Cops: Driver hits snowbank, gets DWI charge

An East Moriches man was arrested on a drunken driving charge Thursday morning after his car hit a patch of ice and got stuck in a snowbank, New York State Police said.

Richard Hyams, 54, was arrested in Commack on the southbound side of the Sagtikos Parkway near the Northern State Parkway after a state trooper responded to reports of a disabled vehicle, officials said.

When the trooper arrived, Hyams said he was talking on his cell phone when his car hit a patch of ice and slid into the snowbank, police said. According to officials, the responding officer "detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage" on Hyams' breath.

Hyams then failed sobriety tests, police said, and a breath test also determined that his blood alcohol content was .10 percent.

Hyams was arrested and charged with drunken driving, police said.