Roving Patrols Find Violators During July 4th Weekend

During the July 4th holiday weekend, town police conducted extra roving patrols in seeking out drunken drivers on local roads.

On each evening from Thursday, July 2, through Sunday, July 5, police had two extra patrol cars on the road as part of the program.    

Those roving patrols stopped 59 motorists to investigate motor vehicle violations, according to Sergeant Douglas Wisentaner.

Among the 59 motor vehicle stops, police made custodial arrests against three separate drivers.

Police said they stopped motorist Brian Shepard, 26, of 1 Glover Avenue on Nunnawauk Road, near its intersection with Hitfield Road, about 9:52 pm July 4, after he was seen swerving onto the road’s right shoulder.

After investigating, police charged Shepard with driving under the influence and with making a restricted turn. After processing, police released Shepard on $250 bail for a July 17 appearance at Danbury Superior Court.

About 8 pm July 3, police saw motorist Matthew Deedon, 44, of Westport following the vehicle ahead of him too closely on South Main Street, near its intersection with Bryan Lane, so they stopped Deedon to investigate.

Police charged Deedon with failure to drive a reasonable distance apart, failure to drive to the right, failure to wear a seatbelt, driving with a suspended license, and failure to return a suspended license to the state.

Police released Deedon on a written promise to appear in court on July 23.

Police report they stopped motorist Nicole Tardiff, 25, of 17 Borough Lane for crossing the road’s centerline on Mt Pleasant Road at about 9:30 pm July 3.

After investigating, police charged Tardiff with a travel lane violation and with driving while under suspension. After processing, police released Tardiff on a written promise to appear in court on July 21.

So far this year, police have arrested 36 drivers for driving under the influence, Sgt Wisentaner said.

Among the various violations detected by police during the roving patrol enforcement project there were: seven warnings for improper turns; one warning for driving with an obstructed view; six warnings and one infraction for traveling too fast; 17 warnings for having improper automotive lights;  and nine warnings for failure to drive to the right.

Also, police issued: one speeding infraction; two infractions for driving an unregistered vehicle; one warning for failure to obey a stop sign; four warnings for failure to obey a traffic signal; and two infractions for driving without a license.

Additionally, police issued one warning for an improper muffler; three warnings for improperly displayed vehicle registrations; one infraction for failure to wear a seatbelt; and one warning for unsafe tires.

The roving patrol enforcement project is covered by a federal grant that covers 75 percent of police overtime costs.