No Holiday for These Drivers

An all-county law enforcement sweep conducted in the town of East Hampton on the night of July 3 resulted in seven motorists being charged with driving while intoxicated. All but one of the five men and two women arrested were visitors from west of East Hampton, though several had local roots.

The STOP sweeps (Special Traffic Options Program), run out of Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota’s office, bring in officers from police departments across the county to focus on one town or village at a time, overnight. The program is funded by the proceeds of fines levied against those convicted of drunken driving within the county.

The two women were taken to East Hampton Village police headquarters on Cedar Street after their arrests, where they were processed and held for a Saturday morning arraignment. The men were taken to town police headquarters in Wainscott. All were charged at the misdemeanor level; two men who refused to take the Intoxilyzer breath test ended up with an additional misdemeanor charge.

Efrain Valderrama, 28, of East Hampton was pulled over early Saturday morning by a Suffolk County sheriff who clocked his 2007 Dodge at 50 miles per hour on Abraham’s Path in East Hampton, where the limit is 30 m.p.h. The officer also reported that the driver had swerved several times into the oncoming lane.

Police said Mr. Valderrama was belligerent at headquarters. When asked to take the breath test, he repeatedly used obscenities; then, after being locked up, “clogged the toilet in men’s cell five,” then “continually flushed the toilet to flood the men’s area of the building.” That allegation led to a charge of criminal tampering.

Mr. Valderrama has a prior misdemeanor conviction, East Hampton Town Justice Lisa R. Rana said during his July Fourth arraignment. She set bail at $350, which was posted.

Daniel Jagenburg of Plandome also refused to take the breath test. According to police, he was seated behind the wheel of his car in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven in Montauk, with the engine running. He was said to be holding a small plastic bag containing a white powder, which he poured onto “a dollar bill, which he then snorted.” Police added a charge of possession to his docket. Justice Rana, noting that he has a couple of previous arrests, though no convictions over the violation level, set bail at $500, which was posted. Mr. Jagenburg told the court he was an executive with a food company.

Peter Mangiameli of Sagaponack, the owner of a Southampton construction company, also refused to take the breath test. Mr. Mangiameli, whose 2013 Toyota was pulled over on Napeague by a Suffolk County officer early on Saturday for allegedly speeding, told police that “I refuse because I was told to never take it.” He was released without bail.

Christopher Pedersen, 34, of New York City, who told the court his family has had a house in Montauk for many years, had the highest blood-alcohol content of those arrested. Police recorded it at .17 of 1 percent, just below the .18 reading that would have elevated the charge to a more serious level. He was released without bail.

Kristen G. DePalma, 28, of New York was pulled over by a Quogue officer on Main Street in Montauk. She too was released without bail, after blowing the lowest number of the sweep, .10, still over the .08 level that triggers a drunken-driving charge.

A New York State trooper arrested Devin P. Ryan, 34, of Bronxville, N.Y., an investment banking analyst whose blood-alcohol reading was .12; he posted $300 bail.

Melissa Naomi Stoll, 26, of Brooklyn posted $600 bail after a .14 reading.

“The task force allows a more concentrated effort on D.W.I. enforcement throughout town, as our regular patrol shifts tend to be extremely busy on weekend nights,” East Hampton Town police Chief Michael Sarlo said Saturday. “The message is clear to all: Don’t drink and drive.”

There were several other arrests during the week on drunken-driving charges, including two at the felony level. One man, Arturo S. Bermeo-Pacho, 37, of Springs, posted bail of $15,000 following his arrest the morning of June 30 on North Main Street, East Hampton, for speeding through a work zone. Because he was convicted of D.W.I. here in 2007, the new charge automatically becomes a felony, as does an additional charge of driving without a license.

Facing similar charges is Isais Carlos Caniz-Cua of East Hampton. During his arraignment, Justice Rana read out a series of charges he is facing, and noted “a prior conviction out of Riverhead, June 6, 2014.” His bail was set at $7,500, which was posted.

Nathan L. Flowers, 45, of New York City was driving a 2003 Volkswagen north on Flamingo Avenue early Tuesday morning without benefit of taillights, police said, and reportedly failed the roadside sobriety tests. He too has a prior D.W.I. conviction, but it was over 10 years ago, so the new charge is still a misdemeanor. His breath test reading of .21, however, triggered the elevated charge of aggravated D.W.I.

Mr. Flowers told the court he was renting a house in Montauk for the summer. He was released on $250 bail.

Louise C. Benjamin, 55, of Long Beach was arrested Sunday evening. Her reading was the lowest of the week, .09. She was released the next day on $300 bail.

Hugo Masias Valladares, 47, of Springs was arrested by East Hampton Village police early Friday morning after being pulled over for failing to dim his headlights, police said, as well as swerving across lane lines. His bail was set at $1,500, which was posted.

Sag Harbor Village police made two arrests over the holiday weekend on drunken-driving charges, one early Saturday, the other early Sunday. The first was that of Diago A. Osorio-Jaramillo, 33, of Lindenhurst, who police said was driving the wrong way on Washington Street when he was stopped. The second was of Edison E. Puemape-Ibarra, who allegedly was speeding on Main Street.

Mr. Osorio-Jaramillo has a prior D.W.I. conviction, according to the police, and is facing a felony charge.