Elver A. Rojas Gaona, 31, faces felony charges for possessing forged documents following a traffic stop in Sag Harbor early Friday morning.
Mr. Rojas Gaona, an Ecuadorian national, was pulled over on Hampton Street shortly after midnight after village police observed his gray Honda Accord moving unsafely and swerving into the bike lane. The officer reported that the driver showed signs of intoxication. After he was instructed to get out of the car, according to the report, he stated, “Solo tome un vino y nada mas,” which translates to “I only had one wine and nothing more.”
Police said he performed poorly on field sobriety tests, and a breath test indicated that his blood-alcohol level was over the legal limit. A subsequent search of his record revealed that his license was suspended just last month for driving while impaired by alcohol.
Mr. Rojas Gaona was placed under arrest and transported to village police headquarters, where, during an inventory of his belongings, an officer reportedly discovered a fraudulent California ID card and a fraudulent Social Security card.
He was charged with two felony counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument as well as two misdemeanors, aggravated unlicensed operation and D.W.I., and held overnight for a morning arraignment in Sag Harbor Village Court. Justice Carl Irace ordered a supervised release, requiring weekly check-ins with a parole officer. The defendant is due back in court tomorrow morning.
