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PORT CHESTER, N.Y. The Port Chester Police Department charged five drivers with DWI on Super Bowl weekend as the department, along with the state and county police departments, beefed up its defense against intoxicated drivers due to the big game.
"We were strong on this weekend because of the Super Bowl," Lt. James Ladeairous of the Port Chester Police Department said. "Whenever you have something like that you know there will be a lot of drinking and we want to keep the streets safe."
The department made its first arrest Saturday around 12:43 p.m. when officers spotted a vehicle driving south on North Main Street in the northbound lane. According to the police report, the officer had to pull in front of the vehicle to get the driver to pull over.
Police said that as the officer approached the car, the driver, Caroline Payne, 50, of Somerville, Mass. accelerated the car towards the officer in an attempt to run him over. The police officer was able to get out of the way and reach inside the vehicle to turn off the ignition, police reports said. Police said beer cans were found inside the car and Payne refused to take the DWI test.
Payne was charged with unlicensed operation of a vehicle, misdemeanor DWI, and the class C felony of attempted aggravated assault on a police officer.
About five hours later Saturday, an officer reported to the scene of a two-car accident on South Main Street. According to the police report, Richard Daza-Rocha, 54, of Port Chester struck a vehicle from behind after having "one beer" in Yonkers. Daza-Rocha was charged with a misdemeanor DWI.
At approximately 4:08 a.m. Sunday morning an officer spotted a black Jeep Grand Cherokee swerving over the yellow lines on North Main Street, police said. The officer reported the 31-year-old driver, Romulo Montaleza-Naula of Port Chester, had glassy eyes and a strong smell of alcohol. After Montaleza-Naula emptied his pockets, police said, officers found a small plastic bag filled with cocaine. He was charged with a misdemeanor DWI, failure to keep right, speeding, and the class B felony of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.
Early Monday morning police also picked off a pair of Connecticut residents on their way home from Super Bowl parties. John Peter Salerno, 53 of Greenwich, and Diego Luna, 24 of Cos Cob, were nabbed for driving while under the influence, police said. While Luna was charged with a misdemeanor DWI, Salerno was hit with aggravated DWI for having a BAC twice the legal limit, police reports said.
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