Police Pursuit Concludes With 13 Charges
Police Pursuit Concludes With 13 Charges
By Andrew Gorosko
An alleged drunken driver who engaged police in two separate vehicular chases during a 30-minute period on the evening of July 20, was eventually captured following a short foot chase, and was charged with 13 offenses, police said.
The incident began about 7:25 pm along Sugar Street, also known as Route 302.
Police said they saw motorist Joseph A. Cappellano, 21, of Unit 57, Meadowbrook Terrace Mobile Home Park, 55 Sugar Street, erratically driving a station wagon westward on Sugar Street, so they followed him. Police said that they pulled Cappellano over near the intersection of Sugar Street and Key Rock Road, but Cappellano then sped off.
Police pursued Cappellano for a time at normal driving speeds, but he would not stop, police said. Rather than risk an accident, considering that people were in the area, police said they temporarily called off the pursuit, which involved three police officers. The police reported that Cappellano was in the station wagon alone.
It was about 30 minutes later that Cappellano reappeared, driving recklessly at high speeds in residential areas, swerving the station wagon on and off roads, police said. Roads traveled during the incident included Sugar Street, Key Rock Road, Hattertown Road, and Boggs Hill Road.
 On reaching the intersection of Sugar Lane, Head OâMeadow Road, and Sugar Street, Cappellano struck an embankment, then got out of the station wagon and began to run off, police said. Following a short foot chase, police caught him.
After Cappellano had exited the auto, the station wagon started to roll down a slope, traveling toward some people in the area, police said.
On his arrest, police charged Cappellano with engaging in pursuit, driving under the influence, two counts of reckless driving, three counts of reckless endangerment, and two counts of interfering with police.
Cappellano also was charged with failure to obey a stop sign, failure to drive to the right, driving while under suspension, and driving without automotive insurance.
Police held Cappellano in the police station lockup on $25,000 bail for arraignment on the 13 charges on July 21 in Danbury Superior Court. He is scheduled to appear again in court.