Pole Down, Wires Dangling

A Springs man who police said drove off in his badly damaged 2002 Nissan after colliding with a utility pole was arrested a little after midnight Saturday and charged with misdemeanor drunken driving.

Nabil Vazquez, 31, failed to negotiate the turn from Springs-Fireplace Road onto Gardiner Avenue in Springs, according to East Hampton Town police. He reportedly told officers that his brakes had failed. He hit the pole with such force that it was sheared off at the base, leaving its wires dangling.

Police found Mr. Vazquez nearby on Gardiner Avenue. He was unsteady on his feet when he got out of the car, they said, and failed roadside sobriety tests. Back at headquarters he consented to take a breath test, which produced a blood-alcohol reading of 0.15.

Bail was set Sunday morning at $300, which was posted.

Town police made two arrests Sunday evening on drunken-driving charges, both at the misdemeanor level. Karen L. Ham of Sag Harbor, 47, was swerving across lane lines, an officer said, before being pulled over on Route 114. Her alcohol level was reported to be 0.17, just below the 0.18 reading that would have triggered an elevated charge.

She was released the next morning from East Hampton Town Justice Court without bail, due to her ties to the community, but with a future date on Justice Lisa R. Rana’s criminal calendar.

Enrique G. Cujilema-Asoma, 30, of East Hampton was also said to be swerving across lane lines, in his case on Montauk Highway in Wainscott, leading to a traffic stop, and, ultimately, his arrest. With a reported reading of 0.12, he was charged with D.W.I., as well as driving without a license. His $300 bail was posted at the courthouse on Monday.