Garbage Truck Incident

At about 2:43 pm on December 9, a 2003 Mack MR-68 garbage truck driven by Freddie Moore, 35, of Waterbury was parked along the eastbound road shoulder of Bennetts Bridge Road, near Lakeview Terrace, as motorist Carrie Ann Battaglia, 43, of Sandy Hook was driving a 2011 Lexus GX-460 SUV eastward on Bennetts Bridge Road, police said.

As the Lexus was passing by the stopped Mack, Moore opened the garbage truck's driver's door, damaging the passenger side of the Lexus, police report.

There were no injuries. There was no enforcement, police said.

Asleep At The Wheel

At about 2:49 am on December 18, motorist Matthew Thelen, 44, of Danbury, who was driving a 2016 Hyundai Sonata sedan westward on Interstate 84, west of Exit 11, fell asleep at the wheel, after which the auto veered off the roadway and struck some flex-beam guardrailing and a light post along the right road shoulder, state police said.

There were no injuries. Thelen received an infraction for failure to maintain the proper lane, according to state police.

Intersection Crash

A two-vehicle collision occurred at the intersection of West Street and Castle Hill Road about 7:07 am on December 20, according to police.

Motorist Tammy Viesto, 52, of Newtown, who was driving a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox SUV southeastward on Castle Hill Road, stopped at a stop sign at that road's intersection with West Street, police said. At that time, motorist Robert Mauro, 80, of Newtown was driving a 2000 Nissan Altima northeastward on West Street, according to police.

The Chevrolet then entered the intersection, resulting in the two vehicles colliding, police said. There were no injuries. Police said they issued Viesto a written warning for failure to obey a stop sign.

Dog Incident

Police report that motorist Ryan Kiss, 18, of Newtown was driving a 1997 Toyota Avalon sedan southward on Hattertown Road, just north of Merlin's Lane, on the morning of December 21, when a dog entered the roadway and then struck the auto.

The dog died from injuries it received in the collision, police said. The Toyota was disabled in the crash and needed to be towed away. Kiss was not injured. No enforcement action was taken.

Police are investigating the incident and ask anyone who knows the ownership of the approximately 60-pound brown-and-white female pit bull terrier that died to contact the town's animal control unit at 203-426-6900.

UPDATE (January 12, 2017): This police report has been updated to reflect the driver of the Avalon, based on a new report received from Newtown Police Department.)

Driveshaft Drops

State police report that at about 9:15 am on December 21, trucker Paul McDonald, 48, of Chaplin was driving a 1998 Peterbilt truck westward on Interstate 84, west of Exit 10, when the truck's driveshaft fell onto the highway.

Two SUVs and a sedan that were traveling behind the truck then got flat tires after running over the driveshaft debris, state police said. There were no injuries. State police took no enforcement.

Hawleyville Accident

State police report a two-vehicle accident involving two motorists on Hawleyville Road who were entering the Exit 9 on-ramp for westbound Interstate 84 from opposite directions on December 22.

Motorist Steven Smith, 49, of Newtown, who was driving a 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck, was attempting to enter the ramp from the north, as motorist Juan Castillo, 28, of Reading, Penn., who was driving a 2012 Hyundai Elantra, was attempting to enter the ramp from south, state police said.

The Hyundai driven by Castillo did not obey a Yield traffic sign, resulting in the two vehicles colliding, state police said. There were no injuries. Castillo received an infraction, state police report.

Church Hill Road Collision

Police report a two-vehicle accident on Church Hill Road at the entrance to Blue Colony Diner at about 5:25 pm on December 22.

The collision involved motorist Jane Klein, 65, of Scarsdale, N.Y., who was driving a 2010 Toyota Highlander SUV, and motorist Matthew Myslewski, 30, of Newtown, who was driving a 2004 Audi A-4 auto, police said.

There were no injuries. Police said they verbally warned Klein for making a restricted turn.

DUI Incident

At about 11:43 pm on December 23, police received a complaint about an erratically driven vehicle traveling near the intersection of Poverty Hollow Road and Wentworth Drive, after which they responded to investigate.

Police report the found the vehicle in question and investigated, charging motorist Kimberly Larson, 37, of Monroe with driving under the influence, failure to drive to the right, and failure to drive in the proper lane.

After processing the charges, police released Larson on $400 bail for a January 10 court appearance.

Icy Interstate

State police report that at about 7:29 am on December 25, motorist Patrick Stendahl, 20, of Lansdale, Penn., who was driving a 2012 Toyota vehicle eastward on Interstate 84, encountered icy pavement while negotiating a curve in the roadway.

The Toyota went out of control, struck some flex-beam guardrailing along the left road shoulder, crossed back over the roadway, and then struck some guardrailing along the right road shoulder, according to state police.

There were no injuries. State police said they verbally warned Stendahl for traveling too fast for conditions.

Slippery Highway

At about 7:29 am on December 25 on westbound Interstate 84, near Exit 11, motorist Christopher Cummings, 26, of Hamden, who was driving a 2004 Honda Element SUV, encountered some black ice on the highway, after which the auto spun out, state police said.

The Honda then traveled off the left road shoulder, struck an embankment, and then rolled over onto its side, state police report. There were no injuries.

State police said they verbally warned Cummings for traveling too fast for conditions.

Icy Conditions

State police report that a two-vehicle accident occurred amid icy conditions on eastbound Interstate 84, near Exit 10, at about 7:48 am on December 25.

The collision involved a 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan driven by motorist Yvette Lyons, 48, of Bridgeport, and a 2005 Nissan Murano SUV driven by C.F. Rossi-Gutierrez, 22, of Waterbury, state police said. Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps transported both drivers to Danbury Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, state police said. Rossi-Gutierrez was verbally warned for traveling too fast for conditions, according to state police.

DUI Arrest

Police said they received a complaint about 2:15 pm on December 26 concerning a vehicle that was being driven erratically near the intersection of Scudder Road and Cobblestone Lane, so they went to that area to investigate.

After finding the vehicle in question, police said they investigated and charged motorist Robert Graham, 48, of Monroe with driving under the influence, failure to drive to the right, and evading responsibility. Police said they held Graham on $500 bail for an arraignment on December 27 in state Superior Court in Danbury.

Graham pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was released from custody on $1,500 bail for a January 11 court appearance.

Volvo vs Pole

Police report that motorist Melissa Schafrath, 41, of Sandy Hook was driving a 2003 Volvo S-60 auto westward on Berkshire Road, near its intersection with Sherman Street, at about 1:22 pm on December 27, when she drove off the road's right shoulder and then struck a utility pole.

There were no injuries. Police said they issued Schafrath a misdemeanor summons for making a restricted turn, misuse of marker plates, and driving an unregistered vehicle.