Police Make Two Drunken Driving Arrests At Sobriety Checkpoint

In the latest in their continuing series of sobriety checkpoints, town police lodged drunken driving charges against two motorists, arrested two drivers for having expired vehicle registrations, plus issued 17 verbal warnings for various vehicular violations.

Police held the sobriety checkpoint on the night of Saturday, August 30, and early morning hours of Sunday, August 31, on Wasserman Way at its intersection with Trades Lane at Fairfield Hills. Wasserman Way also is known as Mile Hill Road.

Most checkpoints held during the past several years have been staged at Hawleyville Road, near its intersection with Covered Bridge Road.

Seven police officers, plus one supervisor, ran the checkpoint.

Police estimated that they stopped approximately 1,000 vehicles during the checkpoint. During those vehicle stops, police briefly interviewed drivers to determine whether they had been drinking alcohol or using drugs.

At approximately 10 pm August 30, police stopped motorist Lilyan Durkee, 77, of Heritage Village, Southbury. Police said that on interviewing Durkee they learned that she had consumed some alcohol.

Police said that Durkee refused to perform all of a set of standardized field sobriety tests, which police give motorists who they believe may be intoxicated. Durkee started to walk away from the sobriety testing area during that testing, police said.

Police said that Durkee then struck a police officer in the chest. Police then charged Durkee with driving under the influence, interfering with a police officer, and third degree assault.

Police transported Durkee to the police station for processing on the charges, after which they released her on a $100 bond for a September 16 appearance in Danbury Superior Court to answer the charges.

Earlier the night, just before 9 pm, police stopped motorist Lee Seward, 59, of Woodbury at the sobriety checkpoint.

Police said they interviewed Seward, after which he failed several field sobriety tests. Police charged Seward with driving under the influence, and transported him to the police station to process the case, after which he was released on a $100 bond for a September 16 appearance in Danbury Superior Court.

During the course of the checkpoint, police said they found two other motorists who were driving with expired vehicle registrations. In such cases, police have the vehicles towed for storage until the registration problems are corrected.

Also, in stopping the 1,000 vehicles, police issued 17 verbal warnings to drivers for various vehicular violations.

The police department’s current drunken driving enforcement project, which includes checkpoints and roving patrols, is subsidized by federal grant money. Of the $15,700 in police overtime costs, approximately $11,775 is covered by grant money.