Possible Evading Driver

Newtown Police report that an operator of a 2019 Ram 1500 owned by Hillary Torreso of Sandy Hook located damage on the truck after returning home at 9:44 am May 2. He said he had parked at Hawley School and that's where he thinks the damage occurred. The operator located a note under the passenger side windshield wiper after returning home, saying the car had been hit. The telephone number on the note was invalid. The operator said he was also parked at 100 Church Hill Road later that evening, but did not think the vehicle was hit there. Video footage from Hawley School was reviewed and no collision was observed on camera.

No enforcement action was taken since officers were unable to establish probable cause for evading.

Selling Alcohol To A Minor Charge

Newtown Police report that on May 4, a complaint was received accusing Oak Barrel Wine & Spirits of selling alcohol to minors. A check of the area showed a young man who did not appear to be 21 years of age yet at the register, and then leaving the store with a bag. The young man was approached, and it was found the bag contained alcohol and the young man was only 20 years old.

The sales clerk, Austin Cameron, was issued a misdemeanor summons for sale of alcohol to a minor and was released on a promise to appear.

Rear Ended At Intersection

Newtown Police report Robert Shohet, 64, of Newtown, operating a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis, was traveling southbound on Elm Drive at 7:38 am May 7. He was traveling behind a 2015 Honda Pilot operated by Marlene Bucci, 56, of Newtown. Bucci stopped at the intersection of Elm Drive and South Main Street. Bucci then began to move into the intersection but stopped short due to oncoming traffic. Shohet rear-ended her vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

Shohet was issued a verbal warning for following too close.

No Witnesses To Collision

Newtown Police report David Bernard, 37, of North Canaan, operating a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe, was parking in the lot of 228 South Main Street at 8:07 pm May 7. Bernard went into TJ Maxx and when he returned, he saw that his passenger side mirror was damaged. There were no other vehicles in the area of his vehicle.

No security cameras were able to witness the collision, and there were no witnesses.

Rear Ended At Red Light

Newtown Police report Sarai Ramsay, 21, of Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., was traveling northbound on Toddy Hill Road at 4:16 pm May 8. She was traveling behind a 2006 Toyota Camry operated by Sabrina Amorando, 28, of Trumbull. Amorando came to a stop at a yellow light that was cycling red at the intersection with Berkshire Road, and was rear-ended by Ramsay's vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

Ramsay was issued a verbal warning for following too close.

Too Fast For Conditions

Newtown Police report Kevin Rivera, 28, of Danbury, operating a 2016 Ford Transit, was traveling eastbound on Mt Pleasant Road at 5:30 pm May 9. He was traveling behind a 2010 Subaru Forester operated by Lisbeth Macas, 26, of Southbury. Macas slowed for a red light ahead, and was rear-ended by Rivera.

Macas was transported to Danbury Hospital for possible injuries. Neither vehicle was towed.

Rivera was issued an infraction for traveling too fast for conditions.

Restricted Turn

Newtown Police report Emily Wight, 18, of Sandy Hook, operating a 2013 Kia Sportage, was exiting the rear driveway of 47 Church Hill Road onto Edmond Road at 12:04 pm May 12. Monica Tokar, 19, of Monroe, operating a 2023 Volkswagen Jetta, was traveling southbound on Edmond Road. Wight attempted to enter the southbound right turn lane of Edmond Road and struck Tokar's vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

Wight was issued a written warning for making a restricted turn.

Collision In Parking Lot

Newtown Police report Collen Heibler, 18, of Brookfield, operating a 2012 Toyota Rav4, was backing into a parking space in the lot of Fairfield Hills at 4:48 pm May 12. An unoccupied 2020 Honda CR-V owned by Vikki Carlson of Newtown was parked in an adjacent spot, and was hit by Heibler's vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

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

Subaru Strikes Ford

Newtown Police report Marissa Sessa, 47, of Sandy Hook, operating a 2016 Subaru Legacy, was traveling northbound on Great Ring Road at 6:50 am May 13. Reino Cochere, 40, of New Milford, operating a 2018 Ford Transit, was traveling eastbound on Berkshire Road. Sessa stopped for the stop sign at the intersection with Berkshire Road and then made a left turn, striking Cochere's vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Both vehicles were towed.

Sessa was issued an infraction for failure to grant right of way when making a left turn.

Hit Dog In Driveway

Newtown Police report Luis Echavarria, 26, of Bridgeport, operating a 2025 Rivian EDV 700, was in a driveway on Pilgrim Lane at 4:20 pm May 13. He moved forward and struck a dog, which was killed during the collision.

Echavarria was not injured. The vehicle was not towed.

Parking Lot Fender Bender

Newtown Police report Madison Gibbs, 19, of Oakville, operating a 2026 GMC Terrain, was traveling southbound in the parking lot of 4 Primrose Street at 8:51 pm May 13. While trying to turn into a parking spot, Gibbs struck an unoccupied Tesla Model 3 that was parked in an adjacent space, but over the white line intended to separate the spaces.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

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

Hit Hamden Police Cruiser

Newtown Police report Valerie Smith, 54, of Monroe, operating a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder, was traveling northbound on Hattertown Road at 8:08 am May 14. Jenna Kaufman, 42, of Redding, operating a 2021 Ford Explorer, which was a marked Town of Redding police cruiser, was traveling eastbound on Poverty Hollow Road. Kaufman stopped at the intersection with Hattertown Road, and saw Smith approaching and slowing down for the stop sign. Kaufman entered the intersection and was struck by Smith's vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

Smith was issued a written warning for failure to grant right of way at a stop sign.

Struck Car While Parking

Newtown Police report Kimberly Coyne-Lupinacci, 67, of Sandy Hook, operating a 2017 Subaru Impreza, was traveling northbound in the lot of 6 Queen Street at 10 am May 14. While attempting to park in a space, Coyne-Lupinacci struck an unoccupied 2017 Audi Q7 owned by Ruben Garzon-Contreras, 40, of Danbury.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

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

DUI Charge

Newtown Police report that at 5:36 pm May 14, officers responded to the intersection of South Main Street and Park Lane for the report of an erratic driver who could not maintain their lane. Officers located and stopped the vehicle, and then arrested Enrique Criollo Contreras, 41, of Old Lyme.

Contreras was charged with illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, failure to drive in the proper lane, and operation of a motor vehicle without a license.

Contreras was released on a $1,000 non-surety bond and given a court date of May 26 in Danbury Superior Court.

Unlicensed Driver

Newtown Police report Axel Ortiz, 18, of Bridgeport, operating a 2011 BMW 328i, was traveling westbound on Berkshire Road approaching Bradley Lane at 10:51 pm May 14. Ortiz attempted to turn left onto Bradley Lane and missed the roadway, causing the undercarriage of his vehicle to strike a short embankment of a front lawn of a residence. All four tires of the vehicle had dug into the front lawn in an attempt to reverse off the lawn, causing damage to the grass.

No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed.

Ortiz was issued an infraction for making an improper turn, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Distracted Driving Charge

Newtown Police report Jaime Whittier, 49, of Trumbull, operating a 2016 Honda CR-V, was traveling northbound on South Main Street at 5:21 pm May 15. She was behind a 2020 Honda Civic operated by Jaleel Khan, 29, of Bridgeport, which was stopped behind a 2016 Honda Civic operated by Jorge Sanchez, 32, of Danbury, who was stopped at a red light. Whittier rear-ended Khan's vehicle, which was pushed forward into Sanchez's vehicle.

Khan reported back pain but was not transported to the hospital. No vehicles were towed.

Whittier was issued an infraction for failure to drive a reasonable distance apart and a verbal warning for distracted driving other than use of a hand held or hands free mobile telephone.

Evading Driver Sought

Newtown Police report that a 2025 Honda CR-V owned by Eileen Olifiers of Carmel, N.Y. was struck in the area of 63 Main Street at an unknown time on May 16. The legally parked vehicle was found to have sustained damage to the driver's side mirror.

Newtown Police Department is asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who may have information related to the incident to contact Newtown Police Department at 203-426-5841 and reference case #2600007104.