Holiday Crackdown Pays Dividends

Southold Town Police were a visible presence on the roadways over the Memorial Day weekend with predictable results: two drivers suspected of driving while intoxicated will have to answer to the charge in court thanks to the increased surveillance.

Police said Cesar Palencia, 69, failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Front Street and Main Street in Greenport shortly after 10:30 PM on Sunday, May 26. When cops signaled for him to pull over, he simply stopped the car in the middle of the street, they said. That was enough to trigger field sobriety tests. Palencia apparently did not fare particularly well — he was charged with DWI and taken into custody.

At around 3 AM Saturday, May 25, police said Melecio De La Cruz Mayen, 32, pulled over, exited his vehicle, and urinated. Unfortunately, the patrol car was right down the block and officers allegedly witnessed the event. Officers detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and administered a field sobriety test, which De La Cruz Mayen failed, police said. He was arrested and held for arraignment, charged with DWI.

Observers said a Mattituck man who seemed like he didn’t know how to drive did so anyway. Noe Edgardo Cruz-Corrales, 26, was apparently weaving in traffic, repeatedly drifting onto the shoulder of the road, or at least that’s what a caller told police. They caught up to Cruz-Corrales on Main Road near Macari Vineyards in Cutchogue. Upon arriving, police witnessed him drift off the road several times before pulling him over. As it turns out, they said, he didn’t have a license and was ticketed accordingly.

A Manhattan woman told police on May 27 that multiple pieces of jewelry, amounting to just under $11,600, had been stolen from her mother’s assisted living residence at Peconic Landing in Greenport. Police are looking for clues.

On May 29, the Coast Guard was summoned after an SOS was received, emanating from the northern tip of Robin’s Island. The Cutchogue Fire Department and other boaters responded as well. No other crafts were sighted in the targeted area.

Shelter Island Police said they picked up a local man, Taylor Tybaert, 18, and charged him with third-degree after an arraignment. No details were given but an order of protection was issued, banning Tybaert from having any contact with the victim. He’s due back in court to answer the charge.

Owen Cunningham, 20, of Shelter Island, was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs on May 27. Police said he was initially stopped because he had a headlight out. A small quantity of marijuana was also seized.

rmurphy@indyeastend.com