justice Lisa R. Rana began the proceedings by asking Mr. Archer his name. “Jay-zuse,” he seemed to say. Justice Rana asked him to spell his first name. “J-e-s-u-s,” he answered, then spelled his second name as “Christ.”

Justice Rana asked where he was from. “Zion. Over Jamaica,” he answered. She asked if Zion were an island. Mr. Francese, who represents indigent defendants in the local court, pointed up toward the ceiling. “An island over Jamaica, like in the sky?” Justice Rana said slowly. She asked several more questions and then stopped the arraignment, ordering that Mr. Archer undergo a psychiatric exam in custody, which will determine if he is mentally competent to stand trial.

The defendant was not happy. “They did this in Queens, and they released me,” he said. Mr. Francese tried to tell him he would be okay. “It is not okay,” Mr. Archer answered as he was taken away.

The results of the tests, which are conducted by Suffolk County doctors, will be known by Mr. Archer’s next scheduled date in court, Nov. 13.