A Sag Harbor man found driving with a learner’s permit and a previous conviction for drunken driving was charged on Friday with felony-level D.W.I.
Manuel J. Namina Maza, 41, was spotted by Sag Harbor Village police that night on Hampton Road, allegedly swerving in and out of his lane. When pulled over at about 10 p.m., he told police he’d had “one beer in East Hampton, at 6:30.”
In addition to an odor of alcohol on his breath, police said they found an open bottle of Corona beer on the car’s rear floorboard.
When he was tested on a breathalyzer, police said, his blood-alcohol content registered .15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit of .08-percent. The charge against him was raised to the felony level when police determined that he had been convicted of driving while intoxicated in East Hampton in 2023.
In addition to the felony, Mr. Namina Maza faces several violations: driving on a restricted learner’s permit, driving with an open container of alcohol, failing to keep right, and driving on the shoulder.
His car was impounded, and he was taken to East Hampton Village police headquarters, where he spent the remainder of the night.
Sag Harbor Village Justice Carl Irace arraigned him in the morning and released him on his own recognizance to await a future date in court.