Suffolk County Sheriff's Office DWI Enforcement Team Arrests Driver Nearly 3x Over Legal Limit

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Proactive Impaired Driver Reduction Effort (S.P.I.D.R.E) Team arrested a driver who was almost three times over the legal blood alcohol limit (.08%) for drunk driving.

On 02/14/2023, at approximately 11:21 p.m., Sheriff’s Deputies observed Ruth Rivera-Beltran, 50, of Deer Park, NY, driving a vehicle on Sunrise Highway in Islip. Ms. Rivera-Beltran was observed failing to maintain her lane of travel by swerving over the lines separating the lanes of travel on both sides several times. Deputies stopped the vehicle and Rivera-Beltran demonstrated clues while performing standardized field sobriety tests that indicated she was intoxicated. At approximately 11:40 p.m. Ms. Rivera-Beltran was arrested and transported to 100 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY, where she submitted to a chemical breath test resulting in a .22% BAC.

In New York State, a BAC of 0.18 and higher results in charges of Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated. A second offense within 10 years upgrades the charges from a misdemeanor to a class E felony, with a minimum $1,000 fine, up to 4 years in jail, and a minimum 18-month driver’s license revocation.

Sheriff Toulon applauds the hard work of the S.P.I.D.R.E Team. “We have a zero-tolerance policy for drinking and driving in Suffolk County. Rest assured, our DWI Enforcement Team is out nightly looking for impaired drivers. This motorist was nearly 3x over the legal limit and was so intoxicated she could have killed or seriously injured other drivers or herself. I thank these highly trained Deputies for their vigilance and for keeping Suffolk County’s roadways safe.”