Eight motorists arrested at Patchogue sobriety checkpoint by police

Suffolk County police arrested eight motorists after an overnight sobriety checkpoint at Waverly Plaza in Patchogue screened 496 vehicles in less than four hours. The joint detail, run with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and the MTA Police Department, was set up at 371 North Service Road from 11 p.m. on May 22 until 2:30 a.m. on May 23.

Five of the motorists were charged with driving while intoxicated, and three were charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs. One of the drivers accused of drug impairment also faced a charge of endangering the welfare of a child after police said a 16-year-old passenger was in the vehicle. All eight were arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip on May 23. A ninth driver was issued a field appearance ticket and was told to appear on June 12 on a charge of driving while ability impaired by alcohol.

The checkpoint was staffed by the Highway Patrol Bureau SAFE-T Team, which Suffolk County police say is dedicated to DWI enforcement and removing impaired drivers from county roads. MADD and STOP DWI volunteers and staff were also on scene, providing educational information to motorists as the operation unfolded in Patchogue.

The arrests landed as Memorial Day weekend enforcement ramped up across New York. State police said the special crackdown began Friday, May 22, and continued through Monday, May 25, with sobriety checkpoints and added patrols funded through Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee grants. State police have said Memorial Day is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year, and the holiday period typically brings more late-night traffic, more road travel and a heavier enforcement presence on Long Island’s major corridors.

For drivers, the message is direct: Suffolk police are widening the net around holiday weekends, and the legal threshold is low. In New York, a driver can be considered legally impaired at a blood alcohol concentration above 0.05%, and legally intoxicated at 0.08% or higher. Suffolk County police said the Highway Patrol Bureau has been part of the department since its creation in 1960, and the SAFE-T unit remains the county’s specialized arm for stopping impaired drivers before they reach the next exit, intersection or home driveway.