An 18-year-old man driving with more than twice the legal limit for alcohol in his system struck a utility pole on West Avenue shortly before 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21, police said.
Darien police described what happened with this account, including accusations not proven in court:
Jayden Rufus of Selby Place in Stamford was driving an Audi sedan on West Avenue near its intersection with Moore Street when his car struck the pole. When police arrived at the scene, the car was resting against the pole, and the vehicle’s engine compartment was engulfed in flames.
A witness told police that the driver was standing nearby with a group that had gathered on Moore Street.
Rufus told police that he was driving east on West Avenue, coming from Stamford, when he lost control of the car. He admitted that he had been drinking alcohol and said he was driving fast.
At Police Headquarters later, breath tests showed him having a blood-alcohol content of 0.172 at 10:23 p.m., over twice the legal limit of 0.08, and and 0.167 at 10:42 p.m., still twice the legal limit, about an hour after the accident.
He failed to perform standard field sobriety tests to an acceptable level, and police arrested him on a charge of driving while under the influence. He was also charged with making an improper turn.
He was released later on a $250 bond and is scheduled to appear Oct. 4 in state Superior Court in Stamford.