Struck Utility Pole

Newtown Police report that sometime during the overnight hours of October 31 to November 1, a 2024 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck was traveling southbound on Washington Avenue when it drove off the right side of the roadway and struck a utility pole. The vehicle then left the scene of the accident without notifying police.

If any person has information that would help identify the vehicle and driver, contact Newtown Police Department at 203-426-5841.

Both Vehicles Towed

Newtown Police report Kara Parisi, 34, of Danbury, operating a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek, was traveling westbound on Church Hill Road, waiting to turn left into the parking lot of Caraluzzi’s, at 9:13 am November 1. Sadie Elkow, 26, of Newtown, operating a 2015 Subaru Forester, was traveling eastbound on Church Hill Road. Parisi attempted to turn left in front of Elkow’s vehicle, and struck Elkow’s vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Both vehicles were towed.

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

Evading Vehicle Sought

Newtown Police report Donovan Pavlik, 43, of Nashua, N.H., operating a 2020 Honda Accord, was traveling eastbound on Church Hill Road in the right lane at 10:37 am November 1. An unknown vehicle described as a large white box truck with no decals was traveling straight on Church Hill Road in the left lane. The box truck attempted to change lanes and struck Pavlik’s vehicle. The box truck continued on and left the scene as Pavlik pulled over to assess the damage.

No injuries were reported. Pavlik’s vehicle was towed.

Upon further investigation using area traffic cameras, it was determined the vehicle had no license plate to record.

Ran Over Tree

Newtown Police report Maria Esteves, 73, of Southbury, operating a 2015 Subaru Forester, was traveling westbound on Berkshire Road at 10:46 am November 1. Due to windy and rainy weather conditions, Esteves was unable to see a tree that fell down and was lying across the roadway. Esteves ran over the downed tree, causing damage to the vehicle.

Esteves was transported to Danbury Hospital for a possible minor injury. The vehicle was not towed.

No enforcement action was taken.

Hit Garage Wall

Newtown Police report Frank Lapak, 92, of Newtown, operating a 2011 Toyota Tacoma, was pulling into a garage on South Main Street at noon November 3. Lapak said he had pulled into the garage when he briefly hit the gas instead of the brake, and struck the back wall of the garage.

No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not towed.

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

Box Truck Hit Wires

Newtown Police report Joseph Madaffari, 54, of Norwalk, operating a 2024 Freightliner 114SD box truck, was traveling north on Bennetts Bridge Road at 8:52 am November 4. The box truck struck some low hanging utility wires, causing one to break and leaving wires hanging in the roadway.

No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not damaged.

No enforcement action was taken.

Struck Deer

Newtown Police report Austin Kingsbury, 30, of Westport, operating a 2007 Acura MDX, was traveling eastbound on Poverty Hollow Road at 5:14 pm November 4. A deer entered the roadway from the eastbound shoulder, striking the front section of the vehicle.

Kingsbury was not injured. The vehicle was towed.

No enforcement action was taken.

Left Road, Slid Down Embankment

Newtown Police report Erona Gashi, 30, of Newtown, operating a 2024 Mazda CX-90, was traveling northbound on Cold Spring Road at 6:12 pm November 6. While negotiating a left-hand curve, the vehicle continued straight and exited the roadway right, sliding down an embankment before coming to a stop against a tree.

No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed.

Gashi was issued a verbal warning for failure to maintain a lane.

Backed Into Car

Newtown Police report Jameson Moran, 28, of Milford, operating a 2017 GMC Sierra, was stopped for traffic on Toddy Hill Road at 2:20 pm November 7. Charlery Bryan, 62, of Southbury, operating a 2014 Mazda Mazda3, was traveling northbound on Toddy Hill Road behind Moran and came to a stop behind. Moran backed up, backing into Bryan’s vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

Moran was issued a verbal warning for unsafe backing.

DUI Charge

Newtown Police report at approximately 6:54 pm November 7, Newtown Police Department received a call of a vehicle being operated in an erratic area on Poverty Hollow Road. The vehicle was described as a dark colored Volvo with a Connecticut license plate. Upon arrival, officers located the vehicle and began to follow the vehicle to check for potential erratic operation. After observing the vehicle travel completely into the oncoming lane of traffic several times, officers began a motor vehicle stop. The vehicle continued forward for a short time before coming to a stop in the middle of a travel lane on Key Rock Road.

After an on scene investigation, the operator of the vehicle was identified as James Craemer, 57, of Westport, and it was determined that Craemer was under the influence of alcohol. Craemer refused to exit his vehicle when instructed, and briefly fought with officers before being taken into custody. Craemer suffered a laceration to his right ankle and was transported to Danbury Hospital for treatment. In the rear seat of the vehicle, police discovered two juvenile passengers.

Craemer was charged with failure to driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, maintain a lane, risk of injury to a minor, and interfering with an officer/resisting arrest.

Craemer was released on a $10,000 bond with a court date of November 20 in Danbury Superior Court.

Larceny Charge

Newtown Police report that at 9 am November 8, Maria Franca, 49, of Danbury, turned herself in to Newtown Police Department after learning of a warrant for her arrest. She was charged with sixth-degree larceny and possession of a controlled substance. The warrant stemmed from an incident that occurred on September 15.

Franca was released on a $500 bond with a court date of November 24 in Danbury Superior Court.

Two Injured, Both Cars Towed

Newtown Police report Gabriel Figueiredo, 21, of Bethlehem, Penn., operating a 2021 Ford Explorer, was traveling southbound on Hawleyville Road at the intersection of the Interstate 84 East exit 9 on ramp at 4:53 pm November 8. Melissa Rodriguez, 40, of Brookfield, operating a 2018 Hyundai Elantra, was traveling northbound on Hawleyville Road. Figueiredo attempted to turn left onto the on-ramp and crossed the northbound lane, and was struck by Rodriguez’s vehicle.

Figueiredo and a passenger were both injured and transported to Danbury Hospital. Both vehicles were towed.

Figueiredo was charged with operating a motor vehicle without a license, and failure to grant right of way while making a left turn.

Collision In Intersection

Newtown Police report Majfuja Malik, 46, of Sandy Hook, operating a 2017 Hyundai Accent, was at the red light traffic signal at the intersection of Commerce Road and Church Hill Road at 5:04 pm November 9. Chloe Stango, 17, of Southbury, operating a 2018 Jeep Compass, was traveling eastbound on Church Hill Road. Malik attempted to turn right onto Church Hill Road and struck Stango’s vehicle.

No injuries were reported. Neither vehicle was towed.

Malik was issued a written warning for failure to grant right of way at an intersection.