Felony DWI Charge

Speeding on Old Stone Highway Saturday, May 11, got Ronald Merrill in a heap of trouble.

East Hampton Town Police said they spotted his 2002 Ford Van by Albert’s Landing Road traveling 42 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone. Merrill, 56, who lives on nearby Barnes Landing Road in Amagansett, exhibited signs of being intoxicated and failed roadside sobriety tests, police said. A computer check allegedly revealed a prior DWI-related incident within the last 10 years. That meant a felony charge was leveled.

In addition, a 14 year-old boy was riding in the back of the van, sitting on an overturned bucket when Merrill was pulled over, police said. His presence triggered another felony DWI charge because the youth was under 16. Merrill was also hit with a misdemeanor charge for endangering the welfare of a child. Merrill was held overnight for arraignment.

Polivio Pintado-Pizarro, 30, of Wainscott, was charged with DWI at about 11:30 PM May 11, just yards from his Bathgate Road residence. Faulty taillights led to a traffic stop, according to police. He was arraigned and released on $250 bail.

Other DWI and DWI related arrests made by East Hampton Town Police included James Mitchell, 49, of Montauk who police said was involved in a road rage incident, and Julio Pena-Tacuri, 25, of Amagansett.

A police unit spotted a vehicle being driven by Christian Vasque-Rios, 26, of Underwood Drive in Springs on Saturday on Montauk Highway near Georgica Drive. The accused was driving a black 2004 Nissan Frontier truck, but his inspection sticker was for a 2006 Avalon sedan, police said. He was charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of a forged instrument and processed and released on an appearance ticket.

Three times is not a charm when it comes to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Being charged three or more times with unlicensed operation triggers a misdemeanor. Christopher Maxwell, 45, of Brooklyn, was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree after he was stopped on Montauk Highway in Montauk and a computer check revealed a litany of similar indiscretions.

Wayne Ehlers, 39, of Flanders was charged with the after getting pulled over in Wainscott early Saturday morning, May 11.

Sharon Inez Dibseh, 24, who hails from Florida, was hit with second degree aggravated unlicensed driving charge after being pulled over in Montauk on May 9 as was Jorge Calle Verdugo, 27, of Springs, who was stopped on May 10 in Amagansett after police said he was observed swerving over the lane line.

On Shelter Island

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and the Shelter Island Police Department, in conjunction with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, are seeking the public’s help in identifying and locating the person or people who damaged parkland in the Hay Beach section of Shelter Island, near Menhaden Lane.

More than an acre of trees and vegetation were damaged sometime between January 7 and January 8, 2018. The damage was estimated at $66,000.

rmurphy@indyeastend.com