Hamburg Police Officer Vindicated in DWI Case Against Lawyer

Hamburg Police Officer Vindicated in DWI Case Against Lawyer

For the past six months, Hamburg Police Officer Vince Pupo has heard the whispers; whispers that he may have tried to frame attorney Anne Adams on a trumped up DWI charge. 

Last September second, Pupo was on patrol when he got a call about a car weaving down Route Five.

He caught up with the car, saw a woman driving and at one point, he says the driver almost hit the guardrail. Pupo pulled the driver over. 

"It was a convertible, there was an odor of alcohol coming from the car with the top down when I approached her," Pupo remembered.

"The driver had glassy eyes and slurred speech."

Scott Brown: "When you put her through the sobriety tests, how did she do?"

Pupo: "She failed all of them."

Pupo arrested Anne Adams, who admitted she had had a few drinks downtown with Supreme Court Judge Joseph Makowski, but denied she was drunk.

When Adams was given a breathalyzer test, it showed her blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

So you can imagine Pupo's shock when in the days after the arrest, Adams, in an attempt to get her case dismissed, submitted a blood test showing that she had just a trace amount of alcohol in her system.

Meanwhile, Judge Makowski submitted a sworn statement saying he had been following Adams in his car, and that Adams' driving was perfectly normal.

That's when the whispers started about Vince Pupo and his arrest. 

"I was upset, these are things that we take to heart as police officers, my job is what I do for a living, I wouldn't jeopardize it for anybody," said Pupo.

Last Friday, Adams admitted that she'd had her blood drawn the day after her arrest, and Makowski recanted his sworn statement about Adams' driving. 

Officer Pupo was in court when Adams pled guilty to three charges, including the DWI. 

"I felt vindicated when she admitted to all of the stuff she did do. She thought she could beat the system by who she was, but at the end of the day the facts tell the truth."

Adams faces a sentence of up to two years in prison when she's sentenced in April.

As part of a deal with the District Attorney's office, Joseph Makowski resigned his position as a judge.

Both Adams and Makowski face the possible revocation, or suspension, of their licenses to practice law.

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Drunken driver over twice legal limit

Prosecutors: Drunken driver over twice legal limit

Police Officer Glen Ciano who was killed after being hit by vehicle driven by Jose Borbon. Borbon was charged with DWI

The Plainview man accused of being drunk at the wheel when he collided with a police cruiser, killing a Suffolk officer, faces increasing legal peril after prosecutors said his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

For the second day in a row, Jose Borbon, 23, stood in a Central Islip court Tuesday to face charges that he was drunk when he and Officer Glen Ciano collided before dawn Sunday in an intersection in Commack. Ciano, 45, a veteran Second Precinct officer, was killed when his cruiser hit a pole and burst into flames.

John Collins, Suffolk County's chief trial prosecutor, said a preliminary test of Borbon's blood showed an alcohol content of .19, far surpassing the legal limit of .08. Because the blood alcohol content exceeded a statutory limit of .18, prosecutors additionally charged Borbon - already charged with one count of misdemeanor drunken driving - with aggravated drunken driving.

However, based on a number of factors, such as the blood-alcohol content and the circumstances of the crash, it is likely he will face upgraded felony charges. Prosecutors this week said Borbon could face a homicide charge. This could include the crime of second-degree manslaughter, which is recklessly causing someone's death.

Collins noted that more than three hours passed between the crash and the drawing of the blood. "I think it follows logically and scientifically that that (the BAC) was well higher at the time of the crash," he said.

Borbon's attorney, William Petrillo of Rockville Centre, declined comment.

At the arraignment, Borbon, dressed in green jail scrubs and laceless black shoes, pleaded not guilty. His family again sat silently in a crowded audience dominated by dozens of Suffolk police officers.

While the new charge is also a misdemeanor carrying a maximum sentence of one year, the blood test result could be the critical factor in how a grand jury will perceive Borbon's actions, legal experts said.

Based on the "considerably high reading," Garden City attorney Stephen LaMagna said prosecutors would argue Borbon's alleged intoxication level was a "voluntary, reckless act" requiring a high-level felony charge.

"I think there is a high likelihood they will charge the defendant with the highest homicide they can . . . and that will be manslaughter two," LaMagna said.

The blood evidence prompted District Court Judge Patricia Filiberto to raise Borbon's bail from $75,000 to half a million dollars. Petrillo called the bail "perhaps the highest this court has ever set for a misdemeanor."

Petrillo asked prosecutors and the judge to ensure surveillance videos taken from a gas station near the crash site are "carefully preserved."

Borbon is scheduled to return to court on March 25.

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Man accused of DWI after car slams into minivan

Newton man accused of DWI after car slams into minivan

NEWTON -- A 24-year-old Newton resident is facing a variety of charges after he crashed into a minivan while allegedly driving drunk, police said.

Police were called to Sparta Avenue at 5:11 p.m. Friday to investigate a report of a traffic accident.

Responding officers determined that Raul Cinto had been driving a 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer east on Sparta Avenue when he lost control of his vehicle, entered the opposite lane of travel and struck a 2000 Ford Windstar head on, police said.

Debbie Desrivieres, of Hardwick, who was driving the minivan, was injured in crash. She was transported to Newton Hospital by Newton First Aid Squad for a complaint of neck pain.

Cinto exhibited signs of intoxication and failed field sobriety tests that were administered at the scene, police said.

He was arrested and cited on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, operating a motor vehicle within a school zone while under the influence, careless driving and being an unlicensed driver.

Cinto was processed and released pending an appearance in Newton Municipal Court

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Southampton Town DWI reports

Southampton Town DWI reports

Michael O’Connell, 49, of Hampton Bays was stopped by Southampton Town Police on February 17 at 12:36 a.m. on Flanders Road in Riverside and charged with DWI, a misdemeanor, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree, a felony. Police stopped Mr. O’Connell after receiving 911 calls about an erratic driver. Further investigation revealed that Mr. O’Connell was intoxicated and that his driver’s license had been revoked on three prior occasions for alcohol-related infractions. He was arrested and his vehicle was impounded by authorities.

Delfino Hernandez, 35, of Hampton Bays was stopped by Southampton Town Police on Sunday at 7:41 a.m. on Palo Alto Drive in Hampton Bays and charged with DWI. Police said they pulled Mr. Hernandez over after he strayed from his lane and crashed into two parked vehicles. He was taken into police custody after he refused to submit to a field sobriety test.

Patrick Gannon, 46, of Middle Island was stopped by Southampton Town Police on Saturday at 7:19 p.m. on Mill Road in Westhampton and charged with DWI. Police pulled Mr. Gannon over after they observed him failing to maintain his lane. He was taken into police custody and held for arraignment.

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Plaquemines Parish Deputy Charged With DWI

Plaquemines Parish Deputy Charged With DWI
10-Year Veteran Off-Duty, Driving Patrol Car

NEW ORLEANS - A Plaquemines Parish sheriff's deputy has been suspended indefinitely without pay after being arrested and charged with DWI Saturday night.

Police said Jamar Thomas was off-duty when he crashed his patrol car on a curb in Lakeview at Pontchartrain Boulevard and 12th Street at about 6 p.m.

The 10-year veteran has been suspended without pay by Sheriff I.F. "Jiff" Hingle. Authorities said he has been out on extended sick leave and should not have been driving the patrol car off-duty.

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Accused Drunk Driver Kills Suffolk County Cop

Accused Drunk Driver Kills Suffolk County Cop

SUFFOLK COUNTY—Suffolk County Police have arrested a Plainview man for driving while intoxicated after he was involved in a fiery motor vehicle crash that killed an on-duty Suffolk County police officer. 

Police Officer Glen Ciano, 45, has been identified as the Second Precinct officer who was killed in the line of duty which his police vehicle was involved in a crash at the intersection of Vanderbilt Motor Parkway and Commack Road in Commack Sunday morning.

Ciano was a 22-year veteran of the Suffolk County Police Department.

He was responding to a call to assist another officer at approximately 4:15 a.m. Sunday when his vehicle was involved in a crash with a 2007 Dodge Magnum, driven by Jose Borbon, 23, of 178 Morton Blvd.

Police said that the patrol car went spinning into a pole and erupted into flames after being struck by Borbon’s car. Borbon was not injured in the crash.

Borbon was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Police say he had also been arrested last month on drunk driving charges.

“The Suffolk County Police Department is mourning the loss of one of our own,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer. “It’s a sad reminder of the dangers police officers face each and every day.”

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Daily Crime Blotter - DWI Accident in Arlington

DWI Accident in Arlington

A toddler remains in the hospital after an overnight crash in Arlington. Police say the driver of a pick-up rear-ended a car at a traffic light in the 4600 block of Cooper Street. A 2-year-old inside the car was taken to the hospital in critical condition, two adults suffered minor injuries. The driver of the pick-up faces intoxication assault charges.

Truck Runs into House in Fort Worth

Fort Worth police are searching for a man who ran a truck into a house overnight. Police received a call from a person inside the home in the 3700 block of Sierra Court around 2:30 this morning. The driver fled the scene after crashing the truck through a bedroom. No one was injured.

635 Accident Downs Power Lines

An accident on westbound 635 sent one person to the hospital, and did damage to the guardrail and a power pole. Reportedly, the accident knocked out power lines around 7:00 a.m. this morning and caught the vehicle in the downed lines. Injuries to the drive are not expected to be life-treatening.

Dallas Fatal Accident Victim Still Unidentified

One person is dead after a vehicle went out of control and hit a telephone pole this morning in Dallas. One person was transported to Parkland after the accident, while another was pronounced dead ont es scene. The Dallas medical examiner has no ID info at this time on the victim that passed away.

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