Impaired Man Drove On Holiday Parade Path In Montville: PD

MONTVILLE, CT — A motorist is accused of driving under the influence on the Montville Holiday Parade route on Sunday, according to police.

Around 6 p.m. Sunday, a Green Volvo drove on the wrong side of the road to avoid a road closure barricade, and then continued to travel on the parade path, according to police.

Police said the driver, Andrew Bennett, 21, ignored police commands for him to stop and failed to stop for their lights and sirens.

Officers ultimately located him parked at a sports bar on Norwich-New London Turnpike.

According to police, Bennett showed signs of being impaired while speaking with officers.

After an investigation, police said they determined Bennett had been operating his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Bennett was charged with drinking while driving, operating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, failure to drive right, disobeying the signal of an officer, operating without insurance, and operating with a suspended registration.

“We usually don’t post about DUI arrests unless it was from a serious accident or led to other serious crimes,” police said, in a Facebook post about the arrest. “But sometimes, there are exceptions. We felt that this one needed to be shared as the situation could have been worse and we have been asked about it quite a bit due to the attention it brought during the parade.”

Bennett is free after posting a $500 bond, and he is due to appear in Superior Court in Norwich on Dec. 16.