Police Log: A Laundry List of DUIs and Bad Driving

Monday, May 10

• At 8:28 am on Route 7, a 1997 Ford Expedition travelling southbound veered off the side of the road and crashed into a utility pole, cracking it  in two and sending it onto Route 7. The man driving the Expedition, Ygnacio Delacruz-Manqueta, 21, of Bethel, was given an infraction for failure to drive correctly. He was transported to Norwalk Hospital for possible injuries. The incident caused traffic to back up on Route 7 until late in the evening, when workers were able to repair the pole at around 11 p.m. that night. 

Sunday, May 8

• A cruiser observed a car tailgating and speeding northbound on Route 7. When the officer pulled the car over and spoke with the driver, the officer found that the driver, David Edwards, 49, of Redding, was intoxicated. Edwards failed a sobrety test given to him at the scene and was arrested. He was charged with DUI, following too close, and speeding. Edwards was released with a promise to appear in court on May 19.

• A car was pulled over for erratic behavior on Danbury road at 11:30 p.m. It was found that the operator of the vehicle, Elena Hoffman, 41, of Norwalk, was intoxicated. She was charged with DUI and failure to drive correctly. 

Friday, May 6

• Two people were injured in a motor vehicle accident that occurred at the junction of Route 7 and Route 107 at 6 p.m. last Friday. Kwangtae Kim, 73, of Danbury, was travelling westbound on 107, when Kim lost control of the vehicle, a Nissan Pathfinder, and crossed into the eastbound lane of Route 107, barrelled over a grass-covered island, entered the north right-bound lane on Route 7 and smashed into the driver’s side of a Jeep which had been stopped at a traffic light. The Jeep was pushed into the other lane of traffic. Mary Brannan, 45, of Redding, who was operating the Jeep, and Kim were both taken to Norwalk Hospital ER to be treated for injuries incurred at the accident. The extent of the injuries has not been released at this time. Kim was given an infraction for failure to stay in the proper lane.

• A New Canaan man, William Schott, was pulled over on Route 7 for weaving within the right lane, braking without reason and multiple uses of the turn signal without actually turning. When stopped, Schott was deemed to be possibly under the influence and was given a field sobriety test, which he failed. Additionally, Schott was driving with a suspended licence and still had the license in his possession, even though he was ordered to return his ID after he had had it revoked during an older, unrelated incident. Schott was charged with DUI, operating a motor vehicle while suspended to do so, and failure to return a suspended license. Schott was released with a promise to appear in court on May 16.

Wednesday, May 4

• A 17-year-old female from Ridgefield fell asleep at the wheel and struck a utility pole on Ridgefield Road near Keeler’s Ridge. She sustained minor injuries and refused hospital transport. She was charged with reckless driving. 

Tuesday, May 3

• Matthew Delmazio, 24, of Stamford, was charged with reckless driving after he sped through a business complex parking lot at 187 Danbury Road, nearly striking a pedestrian. The pedestrian called the police and filed a complaint. Upon further investigation, another individual within the complex said that Delmazio had repeatedly sped through the lot in the past. Delmazio was given a court date of May 12 and released from custody.