Police Press Two DUI Charges, Lodge Infractions, Issue Warnings

Police arrested two motorists on drunken driving charges, plus issued violations for various other vehicular offenses, during a sobriety checkpoint that they staged on Route 302 in Dodgingtown Center on late December 3 and early December 4.

During the 5½-hour checkpoint, police stopped approximately 400 motorists who drove by the checkpoint and interviewed them to determine whether drivers had been using alcohol and/or drugs. Eight patrol officers and one supervisor took part in the checkpoint.

At approximately 10:54 pm on December 3, police said motorist Tibor Molnar, 40, of Shelton stopped driving a vehicle before it reached the checkpoint and then changed seating locations with a passenger inside the vehicle. Police said that after field sobriety testing, they charged Molnar with driving under the influence.

After processing the arrest at the police station, police released Molnar on $100 bail for a December 20 appearance in Danbury Superior Court.

Also at the checkpoint, at about 1:25 am December 4, police charged motorist Richard Bean, 42, of Bethel with driving under the influence. After processing, police released Bean on $60 bail for a December 20 court appearance.

Besides the two drunken driving arrests, police issued two infraction tickets at the checkpoint. One infraction concerned driving an unregistered vehicle. The other involved driving without a license. Both vehicles were towed away.

Also, police issued one written warning for possession of alcohol in a motor vehicle by a person under age 21.

Police issued 16 other various warnings, including two warnings for vehicles with excessively dark tinted windows.

A state grant reimburses town police for 75 percent of the overtime costs involved in staging a sobriety checkpoint.

Police plan to have extra roving patrols on the roads to enforce the drunken driving laws during the coming holiday season.