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Two days, three arrests for leaving crash scenes

GOOGLE MAPS | Three unrelated hit-and-run crashes involving alleged drunken drivers happened this past weekend in the Riverhead area, though no serious injuries were reported. The crashes, denoted above, occurred in Aquebogue, Northampton and Flanders.

In just one weekend, three men found themselves facing drunken driving charges after allegedly fleeing the scenes of unrelated car accidents in the Riverhead area.

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota has been pushing for stronger penalties for drivers who flee the scenes of serious accidents, saying that when drivers aren’t caught until much later, investigators are often unable to prove they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time.

But even drunken drivers who leave the scenes of crashes that don’t involve injuries can avoid a more serious DWI charge by eluding police. This creates an incentive for offenders to flee but creates more problems for those who may be left footing repair bills.

“It’s easy to get away, especially if you did a number on the person you’re hitting,” said Michael Sabolinski, a civil attorney with Schwartzapfel Partners of Jericho and a former Nassau County assistant district attorney.

Mr. Spota says he has seen an increase in hit-and-run accidents over the last few years.

The first of the crashes this weekend occurred Saturday night in Aquebogue, where a seafood delivery truck driver smashed into the back of a car he was tailgating before driving away, authorities said. The driver, Brian Pressler of Southold, was arrested minutes later, at about 8 p.m., on Main Road in Laurel, where he was arrested for driving while intoxicated, Southold police said.

He was later issued a citation from Riverhead police for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, a traffic infraction. Riverhead police said Mr. Pressler had his high beams on and was tailgating a brown Honda at the intersection of Main Road and Edgar Avenue when he rear-ended the vehicle. He was released without bail.

Less than three hours after the Laurel crash, a Riverhead man was arrested after leaving the scene of an accident on Wildwood Trail in Northampton, in which he and another person were injured, Southampton Town police said.

Gregory Lee, 43, was involved in a two-car crash shortly after 11 p.m., officials said. He drove off from the scene, but responding cops canvassed the area and found him intoxicated a short distance from the crash, police said. Both Mr. Lee and the driver of the other car were taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Mr. Lee was charged with DWI and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, a misdemeanor, police said.

He was taken from the hospital to police headquarters and has since been released on $750 cash bail.

Then on Sunday night, a Riverhead man who fled the scene of a single-car accident in Riverside was arrested on a DWI charge after cops caught up with him at his Ludlam Avenue house soon after, Southampton police said.

Paul Ciochetto, 44, drove from the 11 p.m. crash scene near Flanders Road in a 2008 Toyota Yaris, police said.

After police found him at his home, Mr. Ciochetto admitted to driving his car, but claimed not to have realized he’d been involved in an accident, cops said.

Police determined Mr. Ciochetto was drunk and arrested him at his home, officials said. He was charged with DWI, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and traffic violations, police said. He was released without bail, police said.

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