Police report an unusual one-car accident on the section of Poverty Hollow Road lying between its intersections with Greenleaf Farms Road and Equestrian Ridge Road at about 2:30 am on November 27.

Motorist Francis Magrone, 21, of Bethel, who was driving a 1999 Honda Accord, collided with a utility police alongside Poverty Hollow Road, according to police. The impact caused an electrical power outage in that area, police said.

After the auto struck the pole, Magrone drove away from the area, police said in noting that Magrone and the Honda were not at the accident scene when they arrived to investigate.

Police found that a large wreckage field had been created by the damaged auto. In the crash, one of the Honda's tires blew out, resulting in the vehicle then traveling away from the scene with an exposed rim, police said. That rolling metallic rim scraped the pavement, leaving noticeable score marks on the roadway, providing police with a trail to follow in seeking the car, police said.

Police said they followed those score marks for 18 miles, traveling through Monroe, Redding, and Bethel before finding the significantly damaged Honda in Bethel.

On finding Magrone, police investigated and arrested him on charges of driving under the influence and evading responsibility. Neither Magrone nor a 21-year-old female passenger was injured in the incident, police said.

Following arrest processing, police released Magrone on $100 bail for a December 8 arraignment on the charges in state Superior Court in Danbury.