Two MV Charges

Police report they stopped motorist Michael Rivera, 36, of Stratford, on Dodgingtown Road near the Bethel town line at about 8:42 am on May 22 to investigate. Police charged Rivera with driving with a suspended license and with driving without automotive insurance. Rivera was released on $500 bail for a June 6 court appearance.

Criminal Charges

Police report they received a call about 1 am on May 21 from a resident of Concord Ridge Road stating that a male was acting suspiciously outdoors in that neighborhood, which is on a dead-end street extending from Echo Valley Road, so police went to the area to investigate.

The caller mentioned to police that the sound of breaking glass and yelling had been heard.

Police found Jason Rossiter, 30, of Roxbury, at a Concord Ridge Road property and investigated, charging Rossiter with second-degree criminal trespassing and second-degree criminal mischief. Police said that Rossiter had broken a window on a parked motor vehicle there.

Rossiter was transported to Danbury Hospital for a medical evaluation. At about 3 am, police discovered Rossiter’s damaged vehicle near 122 Hanover Road, which is about 4,000 feet from where he was found on Concord Ridge Road earlier.

The vehicle that Rossiter had been driving went through a stone wall and then struck a tree.

Thus, police additionally charged Rossiter with failure to maintain the travel lane and with evading responsibility by leaving the scene of an accident. Rossiter was released from custody for a June 5 arraignment on the charges before a judge in Connecticut Superior Court in Danbury.

Larceny

Police report they received a call from Caraluzzi’s Food Market at 5 Queen Street at about 10:47 am on May 21, reporting that shoplifting allegedly had occurred there. After investigating, police charged Collins Michael Verstegen, 55, of Newtown with sixth-degree larceny. Police said Verstegen attempted to steal $163 worth of packaged butchered beef from the store. Verstegen is scheduled to appear in court on the charge.

Dodgingtown Evading

Sometime between 2:30 and 4:30 pm on May 21, an unknown motorist driving a Jeep Wrangler SUV northward on Flat Swamp Road, near Poor House Road, drove onto the right road shoulder and damaged wooden fencing at a residential property, police said. The driver left the scene of the crash. The Jeep is likely missing a passenger-side black plastic fender-flare molding which was a trim part on such vehicles from 2007 to 2019. Anyone with knowledge of the driver’s identity is asked to contact Officer William Hull at the police station at 3 Main Street at 203-426-5841, or via e-mail at william.hull@newtown-ct.gov.

Vehicular Violation

Police report that at about 7:30 pm on May 20, they performed a traffic stop near the intersection of Botsford Hill Road and Little Brook Lane to investigate motorist Joseph Crego, 24, of Oakville.

Police charged Crego with driving with a suspended license. He was released for a June 4 court appearance.

Car Vs Tree

Police report a one-vehicle accident about 12:25 pm on May 19 near the intersection of Osborne Hill Road and Mountain Laurel Lane.

Police said motorist Rebecca Remson, 16, of Sandy Hook, was driving a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze auto westward on Osborn Hill Road and then attempted to make a left turn onto southbound Mountain Laurel Lane, but turned late and then drove off the roadway and struck a tree. There were no injuries.

Remson has a valid learner’s permit and had as a passenger her mother, who has a valid driver’s license, police said. Police issued Remson a written warning for making an improper turn.

Highway Sideswipe

State police report a two-vehicle collision on westbound Interstate 84, west of Exit 9, about 4:14 pm on May 19.

In that incident, motorist Jefferson Rodriguez, 27, of Harrison, N.J., who was driving a 2013 Jeep Wrangler SUV, and motorist Julio Pillo, 59, of Worcester, Mass., who was driving a 2012 Ford Econoline van, were involved in a sideswipe crash. There were no injuries.

It could not be determined who was at fault for the crash, so no enforcement action was taken. State police ask anyone with knowledge of the incident, which has the case number #240047, to contact them at Troop A in Southbury at 203-267-2200.

Motorcycle Crash

State police report that motorcyclist Dwight Floyd, 61, of Bristol, was riding a 2016 Harley-Davidson FLTRX Road Glide at about 9:15 am on May 18, when while negotiating a sharp curve to the right on westbound Interstate 84’s Exit 10 off-ramp, the motorcycle slid out of control and landed on its right side, ejecting Floyd, who landed on his back on the ramp.

The Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps transported Floyd to Danbury Hospital on a report of chest pain, state police said. Floyd was verbally warned for traveling too fast for conditions.

Toyota Vs BMW

About 3:17 pm on May 18, motorist Nicholas Gambardella, 47, of Ridgefield, who was driving a 2011 BMW 535-XI sedan, stopped at a stop sign at the end of eastbound Interstate 84’s Exit 9 off-ramp, after which motorist Nikona Wright, 31, of Bridgeport, who was driving a 2016 Toyota Camry sedan, stopped behind the BMW, state police said.

The BMW then started moving forward, after which the Toyota struck the rear end of the BMW. There were no injuries. State police verbally warned Wright for unsafe movement from a stopped position.

Drug Possession

Police report that following an investigation at Newtown High School on the morning of May 17, they charged a student there, under age 18, with possession of less than one-half ounce of marijuana and with possession of drug paraphernalia.

Because the person charged is under age 18, police declined to disclose the person’s identity. Police issued the person a juvenile summons, requiring that they appear in Juvenile Court to answer the charges.

Warrant

On the afternoon of May 17, police arrested Jeremy Luis Mojica, 32, of Bridgeport, on a warrant, charging him with failure to respond to an infraction. The initial incident occurred on March 19, when police charged Mojica with driving an unregistered vehicle. After processing, police released Mojica on $500 bail for a May 30 appearance in Connecticut Superior Court in Danbury.

Arrest Warrant

Police report they went to Bridgeport on May 16 and found Anthony Gerardi, 29, of Bridgeport, for whom they held an arrest warrant. Police charged Gerardi with second-degree failure to appear in court in connection with an October 2016 incident.

On October 6, 2016, police responded to the intersection of Deerfield Drive and Toddy Hill Road in Sandy Hook after receiving a report of a person sleeping behind the wheel of a sedan. Police have said they discovered Gerardi in the vehicle, adding that he was in possession of heroin, marijuana, a prescription medication pill, and a glass pipe. Police then arrested Gerardi on a DUI charge, driving under suspension, and several drug violations.

On May 16, following arrest processing on the court appearance charge, police released Gerardi on $200 bail for a May 28 appearance in Connecticut Superior Court in Danbury.

Infiniti Hit

Police said that sometime between 12:20 and 1:10 pm on May 16, an unknown motorist driving an unknown vehicle struck and damaged a parked unoccupied 2013 Infiniti G-37 auto, which was parked in a parking lot near Ricci’s Salon & Spa at 99 South Main Street, and then left the scene without reporting the collision and damaged vehicle.

Main Street/Currituck

A two-vehicle collision occurred at the intersection of Main Street and Currituck Road about 4:01 pm on May 16.

Motorist Chelsea Jayson, 30, of Newtown, who was driving a 2014 Jeep Wrangler SUV southeastward on Currituck Road, stopped at a stop sign at that road’s intersection with Main Street, police said. At that time, motorist Annemarie Roller, 81, of Newtown, was driving a 2017 Hyundai Elantra compact car northward on Main Street, according to police.

The Jeep then attempted to make a left turn to enter southbound Main Street, but the two vehicles collided. There were no injuries. Jayson received an infraction for driving an unregistered vehicle and also was verbally warned for failure to grant the right of way at a stop sign, according to police.

Three Vehicles

Amid congested travel conditions on westbound Interstate 84 at about 6:44 am on May 15, motorist Alexis Waight, 26, of Woodbury, who was driving a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro sports car, stopped and was then struck from behind by a 2012 Western Star heavy truck driven by Douglas Finnemore, 57, of Webster, N.H., state police said.

The impact of that crash pushed the Chevrolet forward, and the Chevrolet struck the rear end of a 2014 Honda Accord driven by Linda Kimble, 56, of Watertown. There were no injuries. Finnemore received an infraction for following too closely.

Country Club Road

A two-vehicle accident occurred at the intersection of South Main Street and Country Club Road about 8:50 am on May 15.

Motorist Karen Szamotula-Cheney, 53, of Monroe, who was driving a 2007 Lexus RX-350 SUV northward on South Main Street, attempted to make a left turn to enter westbound Country Club Road but collided with motorist James P. Maguire, IV, 44, of Goshen, who was driving a 2017 GMC Sierra pickup truck southward on South Main Street, police said.

There were no injuries. Police verbally warned Szamotula-Cheney for making a restricted turn.

Intersection Crash

A two-vehicle accident occurred at the intersection of Church Hill Road and Walnut Tree Hill Road about 10 am on May 15.

In that incident, a 2012 Lexus IS-350 sedan driven by Richard Halpern, 65, of Newtown, collided with a 2012 Toyota Camry sedan driven by Andrea Williams, 47, of Stratford, police said.

There were no injuries. Halpern received a written warning for passing on the right.

Highway Crash

State police report that at about 10:59 am on May 15, motorist John E. Beetham, III, 54, of Oxford, who was driving a 1989 Chevrolet pickup truck on westbound Interstate 84, changed travel lanes and struck a 2005 Ford Escape SUV driven by Julio Ble, 76, of Southbury.

There were no injuries. Beetham received a written warning for making an unsafe lane change.

Honda Driving Honda

State police report that at about 9:16 pm on May 14, a 2010 Subaru Forester SUV driven by Thomas Jackman, 28, of Sandy Hook, on westbound Interstate 84, about 500 feet west of the Exit 10 on-ramp, struck a 2009 Honda CR-V SUV driven by Charlotte Honda, 78, of New Fairfield.

There were no injuries. Jackman received an infraction for failure to drive a reasonable distance apart.