Vernon Police Respond To 2 DUI Calls In Less Than An Hour

VERNON, CT — Vernon police responded to a pair of drunken driving incidents within about an hour of each other to begin last weekend that involved drugs in hand and a child not properly restrained, records show.

Police released reports on the incidents Wednesday.

They took place Friday at 4:57 p.m. and 5:56 p.m., respectively, according to arrest reports.

Just before 5 p.m., police were dispatched to the reservoir road McDonald's after getting calls about an unresponsive driver at the establishment. The driver, a 60-year-old Willington resident, subsequently failed a field sobriety test after officers noticed "controlled substances" in her hands, along with drug paraphernalia in the vehicle, according to an arrest report.

She was charged with possession of a controlled substance (second offense),the use of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence and insurance and registration violations.

Shortly before 6 p.m., officers located a vehicle in the middle of Grove Street that had collided with a utility pole, according to an arrest report. The vehicle was occupied by a 54-year-old Vernon woman and a 9-year-old who was illegally seated in the front of the car, according to an arrest report.

The driver failed sobriety tests at the scene and was charged with driving under the influence with a child younger than 18 as a passenger, violating rear-facing child seat requirements while transporting someone less than 60 pounds, risk of injury to a child and a lane violation.