State Police Cruiser Strikes Utility Pole

On Toddy Hill Road

An unmarked state police 2006 Ford Crown Victoria sedan traveling southward near 23 Toddy Hill Road, driven by state police Lieutenant Michael Hofbauer, 46, at about 5:16 pm on Wednesday, August 31, went off the left side of the road and struck a utility pole, officials said.

Lt Hofbauer is the commander at the state police’s Troop A barracks on Lakeside Road in Southbury.

The utility pole needed to be replaced. Also, fluids leaking from an electrical transformer on the pole needed to be isolated and removed. The accident caused travel delays for a few hours in the area.

Sandy Hook volunteer firefighters and Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps members responded to the accident. Ambulance personnel treated Lt Hofbauer at the scene for minor injuries, town police said.

The accident caused a power outage in an area that had just had its power restored after an extended electrical outage following Tropical Storm Irene.

State police spokesman Lieutenant J. Paul Vance said that Lt Hofbauer became ill while driving, resulting in the vehicle going out of control and striking the utility pole. Lt Vance said there was no underlying cause for the accident.

Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe said that town police did not perform field sobriety tests or use a breath analysis device on the driver because there was no apparent need to so. When town police believe that someone may be intoxicated, they perform such tests, Chief Kehoe said.

Police use much discretion while investigating motor vehicle accidents based on the circumstances of a particular incident, according to Chief Kehoe.

“I’m comfortable with the job our officers did in this investigation,” he added.

According to the town police report on the accident, “Operator 1 stated he was traveling south on Toddy Hill Road when he became ill, lost control of his vehicle, and struck a utility pole. The physical evidence at the scene of the accident, along with the smell of vomit coming from the vehicle and Operator 1, corroborated Operator 1’s statement.”

Town police said they verbally warned Lt Hofbauer for failure to drive in the proper lane.