New Canaan Motorist Faces DWI Charge

A 23-year-old man is facing a driving while intoxicated charge after he was stopped by a New Canaan Police officer because he allegedly didn’t clear snow from the top and rear windshield of his vehicle.

According to a police report, it was almost 1:45 a.m. Sunday when the officer saw the driver on Cherry Street “with a large amount of snow on top of the vehicle and obstructing the view of the rear window.”

While the officer spoke with the driver, identified as Keith D. Gelman, of West Avenue, Norwalk, “the officer detected the odor of alcohol.”

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After participating in field sobriety tests, and submitting to a breath test, Gelman was arrested on the DWI charge and ticketed for failure to remove any accumulated ice or snow from a noncommercial vehicle.

Gelman was released on a $250 bond and assigned a court date of Feb. 9.