Wrong-Way Naugatuck Driver Arrested On DUI Charge: CT State Police

NAUGATUCK, CT — A 58-year-old Naugatuck woman was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence Saturday, after Connecticut State Police said she was spotted driving in the wrong direction on Route 9 in Old Saybrook.

Patricia Shanahan was pulled over by a trooper at about 10:35 p.m., after she was seen driving northbound in the southbound lane between exits 3 and 2.

In addition to the DUI charge, Shanahan was additionally charged with disobeying the signal of an officer, and driving the wrong way on a divided highway.

After she was pulled over, Shanahan told the trooper that she did not realize she was driving the wrong way.

"An Essex Police Officer assisted the Trooper with stopping southbound traffic so as to move Shanahan out of the left lane and into the shoulder," state police wrote in a release. "The Trooper gave Shanahan instructions to pull over to the shoulder, which Shanahan disregarded. Shanahan turned her vehicle around and continued traveling south, straddling the right lane and right shoulder. Utilizing their emergency lights and siren, the Trooper again signaled Shanahan to stop. Shanahan continued driving at slow speeds, disregarding the signal to stop. The Trooper and Essex Officer subsequently boxed in the vehicle and safely brought it to a stop in the right shoulder."

The trooper detected the odor of alcohol emanating from within Shanahan's vehicle, and saw that her eyes were bloodshot, according to authorities.

After she failed Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, Shanahan was taken into custody and charged.

Shanahan was released after posting a $2,500 bond, and she was scheduled to appear in Middletown Superior Court on Tuesday.