Two-Vehicle Collision

A two-vehicle collision occurred at the intersection of Hawleyville and Mt Pleasant Roads around 6:14 pm, Wednesday, December 23.

Newtown police report that Francis J. Halas, 72, of Bethel, who was operating a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox eastbound on Mt Pleasant Road, attempted to turn onto Hawleyville Road. At the same time, Sueli S. Marano, 61, of Danbury, was traveling west on Mt Pleasant Road, operating a 2017 Jeep Wrangler.

Marano turned left at the intersection, and the Jeep struck the Equinox, causing minor damage to both vehicles.

The drivers and a passenger in the Equinox were all wearing seat belts. No injuries were reported. There was no enforcement action taken.

Backup Camera Blocked

Around 4:30 pm Thursday, December 24, Carolynn Luzi, 55, of Southport, began backing a 2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i out of a parking space at Stop & Shop in Sand Hill Plaza, 228 South Main Street.

Meanwhile, Dean Edward Webb, 61, of Monroe, was in a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta Sport, in a travel lane of the parking lot waiting for a nearby spot to open up so that he could park in a space. While in reverse, the rear bumper of the Subaru struck the passenger side of the Volkswagen.

Luzi told police she did not see the Volkswagen when she was backing up, and there was debris on her vehicle’s backup camera.

There were no injuries or charges reported.

Jeep vs Buick

A 2013 Buick Encore was being operated by D. Maria Granjeiro, 44, of Danbury, westbound on Dodgingtown Road near the intersection with Cemetery Road around 1:38 pm, Saturday, December 26.

At the same time, a 2017 Jeep Cherokee operated by Matthew Sharpe, 26, of Newtown, was also traveling westbound on Dodgingtown Road, directly behind the Buick.

Granjeiro slowed for a non contact vehicle in front of her. Sharpe was unable to stop the Cherokee in time to avoid contact with the Buick. The front left corner of the Cherokee struck the right rear corner of the Buick.

Both vehicles were towed from the area.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts. No injuries were reported.

Sharpe was issued a written warning for failure to drive a reasonable distance apart.

Tunnel At Currituck Collision

A 2015 Honda CRV being operated by Donayre Verastegui, 37, of Norwalk, was traveling eastbound on Tunnel Road around 10:29 am Wednesday, December 30. Verastegui stopped for the stop sign at the intersection of Tunnel and Currituck Road, but then started to make a left onto Currituck, in the path of a 2003 Land Rover Discovery II SE that was traveling south on Currituck.

Jason Tamburri, 41, of Newtown, who was operating the Land Rover, moved that vehicle to the right to avoid hitting the Honda.

The left rear section on the Honda made contact with the left front section on the Land Rover, however. Further, the Land Rover continued to travel, striking a stop sign on the eastbound shoulder of Tunnel Road before coming to rest on the embankment.

At the time of the incident, the Land Rover had the right of way.

Both drivers and a passenger in the Land Rover were wearing seat belts. No injuries were reported.

Verastegui was given a verbal warning for failing to grant right of way at stop sign.

Two Charges

Two vehicles — a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado being operated by Thomas Sean O’Donnell, 31, of New Milford, and a 2017 Ford Escape Titanium being operated by Lynne Mary Solaski, 58, of Sandy Hook — were traveling south on South Main Street around 6:26 pm Wednesday, December 30.

The Ford stopped approximately 200 feet north of the intersection with Country Club Road, due to traffic ahead.

The Chevrolet was behind the Ford. O’Donnell told police that he was distracted and did not realize until too late that the Ford had stopped. The front end of the Colorado struck the rear end of the Escape.

Damage to the rear of that vehicle was not enough to disable it, and it was driven from the scene. Damage to the front end of the Chevrolet was significant, however, and it was towed from the scene.

There were no injuries reported. Both drivers were wearing seat belts at the time of the collision.

O’Donnell was issued a verbal warning for following too closely and operating a motor vehicle while using a cell phone.

Following Too Closely

A 2020 Subaru Impreza Premium being operated by Jo Ann Beckett, 60, of New Milford, was stopped in the westbound travel lane of Church Hill Road at The Boulevard for a red traffic light around 11:51 am, Thursday, December 31.

A 2017 Kia Forte LX being operated by Debra Lynn June, 42, of Sandy Hook, also traveling west on Church Hill Road, rolled forward and collided with the rear bumper of the Subaru.

Both drivers and a passenger in the Subaru were all wearing seat belts. No injuries were reported on scene.

June was issued a verbal warning for following too closely.

Following Too Closely

A 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty truck being operated by Jack D. Lafferty, 54, of Sandy Hook, was stopped in northbound traffic for a red light on South Main Street at Button Shop Road around 1:18 pm, Thursday, December 31.

A 2008 Acura RDX sport sedan, operated by Angel Humberto Tuba-Saquipay, 61, of Danbury, was also traveling northbound on South Main Street, behind the Ford. The Acura struck the truck’s rear bumper with its front bumper.

The truck sustained a small bumper scratch as a result.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts. No injuries were reported.

Tuba-Saquipay was issued a written warning for following too closely resulting in accident.

New Year’s Day Crash

Mark T. Grasso, 63, of Fairfield, was traveling north on South Main Street, operating a 2019 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, around 6:09 pm, Friday, January 1.

As he was turning into the parking lot of 113 South Main Street, Grasso’s vehicle was struck from behind by a 2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i, a compact SUV being operated by Kyle Peter Trahan, 17, of Sandy Hook, who had been traveling behind the Toyota.

Trahan told police that he never saw the Toyota.

The force of the impact caused the Tacoma’s cab to be thrown from the vehicle onto South Main Street. The truck then continued over a small decorative island and into the parking lot of 113 South Main St.

Grasso reported minor neck pain but refused medical aid on scene. Trahan was uninjured. Both drivers had been wearing seat belts.

The Tacoma sustained heavy rear bumper and bed damage. The Subaru sustained heavy front end damage. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Trahan was given a verbal warning for following too closely.

South Main Street Crash

Todd Loren Jones, 47, operating a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, a compact car, had stopped in the northbound travel lane of South Main Street to make a left turn into 98 South Main Street around 10:20 am, Saturday, January 2.

A 2004 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, operated by Robert John Miville, 22, of Gettysburg, Penn., was traveling northbound behind the Cruze. The front of the pickup truck collided with the rear of the car.

Miville suffered a cut to a finger on his right hand. Both drivers and a passenger in the Cruze were all wearing seat belts. The Silverado’s air bags deployed. The air bags in the Cruze did not deploy.

Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Miville was issued infractions for following too closely and operating a motor vehicle with a valid out of state license beyond 30 days.

Violations Of Protective Order

Christopher Klutch, 49, of Newtown, turned himself in at Newtown Police Department on January 4, on an active arrest warrant.

Klutch was charged with two counts of violation of a protective order.

He was released on a $25,000 surety bond, and scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court the following day.

Unsafe Lane Change On I-84

According to the state police report, three vehicles — a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan, a 2021 Volvo XCT5, and a 2017 Honda Accord — were traveling on I-84 East, just west of the Bancroft Road overpass in Sandy Hook, around 3:20 pm Monday, January 4.

The Volkswagen, operated by Timothy McFadden, 59, of Milford, was in the left/slow speed lane. The Volvo, operated by Robin Lisa Rosenthal, 57, of Avon, was in the left/high speed lane. The Honda, operated by Malik K. Clarke, 24, of The Bronx, N.Y., was also in the left/slow speed lane.

Clarke made an unsafe lane change, from the right lane to left, causing the Honda to sideswipe the Volvo. The Honda then continued into the right lane, striking the rear of the Volkswagen. The Volkswagen was pushed into the metal beam guardrail in the right shoulder due to this collision. It came to rest facing west.

The drivers, along with a passenger in the Volkswagen and the Honda, were all wearing seat belts. All were checked for injuries, but none were reported.

The Volkswagen and the Honda were both towed from the scene. The Volvo had minor damage, and was driven from the scene. Clarke was found at fault and issued a verbal warning for an unsafe lane change.

In addition to state troopers, Sandy Hook firefighters and a Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps crew also responded to the scene.

Collision With Utility Pole

Newtown police report that Peter Benjamin Marsten, 65, of Sandy Hook, was operating a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado K1500, a full-size pickup truck, southbound on New Lebbon Road around 12:59 pm, Tuesday, January 5.

While negotiating a curve in the roadway, Marsten lost control of the vehicle. The truck drove off the right side of the road, and then off the left side of the roadway and collided with a utility pole.

Marsten was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The truck’s air bags deployed, but Marsten was uninjured.

He was given a verbal warning for failure to maintain proper lane.

Three-Vehicle Crash

A three-vehicle accident on Sugar Street Tuesday morning created a traffic hazard in the area, but did not send anyone to the hospital.

Newtown police report that a 2010 Nissan Frontier had been traveling east on Sugar Street around 8:38 am, January 5, and initiated a left turn onto Scudder Road. The Nissan was being operated by Chavez Edgar Herrera, 54, of Bridgeport.

When Herrera initiated that turn, the Nissan hit a 2014 Honda CRV that had been traveling west on Sugar Street. The Honda was being operated by Stacey Lasorsa, 24, of Newtown.

The Nissan then hit a 2006 Acura RSX, which was stopped at the stop sign on Scudder Road. The Acura was being operated by Vallarie V. Luckner, 29, of Newtown.

Herrera reported back pain and was evaluated by EMS responders. Lasorsa was checked for a possible broken thumb. Luckner reported possible air bag deployment burn on right hand and was evaluated by EMS.

Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corp and Newtown Hook & Ladder firefighters responded to the accident.

The drivers were all wearing seat belts; a child in the Acura was protected by a forward-facing child restraint system.

Herrera was issued an infraction for failure to grant right of way left turn.