A Hampton Bays man was arrested in East Hampton last week, accused of choking another man at a residence on Three Mile Harbor Drive.
According to the complaint, Lenin Vera Barrera, 27, placed his right arm around the man's neck, preventing him from breathing and causing him to briefly lose consciousness, on the afternoon of Sept. 23. He then took the man's black Samsung cellphone and a set of car keys, which were found in his shorts pocket when town police caught up with him about half an hour later.
Back at Wainscott headquarters, he was charged with second-degree strangulation, a felony, along with two misdemeanors related to the stolen property, and held overnight for a morning appearance in Town Justice Court, where Justice David Filer released him on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on Oct. 22.
William A. Avelar of Central Islip, 22, was also charged with a felony last week, after Sag Harbor Village police stopped his white GMC van for a speed violation. Police pulled the van over on Brick Kiln Road Friday, after spotting it traveling down Main Street at 39 miles per hour in a posted 20 m.p.h. zone, failing to signal before turning onto Brick Kiln, and having a nonfunctioning right brake light.
Police said a subsequent search of the driver's record revealed 51 suspensions or revocations of his driving privileges since 2021, and that he had failed to answer 10 summonses. Mr. Avelar was arrested and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a felony-level offense based on the number of revocations, and with multiple traffic violations. He was processed at headquarters and released with instructions to appear in Sag Harbor Justice Court on Oct. 10.