Police Reports | November 27-December 9, 2018
Interstate Collision
State police report that about 3:04 am on December 9, a tractor-trailer truck traveling eastward on Interstate 84, about 500 feet west of Exit 11, applied its brakes, after which eastbound motorist Joseph Fiore, 56, of New Milford, who was driving a 2016 Audi S-3 auto behind the truck, also braked. An eastbound 2014 Infiniti Q-60 driven by Brian Danrajh, 22, of Waterbury, then struck the rear end of the Audi.
There were no injuries. Danrajh received an infraction for following too closely.
DUI Arrest
Police said that at about 4:24 pm on December 9, they received a report informing them there was a moped driver traveling erratically southward on Main Street, near South Main Street, so they responded to investigate.
Police spotted the man in question, who was swerving as he drove the motorized two-wheeled vehicle southward on South Main Street.
After investigating, police charged moped driver Paul Sarnik, 53, of Sandy Hook, with driving under the influence, driving without a license, and failure to drive in the proper lane. While mopeds do not need to be registered as vehicles, a moped’s driver must possess a driver’s license. Sarnik was held on $500 bail for a December 10 court appearance, police said. In court, Sarnik did not plead to the charges. A judge released him on a written promise to return to court on January 9.
Three MV Charges
Police said that at about 9:30 am on December 8, they spotted a vehicle traveling on Mount Pleasant Road, near Blackman Road, on which the marker plates were not properly displayed and did not match the vehicle.
Police stopped motorist Reiny Arrington, 28, of Bridgeport, to investigate, after which they charged her on a misdemeanor summons with misuse of marker plates, driving an unregistered vehicle, and failure to have automotive insurance. Arrington is scheduled to appear in court on December 19 to answer the charges.
Botsford Crash
Police report that at about 1:33 pm on December 8, motorist Timothy Morin, 36, of Stratford, was driving a 2008 Toyota Corolla sedan southward on South Main Street behind a southbound 2014 Nissan Juke SUV driven by Jacqueline Toth, 26, of Stratford.
As the two vehicles were driving southward through the intersection of South Main Street, Botsford Hill Road, and Meadowbrook Road, the Toyota attempted to pass the Nissan on the left, but the Toyota struck the Nissan.
There were no injuries. Police issued Morin an infraction for improper passing.
Intersection Crash
Police report a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of Church Hill Road, Washington Avenue, Riverside Road, and Glen Road in Sandy Hook Center about 2:11 pm on December 8.
The collision involved motorist Craig Rogers, 64, of Sandy Hook, who was driving a 2015 Honda Civic auto, and motorist Patricia Noone, 52, of Sandy Hook, who was driving a 2018 Kia Sedona minivan, according to police. There were no injuries. Police said they verbally warned Rogers for passing on the right.
SUV Rollover
Motorist Camryn Griffin, 16, of Newtown, was driving a 2008 Honda CR-V SUV southward on Parmalee Hill Road, about 250 feet north of its intersection with Daniels Hill Road, at about 7:46 am on December 7, when while negotiating a curve in the roadway, the Honda went off the pavement and then struck a tree, after which it rolled over onto its passenger side, according to police.
There were no injuries. Police verbally warned Griffin for making a restricted turn.
Hyundai Vs Lexus
A two-vehicle accident occurred on Berkshire Road, near its intersection with Toddy Hill Road, about 1:30 pm on December 7.
In that collision, motorist Dulce Becerril, 48, of Brewster, N.Y., who was driving a 2013 Lexus LX SUV, stopped and was then struck from behind by a 2015 Hyundai Elantra driven by Messiah Alvarado, 19, of Danbury, police said. The Hyundai drove away after the crash. There were no injuries.
Police located the Hyundai in a nearby driveway, after which they issued Alvarado an infraction for failure to drive a reasonable distance apart.
SUV Vs SUV
Police report an accident on Toddy Hill Road, near Clearview Drive, involving two compact SUV’s about 8:19 am on December 6.
Motorist Meghan Hayden, 39, of Monroe was driving a 2015 Toyota RAV-4 northward as motorist Carly Goeller, 28, of Sandy Hook, was driving a 2011 Nissan Rogue southward, police said. The Toyota crossed into the opposite lane, resulting in the two vehicles colliding.
There were no injuries. Hayden received a written warning for failure to drive in the proper lane.
Saturn Vs Jeep
About 12:07 pm on December 6, motorist Christopher Bruno, 30, of Carmel, N.Y., who was driving a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV northward on Glen Road, near its intersection with Church Hill Road, stopped the Jeep, after which the Jeep was struck from behind by a Saturn vehicle driven by Tyler Miles, 22, of Newtown, according to police.
There were no injuries. Police verbally warned Miles for following too closely.
GMC Hits Chevy
At about 4:11 pm on December 6, on the combined Exit 11 off-ramp of Interstate 84, motorist Jeffrey Qualley, 47, of Groton, who was driving a 2019 GMC Yukon SUV, merged from the left road shoulder into the travel lane, and in doing so, the GMC struck a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven by Edwin Mendez, 54, of Bridgeport, state police said.
There were no injuries. State police verbally warned Qualley for making an unsafe lane change.
Autumn Ridge
About 8:12 am on December 5, on Autumn Ridge Road, motorist Deanna Tassinari, 25, of Newtown, who was driving a 2018 Audi S-5 auto, struck the rear end of a 2014 GMC Acadia SUV driven by Melissa Singlak, 43, of Newtown, police said.
There were no injuries. Tassinari received a written warning for failure to drive a reasonable distance apart.
Hawleyville Intersection
Police report a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of Hawleyville Road and Mount Pleasant Road about 8:57 am on December 5.
Motorist James Loney, 58, of Riverside, Ohio, who was driving a 2018 Ford F-350 truck, was stopped for a traffic signal on eastbound Mount Pleasant Road when the Ford was struck from behind by motorist Maureen Decker, 56, of Bethel, who was driving a 2010 Honda Accord. A passenger in the Ford received minor injuries. Decker received a verbal warning for following too closely.
School Bus
About 3:17 pm on December 5, a construction worker signaled for Roseanne Baranowski, 56, of Sandy Hook, who was driving a 2019 Bluebird school bus without any passengers, to drive past a parked, unoccupied 2014 Peterbilt construction truck and trailer on a curve on Old Green Road, police said. The bus is owned by All-Star Transportation.
In driving near the truck, however, the bus struck the vehicle and then became stuck up against it, police said. There were no injuries. Police verbally warned Baranowski for improper passing.
Sedan Hits SUV
At about 1:38 pm on December 3, while traveling southward on South Main Street, near its intersection with Simm Lane, motorist Deanne Herring, 71, of Newtown, who was driving a 2005 Hyundai Sonata sedan, struck the rear end of a southbound 2015 Jeep Wrangler SUV driven by Christopher Svitek, 49, of Pomona, N.Y., police report.
There were no injuries. Herring received an infraction for following too closely.
Hattertown Road
Police said that at about 3:15 pm on December 3, motorist Annie Mixon, 84, of Danbury, who was driving a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan minivan southward near 99 Hattertown Road, stopped for a halted school bus, which was discharging students.
Southbound motorist Nancy Mendez, 51, of Monroe, who was driving a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV southward, struck the rear end of the Dodge. There were no injuries. Police verbally warned Mendez for following too closely.
Property Damage
Police report they responded about 9:41 pm on December 3 to a Sandy Hook residence to investigate a report of a disturbance having occurred there.
Police said their probe indicated that Kyle McCarthy, 25, of Sandy Hook had damaged a wall and other property within the residence, after which they charged him with third-degree criminal mischief. Police released McCarthy on $1,000 bail for a December 13 arraignment on the charge at Connecticut Superior Court in Danbury.
Evading Responsibility
Police report that at about 3:35 am on December 2, motorist Robert Lasher, 22, of Woodbury, who was driving a Dodge Dakota pickup truck on Mile Hill Road South, collided with a utility pole, after which he left the scene. Police later located Lasher and charged him with evading responsibility and with failure to drive to the right. Lasher was scheduled to answer the charges in court on December 14.
Arrest Warrant
At about 9 am on November 28, police arrested Maxtone Hoagland, 29, of Sandy Hook on a warrant, charging him with third-degree larceny, which is a felony. The charge stems from an October 21 complaint alleging that Hoagland had stolen some items, according to police. After processing, Hoagland was released from custody on a written promise to appear in court on December 12.
Shoplifting Incident
Police report they received a larceny complaint about 12:51 pm on November 28 from the Stop & Shop supermarket at Sand Hill Plaza at 228 South Main Street in Botsford, so they went to the store to investigate the alleged case of shoplifting.
Police charged Vincent Givens, 53, of Bridgeport with sixth-degree larceny, and also charged Tremaine Wilson, 48, of New Haven with conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny. The men were scheduled to appear in court to answer the charges.
Four Charges
At about 3:13 pm on November 28, police made a traffic stop near the intersection of South Main Street and Elizabeth Street after determining that a vehicle driven by Antonio Mattei, 39, of Bridgeport had incorrect marker plates.
After investigating, police charged Mattei with improper use of marker plates, driving an unregistered vehicle, and failure to have automotive insurance; Mattei additionally was charged with violation of probation in connection with a past Ridgefield incident, according to police. Mattei was released from police custody on $2,500 bail for a December 12 court appearance.
Theft Charges
Police report that at about noon on November 27, they executed an arrest warrant in Bridgeport against Tamara Sowell, 40, of Bridgeport, charging her with sixth-degree larceny and third-degree identity theft.
Police allege that Sowell stole a credit card in Newtown and later made an illegal purchase with it in Bridgeport. Sowell posted $150 bail for a December 11 court appearance.