Sag Harbor Man Facing Felony DWI Charges

Fabrice Twagirumukiza, 34, of Sag Harbor, is facing multiple charges, including two felony driving while intoxicated counts, as well as several misdemeanors, after being arrested by East Hampton Town police early Monday morning, August 6. It is the third time he has been arrested on such charges in less than 10 years. He has been convicted twice, including once as a felony.

Police pulled Twagirumukiza over on Montauk Highway near Spring Close Highway in East Hampton for allegedly swerving across lane lines. When asked why he was not driving a vehicle with an interlock device, required because of the prior convictions, he reportedly replied, “I don’t need it for this car, it’s my girlfriend’s.” The failure to have the interlock is one of the misdemeanor charges he is facing.

Failing sobriety tests, he was taken to headquarters, where a breath test produced a reading of .29, automatically raising the new charge to the aggravated DWI level. The alleged reading was just below the .31 mark, which triggers an automatic trip to the hospital, under most police departments’ policies regarding the well-being of defendants.

Bail was set at $7500 and not immediately posted.

Helen Garcia-Ronquillo, 25, of Central Islip was driving a 2017 Toyota the evening of July 24 toward Montauk Highway on South Edgemere Street when she ignored two stop signs on Carl Fisher Plaza, leading to a traffic stop, police said, and, ultimately, her arrest on drunken driving charges. She was released on $500 bail.

Another recent DWI arrest was that of Jake Lifson, 27, a Manhattan resident whose family owns a house in Springs. He was headed north early morning July 29 in a 2008 Chevrolet when he was pulled over. He was released later that morning after being arraigned without bail, but with a future date on the East Hampton Town Justice Court’s criminal calendar.