No Cash? Pay by Card

An Arizonan who was charged Friday morning with driving while intoxicated asked East Hampton Town Justice Lisa R. Rana at his arraignment whether he could pay his bail with a credit card. Until last week, the answer would have been no — previously, bail  ould only be posted in cash. Justice Rana has pressed repeatedly over the years for a change, and it has been changed, finally. She told David A. Wade of Phoenix that his card would be welcomed.

Mr. Wade, 57, who was stopped at the intersection of Three Mile Harbor Road and Oakview Highway after driving erratically, according to East Hampton Town police, all the way from Three Mile Harbor-Hog Creek Road, registered a blood-alcohol percentage of .16, twice the legal limit, at police headquarters in Wainscott. He identified himself in court later that morning as a facilities director with Hillstone Restaurant Group, the company that owns East Hampton Grill.

“You don’t have anything in your criminal history,” Justice Rana said. “On the flip side, you have scant ties to the Town of East Hampton.” She set bail at $500, and told Mr. Wade that his driving privileges in the State of New York were suspended.

Also arrested this week was Angel Uzhca-Guaman, 27, who was pulled over on North Main Street around midnight Monday, driving an older Ford. His breath test at headquarters produced a reading of .2, triggering an elevated misdemeanor charge of aggravated drunken driving.

Mr. Uzhca-Guaman, who was arraigned Tuesday morning by Justice Steven Tekulsky, told the court he was a landscaper, and had lived in Springs for eight years. Bail was set at $500 and was posted, freeing the defendant but leaving him with a date on Justice Tekulsky’s criminal calendar.