A Reading Just High Enough

An East Hampton man was hospitalized following a one-car crash on Cedar Street on Feb. 23. According to police, Eliezer Debroy, 51, was driving a 1988 Toyota when he lost control of the vehicle a little after sunset, went off the road, and crashed into a telephone pole. Found unconscious behind the steering wheel, he was taken by ambulance to Southampton Hospital, having suffered serious, though not life-threatening, injuries to his face and chest. He was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital from Southampton, and later released. Police charged him with drunken driving at the misdemeanor level. He is scheduled to be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court on March 17.

On Friday afternoon, police arrested a Springs man on a drunken-driving charge as a misdemeanor, after the 2000 Chevrolet van he was driving glanced off the front bumper of a car backing into a driveway on Fort Pond Boulevard. An officer said he observed Luis A. Abril Padilla before the accident occurred driving at 62 miles per hour where the limit is 30 m.p.h. Police said Mr. Padilla struck the car and drove off without stopping. He then, they said,  ran a stop sign while turning onto Three Mile Harbor-Hog Creek Road and failed to signal while turning onto Washington Avenue.

Placed under arrest, Mr. Padilla’s breath test at police headquarters showed a blood alcohol level of 0.15 of 1 percent, almost twice the legal limit, police said. Brought in to be arraigned Saturday morning, he asked East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky if he could defer arraignment until he could have an attorney present, a request that was granted. Bail was set at $500 and posted. Mr. Padilla is due back in court today.

Another Springs man who was arrested on the same D.W.I. charge was William E. Illaisaca-Flores, 26. He was driving a 2010 Mazda on Three Mile Harbor-Hog Creek Road early Friday morning and repeatedly swerved across the double-yellow line into oncoming traffic, according to police. After being arrested, his breath test produced a reading of 0.14, police said. He was released later that day by Justice Lisa R. Rana after posting $500 bail.

The lowest reading of the week was attributed to Cristina Marie Keerd, 27, who told the court Saturday, during arraignment, that she had just moved to Southampton from Holliswood. The 2011 Nissan she was driving was pulled over at about 10 p.m. Friday for alleged speeding, East Hampton Village police said.

It is likely, given that this is her first offense and with police reporting an alcohol reading of 0.08, which is just high enough to trigger a driving while intoxicated charge, that she will be allowed to plead to the reduced charge of driving with ability impaired, a simple violation.