Following Too Close

Newtown Police report Medina Gonzalez, 32, of Danbury, operating a 2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, was traveling eastbound on Mt Pleasant Road at 7:59 pm March 18. He was traveling behind a 2014 Subaru Forester operated by Carlos Valentin, 73, of New Fairfield. The traffic was stop-and-go from heavy traffic coming off of Interstate 84, and Gonzalez rear-ended Valentin's vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

Gonzalez was issued a verbal warning for following too close.

Failure To Maintain Lane

Newtown Police report Marcus Reid, 35, of Walden, N.Y., operating a 2021 Kia K5, was traveling eastbound on Toddy Hill Road at 5:50 am March 20. Reid drove over an icy spot on the roadway and left the roadway to the left, striking a stone wall.

No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed.

Reid was issued a written warning for failure to maintain a lane.

Too Fast For Conditions

Newtown Police report Ashlynn Ehrhard, 22, of Bethel, operating a 2023 Hyundai Elantra, was traveling westbound on Old Bethel Road at 7:06 am March 23. While negotiating a left hand curve, the vehicle ran off the roadway right and struck a wood bollard.

No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed.

Ehrhard was issued a verbal warning for traveling too fast for conditions.

Left Driveway, Hit Car

Newtown Police report Alexandra Paltin, 39, of Danbury, operating a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, was in the driveway on Berkshire Road at 4:07 pm March 23. Marie Koscal, 44, of Oxford, operating a 2022 Ford Explorer, was traveling in the eastbound lane of Berkshire Road and slowed to allow a non-contact vehicle to make a left hand turn onto Berkshire Road. As Koscal returned to normal speed, Paltin entered the roadway and struck Koscal's vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

Paltin was issued an infraction for failure to grant right of way at a driveway and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

Fell Asleep

Newtown Police report Joelai Monteiro, 49, of Newtown, operating a 2022 Tesla Model Y, was traveling northbound on Taunton Lane at 4:47 pm March 23. Monteiro had fallen asleep at the wheel and veered off the roadway, striking a utility pole.

No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed.

Monteiro was issued an infraction for operating a motor vehicle without a license and failure to drive in the proper lane.

DUI And Evading Charges

Newtown Police report that on March 25, officers were dispatched to the area of Berkshire Road for a vehicle that had struck a guardrail and continued to travel eastbound. The vehicle later stopped at 236 Roosevelt Drive in Monroe, where the operator was detained by Monroe Police. Newtown Police then arrived on the scene and arrested Rachel Vogt, 40, of Ansonia, and charged her with possession of a controlled substance, use of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and evading responsibility for property damage.

Vogt was released on a $2,500 non-surety bond with a court date of April 1 in Danbury Superior Court.

Parking Lot Incident

Newtown Police report Jose Fernandez, 35, of Brookfield, operating a 2013 Nissan NV 1500, was in a parking lot on Hawleyville Road at 12:50 pm March 30. While backing out of a parking spot, the vehicle struck a garbage can and knocked the windshield washing solvent off of its support. Fernandez then left the scene.

A complainant contacted police concerning the incident and showed security footage. Fernandez was contacted and said he thought he only struck the garbage can while backing up.

No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not towed.

No enforcement action was taken since the incident occurred on private property.