Police Reports | February 26-March 9, 2016
Pole Bridge DUI
At about 8:53 am on March 3, motorist Robert Cherry, 35, of 138 Underhill Road, Unit 8, was driving a 2006 Volkswagen Passat northward on Pole Bridge Road, when he crossed into the opposite lane and struck head-on a 2011 Volkswagen Golf being driven southward by a woman, police said.
Police report that a witness described Cherry, who had left the scene on foot, heading northward along Pole Bridge Road. Town police said that state police found Cherry near Interstate 84 in the area and detained him.
Police said the woman who was driving the Volkswagen Golf was transported to Danbury Hospital by the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps for a medical evaluation.
After investigating, police arrested Cherry on charges of driving under the influence, evading responsibility, driving with a suspended license, and failure to keep to the right on a curve.
Following processing, Cherry was released on $2,500 bail for a March 16 court arraignment.
Theft From Home
Police said they went to the residence of Jamie Szabo, 41, of Oxford on the evening of March 3 and served a warrant against him, lodging a charge of third-degree larceny, which is a felony.
Police allege that while working on a home remodeling project on Laurel Road last year, Szabo stole approximately $7,000 worth of items from the home, including the contents of a jar containing loose change, multiple finger rings, and some diamond chips. Police received a complaint on the matter on August 9.
Following arrest processing, police released Szabo on $1,500 bail for a March 17 arraignment in Danbury Superior Court.
Warrant
After learning that police held a warrant for his arrest, Hunter Knapp, 23, of 11 Jeremiah Road went to the police station on the afternoon of March 2 and was charged with second-degree failure to appear in court, according to police.
Police said that on July 3, 2015, they responded to a complaint about a person's presence at the Botsford Drive-In, a takeout restaurant at 282 South Main Street in Botsford. Police have said that after investigating that complaint, they charged Knapp with a narcotics violation.
Knapp did not make a scheduled court appearance in that drug case, and on November 13 a judge ordered that Knapp be rearrested, resulting in police receiving the arrest warrant.
After processing on March 2, police released Knapp on $1,500 bail for a March 15 court appearance.
South Main Crash
Police report a two-vehicle accident on South Main Street, near its northerly intersection with Appleblossom Lane, about 2:54 pm on February 26.
While traveling in heavy traffic on southbound South Main Street, motorist Amanda Walsh, 18, of 9 Blue Spruce Drive, who was driving a 2004 Pontiac Vibe hatchback, stopped abruptly and was then struck from behind by Bryan Wolfe, 27, of Monroe, who was driving a 2010 Ford Transit van, police said.
There were no injuries. Police said they issued Wolfe a written warning for failure to drive a reasonable distance apart.
Sandy Hook Collision
A two-vehicle accident occurred at the intersection of Wasserman Way and Berkshire Road about 8:20 am on March 2.
Police report that motorist Andrew Reitter, 51, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., who was driving a 2014 Honda Civic, struck the rear end of a 2009 BMW 328-XI driven by Ryan Schonfeld, 41, of Danbury.
There were no injuries. Police said they verbally warned Reitter for following too closely.
Birch Hill Road
Motorist Travis Richter, 37, of Fishkill, N.Y., was driving a 2010 Lincoln MKZ sedan southward on Birch Hill Road, near its intersection with Scudder Road, about 4 pm on February 29, when while negotiating a curve in the road to the left, the auto went off the right road shoulder and struck a tree, police report.
There were no injuries. Police said they verbally warned Richter for making a restricted turn.
Motor Vehicle Charges
Police report that at about 1:23 am on March 5, they stopped motorist Karisma Aarons, 22, of 35 Button Shop Road near 19 Main Street because the vehicle that she was driving had a defective headlamp.
After investigating, police charged Aarons with driving with a defective headlamp, driving with a suspended license, and driving an unregistered vehicle.
Police said they released Aarons on $500 bail for a March 15 court appearance.
Cellphone Found
Police report that a cellphone was found on March 4 in the parking lot near the Big Y supermarket at Newtown Shopping Village at 6 Queen Street. The small, black LG-brand cellphone uses Verizon as its telecommunications carrier. The last four digits of the cellphone's number are "9068." Police say the owner may contact police Officer Matthew Pirhala at the police station at 3 Main Street, telephone 203-426-5841, to claim the device.
Rear-End Collision
At about 2:22 pm on March 3, motorist Giovanni Campanile, 67, of Southbury was driving a 2015 Nissan Altima eastward on Church Hill Road, near its intersection with Wire Road, when he slowed for traffic conditions and was then struck from behind by eastbound motorist Wayne Nelson, 43, of North Haven who was diving a 2001 Buick Century, according to police.
Nissan passenger Michaeline Campanile, 67, was transported by ambulance to Danbury Hospital to be checked for possible injuries, police said. Nelson received a verbal warning for following too closely, police said.
Drug Charges
State police report they stopped motorist Blair Baumel, 37, of East Hartford for speeding on Interstate 84, near Exit 11, about 4:50 pm on March 6, and after investigating, charged him with possession of narcotics and with possession of less than one-half ounce of marijuana.
Baumel was released on $2,500 bail for a March 21 court appearance, according to state police.
Highway Accident
About 8 am on March 1, motorist Ronald Coccaro, 55, of Southbury, who was driving a 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK-350 SUV westward on Interstate 84, about 200 feet east of Exit 10, slowed for heavy traffic and was then struck from behind by motorist Marleau Arrington, 21, of Waterbury, who was driving a 2011 Toyota Camry sedan, state police said.
There were no injuries. Arrington received an infraction for failure to drive a reasonable distance apart, state police said.
VW vs Mazda
While traveling on westbound Interstate 84, west of Exit 11, motorist Cameron Simon, 16, of Cheshire, who was driving a 2015 Volkswagen Golf, swerved and sideswiped a 2014 Mazda CX-5 SUV driven by Lulezim Oparaku, 44, of Worcester, Mass, about 11:45 am on March 1, state police said.
There were no injuries. State police said they issued Simon an infraction for failure to maintain the proper lane, and also verbally warned Simon for failure to carry an automotive registration/insurance identification card.
Sandy Hook Collision
At about 9 am on March 7, motorist Carol McHugh, 65, of 20 Bridge End Farm Lane, who was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV westward on Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook Center, stopped for traffic conditions, after which the Chevrolet was struck from behind by westbound motorist Ann Marie Praino, 45, of 15 Old Farm Hill Road, who was driving a 2010 Nissan Murano SUV, according to police.
There were no injuries. Police said they verbally warned Praino for following too closely.
Church Hill Accident
Police said that at about 5:20 pm on March 4, motorist Karen Lynn Dunbar, 50, of 1 Lafayette Trail, who was driving a 2015 Hyundai Tucson SUV eastward near 62 Church Hill Road, stopped for traffic conditions and was then struck from behind by motorist Maria Cevallos-Siranaula, 37, of Danbury, who was driving a 2008 Nissan Sentra auto.
There were no injuries. Police report they issued Cevallos-Siranaula a written warning for following too closely.
Jacklin Road DUI
Police said they responded to a report of a one-vehicle accident having occurred near 8 Jacklin Road in Dodgingtown at about 12:01 am on March 9.
Police said that after investigating, they charged motorist Alexander Kron, 24, of 4 Clapboard Ridge Road with driving under the influence and with making a restricted turn.
Following processing, police released Kron on $100 bail for a March 23 appearance in Danbury Superior Court.
Breach
Police report that after conducting an investigation into a complaint, they charged Douglas Allan, 66, of Monroe with second-degree breach of peace at about 8:10 pm on March 9. Police said they arrested Allan at his home.
Following processing, police released Allan on a written promise to appear in court on March 23.
Volvo vs Ford
Police said motorist Harold Postman, 79, of Monroe was driving a 1998 Volvo S-70 sedan northward near 321 South Main Street about 5:20 pm on March 3, as motorist Karen Heinemann, 34, of Guilford was driving a 2011 Ford Edge SUV southward there.
The Volvo then crossed the road's centerline, resulting in the two vehicles colliding, police said. Both Postman and Heinemann were transported by ambulance to Danbury Hospital for medical evaluations, police said.
Police said they issued Postman an infraction for failure to drive to the right. Police report they gave Heinemann a misdemeanor summons for driving with suspended license.
Six Charges
Police said they performed a motor vehicle stop on motorist Anthony Troiano, 30, of East Hampton about 10:30 am on March 9 near the intersection of Wasserman Way and Nunnawauk Road.
After investigating, police charged Troiano with driving an unregistered vehicle, improper use of marker plates, failure to have automotive insurance, a vehicular registration/licensing violation, possession of less than one-half ounce of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
After processing, police released Troiano on $250 bail for a March 23 court appearance.