Man, 28, Gets DUI & Other Charges After Stop on Old Kings Hwy South

Although he appears to have been living in the area for some time, possibly years, a 28-year-old driver told police he didn’t have a Connecticut driver’s license when he was stopped on Old Kings Hwy. South on Wednesday just before he was charged with driving while under the influence, police said.

Instead of a driver’s license, the man, a resident of Washington Street in Norwalk, handed the officer his Mexican passport, according to police.

Darien police described what happened with this account (including accusations not proven in court):

At about 1:09 a.m., a police officer saw a green 2002 Chrysler 300 moving east on the Post Road near Old Kings Highway South.

The car crossed over the double yellow line three times within a quarter of a mile, and the officer stopped the vehicle after it had turned onto Old Kings Highway South. The stop was near the road’s intersection with Glenn Gorham Lane.

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When talking to the driver, the officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle, and the man’s eyes were red and glassy. The officer later smelled alcohol coming from the driver himself. The man said he was drinking beer earlier in the day.

The driver could not successfully complete a field sobriety test and was charged with driving while under the influence, failure to drive on the right side of the road and driving without a license.

Unrelated to this incident, Darien police say there were five motor vehicle accidents, none with injuries, in town in the seven days ending Sunday. One was in a parking lot.

At Darien Police Headquarters, the man tried to take a breathalyzer test three times, but didn’t succeed in breathing in the right way. That gets marked down as a refusal and leads to stricter treatment of his driving privileges by the state Department of Motor Vehicles (which may not matter if he doesn’t have a driver’s license).

A records check of the man’s name showed he was wanted for failure to appear in state Superior Court in Norwalk on a 2009 breach of peace charge.

The man’s bond was set at $500 for the Darien charges and a court had set his bond at $500 for the failure to appear charge. He was held overnight and taken to state Superior Court in Stamford the next day, Thursday, March 2.

Darien-Related DUI Arrests Since Jan. 1:

• Police: DUI for Man, 29, Driving 4X Over Double Yellow Line on Tokeneke Road (March 6)
• Police: DUI for Man, 26, Whose Driver’s License Had Already Been Suspended (Feb. 28)
• DUI for Man, 18, After SUV Hits a Tree on Bailey Ave (Feb. 21)
• Police: DUI for Darien Man, 60, Found Driving Too Fast on Old Kings Hwy South (Jan. 23)
• Police: DUI for Man, 24, Driving on Wrong Side of the Road (Jan. 18)
• Darien Man Charged with DUI & Driving 54 MPH on Post Road (Jan. 17)
• DUI for Woman, Her 3rd Arrest in 11 Days — a Day Later, She Was Shot (Jan. 10)
• Darien Woman, 25, Charged with DUI in Westport (Jan. 7)