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Police: Woman charged with DWI for blowing 3 times the legal limit after driving wrong way in East Patchogue

The sheriff's office also arrested three other drivers between Thursday and Friday for alleged DWI offenses.

Mike Smollins

Mar 27, 2026, 3:50 PM

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A Coram woman was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after allegedly travelling the wrong way on Route 112 in East Patchogue and blowing three times the legal limit when given a breath test.

Erin Valente, 49, was travelling southbound in the northbound lanes of Route 112 on Thursday at about 6:09 p.m. when she was stopped by deputies, according to the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. During the traffic stop, deputies observed that Valente's speech was slurred, her eyes were blood shot and she had the scent of alcohol on her breath. A breath test determined she had a .25% blood alcohol reading and she was taken into custody.

Valente was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated and other traffic violations.

The sheriff's office also arrested three other drivers between Thursday and Friday for alleged DWI offenses.

Katelyn Baer, 20, was taken into custody at about 10:36 p.m. on Thursday after a sobriety test revealed a blood alcohol content reading of .24%, which is nearly three times the legal limit. Deputies encountered Baer after she stopped in the right lane eastbound on Sunrise Highway near Exit 46A with her hazard lights activated. When they approached her, she attempted to drive away on a blown-out front tire rim before being stopped again and taken into custody.

Elias Rudy, 46, was arrested at about 10:18 p.m. on Thursday after being pulled over for allegedly driving 75 mph in a 55 mph zone westbound on the Long Island Expressway near Exit 62. He failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody after refusing a breath test. Rudy has multiple DWI-related convictions within the last 15 years, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Kelly Bautista-Lema, 27, was also arrested for a DWI offense after allegedly failing to maintain her lane while travelling eastbound on Sunrise Highway west of Exit 52A. She admitted to consuming alcohol, according to the Sheriff's Office, and failed sobriety and breath tests.

Baer, Rudy and Bautista-Lema were charged with driving while intoxicated and other related offenses.

“All of these drivers posed a serious danger to the public and I once again applaud our Deputy Sheriffs for keeping our communities safe," Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. said, according to a news release. "Let this serve as a reminder: if you are under the influence, do not get behind the wheel."

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