High School Assault

About noon on March 15, police arrested a 15-year-old male student on a charge of third-degree assault at Newtown High School. Police said the boy allegedly struck another student, and was thus charged with the criminal offense.

After arrest processing, the boy was released into the custody of his parents for a March 26 appearance at Danbury Juvenile Court. State law shields the identities of people under age 18 who are charged with crimes.

School Bus Crash

Police report an accident involving a school bus, carrying 32 Reed Intermediate School students, and a station wagon at the intersection of Main Street, Sugar Street, South Main Street, and Glover Avenue about 8:05 am March 15. That intersection is controlled by a traffic signal.

There were no injuries, police said.

Motorist Janice DiBeneditto, 53, of 7 Elana Lane, who was driving a 1999 Subaru Outback station wagon northbound on South Main Street, was in the designated left turn lane for Sugar Street, police said.

At that time, a 1996 Ford school bus driven by Janice Paynter, 41, of 24 Palestine Road was traveling southward on Main Street, police said.

Both vehicles had green traffic signals, police said.

The Subaru then made a left turn in front of the approaching bus and the two vehicles collided, police said. DiBeneditto received a written warning for making a restricted turn.

Nissan Vs Audi

About 11 pm February 26, motorist Raina Menchetti, 34, of New Haven, who was driving a 2001 Nissan Sentra eastward near 182 Berkshire Road, lost control of the vehicle on the icy roadway, police said.

The Nissan went out of control  and spun about, entering the westbound lane, where it collided with a westbound 2001 Audi A-6 station wagon driven by Richard Clymer, 52, of Danbury, police said.

There were no injuries. Menchetti received a written warning for traveling too fast for conditions.

Osborne Hill Road

Motorist Susan Lamonte, 45, of 67 Osborne Hill Road was driving a 2004 Subaru Legacy sedan northward on Osborne Hill Road about 9:49 pm March 10, when the vehicle went out of control on the wet roadway and went off the right side of the street, landing in a ditch, police said.

Lamonte was not injured. Police took no enforcement action.

Cadillac Vs Deer

Motorist Albert Lourenco, 60, of Danbury was driving a 1999 Cadillac DeVille sedan southward on Mt Pleasant Road about 4 pm March 10, when a deer ran onto the road, police said. The Cadillac and the deer collided. Lourenco was not injured. Police took no enforcement action.

Marijuana

Following a dispute between a female motorist and a male pedestrian on Main Street about 9:15 am March 14, police conducted an investigation and arrested the woman driver.

Police said they arrested Christina Arroyo, 24, of Wolcott on a charge of possession of less than four ounces of marijuana. Police released Arroyo on a written promise to appear March 27 in Danbury Superior Court.

Parking Lot

About 3 pm March 13, motorist Mary Orten, 62, of 13 Forest Drive, who was driving a 2002 Kia Sedona station wagon in a parking lot at 14 Riverside Road, backed into a parked, unoccupied 1993 Chevrolet Cavalier, police said.

Orten was not injured. Police took no enforcement.

I-84 DUI

State police said they spotted motorist Christopher Lewis, 21, of 98 Church Hill Road driving eastward on Interstate 84, east of Exit 9, about 1:30 am March 18. Lewis was driving without functioning tail lamps and also was weaving on the road, state police said.

After stopping the vehicle, state police investigated and gave Lewis field sobriety tests, after which he was charged with driving under the influence and with driving without tail lamps.

Lewis is scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court on April 2 to answer the charges.

Highway DUI

State police report that motorist Robin Bondi, 44, of Waterbury was driving a 2003 Saturn sport-utility vehicle eastward on Interstate 84, west of the Tunnel Road overpass, about 1:54 am March 18, when the Saturn veered onto the right road shoulder and struck a Hilario’s Service Center wrecker that was parked there.

Bondi then kept driving the Saturn until state police stopped it west of the Exit 10 off-ramp. There were no injuries, state police said.

Bondi was charged with driving under the influence, evading responsibility, and failure to drive in the established lane. She is scheduled to appear in court on April 2.

Two Charges

After learning that police held a warrant for his arrest, Evan Brooks, 23, of 71 Main Street went to the police station on March 19 and was charged with sixth-degree larceny and second-degree forgery, police said.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on January 30. Police released Brooks on a promise to appear March 29 in Danbury Superior Court.

 

SUV Vs Deer

Motorist Morris Beers, 67, of 129 Saw Mill Road was driving a 2000 GMC Jimmy northward on Hawleyville Road, near Covered Bridge Road, about 7 am March 15, when a deer ran out onto the road and collided with the vehicle, police said.

Beers was not injured. Police took no enforcement.

Truck Vs Truck

Police report that Robert McCulloch, 31, of 5 Bridge End Farm Lane was driving a 2003 Ford F-350 pickup truck while plowing snow at a gas station at 67 Church Hill Road at about 4:25 am March 17.

The Ford was then backing out of the easternmost driveway there when it collided with a town-owned 2003 Mack dump truck, which was being driven westward on Church Hill Road by Thomas Paloian, 21, of 8 Center Street, police said.

There were no injuries. Police verbally warned McCulloch for unsafe backing.

Alcohol Charges

Police said they stopped a vehicle containing two males under age 18 at about 9:30 pm on March 17 at Mile Hill Road South, near Cochran Street.

Police said they found alcohol in the vehicle.

Police report they issued infractions to both the driver and the passenger for possession of alcohol by a minor in public.

Additionally, police issued the driver a written warning because he was a minor in possession of alcohol in a motor vehicle. That action will result in a driver’s license suspension hearing by the state Department of Motor Vehicles, police said.

Also, police charged the driver with a violation of a passenger restriction in effect on his new driver’s license. That youth was driving during the period from 90 to 180 days after having received his driver’s license.

Because both youths are under age 18, their identities are shielded by state law, police said.

Currituck Road

About 9:38 pm March 19, motorist Chris Slaney, 23, of Madison Drive was driving a 1993 Pontiac sedan southward on Currituck Road, when he lost control of the vehicle on the snow-covered pavement, police said. The Pontiac went off the road and struck a large rock, police said. Slaney was not injured. Police issued him an infraction ticket for failure to drive to the right.

Rollover

A one-vehicle accident occurred at the intersection of Dodgingtown Road and Shelley Road about 12:18 am March 17.

In that accident, motorist Michael Belansky, 23, of Bethel, who was driving a 1989 Chevrolet sport-utility vehicle, accelerated on the wet Dodgingtown Road, lost traction, went off the road, hit an embankment and then rolled over on the road, with the SUV landing on its left side, police said.

Belansky was not injured. Police issued Belansky an infraction ticket for making a restricted turn.

 

Olds Vs Nissan

A two-vehicle collision occurred during snowy conditions about 11:43 am March 16 at the intersection of Meadow Brook Road and Huntingtown Road.

In that incident, motorist James Mayers, 18, of 9 Oak Ridge Drive, who was driving a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero coupe, slid on the snow-covered road and collided with motorist Laura King, 39, of 31 Meadow Brook Road, who was driving a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder, police said.

There were no injuries. Mayers received a written warning for traveling too fast for conditions.

Flat Swamp

About 7:23 am March 16, motorist Peter Masella, 57, of 85 Flat Swamp Road, who was driving a 2004 Pontiac sedan, pulled out of his driveway to make a left turn onto Flat Swamp Road, police said.

In making that maneuver, the Pontiac drove in front of a southbound 1999 Mercury van being driven by Felix Leon, 42, of Danbury, police said. The Mercury hit the Pontiac from behind.

 There were no injuries. Police issued Masella a written warning for failure to grant the right of way from a driveway.

High School Drugs

Police report that at about noon on March 20, a school official noticed what appeared to be some drugs in a student’s vehicle at the Newtown High School parking lot.

Police were called in to investigate and found some marijuana. Police charged the 16-year-old boy with possession of less than four ounces of marijuana.

Following arrest processing, the boy was released on a promise to appear April 13 in Danbury Youthful Offender Court. Because the boy is under age 18, state law shields his identity from public disclosure.

Bad Checks

Police said they charged Walter J. Erickson, 41, of 17 Pond Brook Road on a warrant on March 20 with two counts of issuing a bad check. Police said the case stems from a complaint made in January. After processing, Erickson was released on $250 bail for an April 3 court appearance.

Buick Vs Dodge

About 11:30 March 20, motorist Benjamin Soto, 39, of Danbury, who was driving a 2007 Dodge Caliber on eastbound Interstate 84’s Exit 9 off-ramp, stopped at a stop sign at the end of the ramp, police said.

Motorist Kevin Burland, 60, of 32 Birch Hill Road, who was driving a 1999 Buick Century, then stopped behind the Dodge, police said.

The Dodge then started to move forward, but stopped due to traffic conditions, and was struck from behind by the Buick, police said. There were no injuries. Burland received a written warning for following too closely.