LONDONDERRY — A sobriety checkpoint conducted by state and local police late Friday evening into early Saturday morning yielded two alcohol-related arrests.

Arrested at the checkpoint were Michael MacCarty, 51, of Bennington, who was charged with operating after suspension of registration and open container of alcohol, and Hudson resident David M. Russell, 33, in another section of town. Russell was charged with second offense driving while intoxicated. Rochester resident Jose F. Diaz, 22, was also arrested on an unrelated warrant of theft by deception.

By 3 a.m. Saturday morning, police had stopped just under 200 vehicles to screen motorists and issued several warnings.

Organized by State Police Troop B out of Bedford, officers from the Londonderry Police Department cooperated with state police towards the common goal of tackling drunken driving last weekend.

“This is definitely their baby, but we were very happy to help,” Londonderry Police Lt. Tim Jones said on Monday.

The checkpoint, which was authorized by the Rockingham County Superior Court and planned several weeks in advance, was set up toward the center of town on Mammoth Road.

“We consider the identification and apprehension of impaired drivers and enforcement of the Driving While Intoxicated statutes to be a top priority,” State Police Director Robert Quinn said in a written statement. “Sobriety checkpoints are one of the best methods of deterring the impaired driver.”

Over the course of 2010, Troop B made 280 DWI arrests, with many of those arrests occurring during organized sobriety checkpoints.

This past Fourth of July weekend, state police made a total of 27 DWI arrests across the state.

aguilmet@newstote.com