William Dymond, Patchogue village code enforcement officer, fired and charged after making DWI arrest 

A former Patchogue Village code enforcement officer has been arrested and charged with unlawful imprisonment and other official misconduct after police said he stopped a woman he believed was driving drunk, then performed field sobriety tests and handcuffed her, claiming she was under arrest — and then drove her home.

Suffolk County police said the incident occurred on North Ocean Avenue around 5:20 a.m. Dec. 29. They said the officer, who has since been terminated, was acting outside of the bounds of his employment.

Code enforcement officers are not allowed to perform DWI arrests, police said.

Police identified the former enforcement officer as William Dymond, 33, of Medford, and said he was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree falsification of business records, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, and official misconduct. The first two charges are felonies, the latter two misdemeanors. It was not clear when Dymond faces arraignment or if he was represented by counsel.

Police said that while on duty as a village code enforcement officer, Dymond followed a woman "he believed was driving while intoxicated," then conducted a vehicle traffic stop in front of the First Baptist Church of Patchogue, at 482 North Ocean Ave. As part of that stop, police said Dymond performed field sobriety tests on the woman, eventually placing her in handcuffs and escorting her to his official vehicle.

Then, police said, Dymond drove the woman, who was not identified, to her home in Centereach.

Police said Patchogue village officials became aware of the incident on March 15 and reported it to police.

Patchogue Mayor Paul V. Pontieri Jr. could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Investigators ask anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Dymond to contact Fifth Squad detectives at 631-854-8541.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”