Officer tries running woman off road in ‘road rage’ incident, Connecticut cops say
A driver threw an object at a woman’s car and tried running her off the road in a “road rage incident,” Connecticut State Police say.
After the woman reported what happened to police, state troopers identified the driver as 54-year-old David Vetare, according to a criminal information summary provided to McClatchy News on March 13.
Vetare is a Norwalk Police Department officer.
He’s accused of following the woman “in an attempt to run her off the road” after throwing an object at her vehicle March 9 along Route 15 in Trumbull, the criminal information summary says.
State troopers located Vetare later that day, and he “admitted his involvement with the incident,” according to the summary.
Vetare has been arrested on charges of reckless driving, second-degree reckless endangerment, operating a motor vehicle with the intention to harass or intimidate and second-degree breach of peace, according to state police.
Information regarding his legal representation was immediately available.
On March 12, Chief of Police James Walsh said three Norwalk Police Department officers were recently arrested in a statement shared to Facebook. The officers’ names weren’t specified in the Facebook post.
“The recent arrest of three of our officers has understandably raised concerns and shaken the trust that we have worked tirelessly to build within our community. … While recent events may cause uncertainty, I want to emphasize that these actions do not define our department as a whole,” Walsh said.
On March 13, Walsh provided the same statement to McClatchy News in response to an inquiry about Vetare’s arrest.
“We are committed to conducting a thorough and transparent investigation into these matters,” Walsh’s statement said.
Vetare was off-duty on March 9, according to Walsh, who told McClatchy News in an email he “was placed on administrative leave, pending our receiving the police reports and the internal investigation.”
On Feb. 23, Norwalk Police Officer Hector Delgado was arrested on charges of stalking and harassment in connection with an incident involving his ex-wife, according to an arrest warrant, the Connecticut Post reported.
A third Norwalk police officer, Sgt. Shannon Sherry, was arrested on a charge of misconduct related to a car crash that killed a resident of New Britain in April, according to the newspaper. He was off-duty during the collision.
Vetare was issued a $5,000 non-surety bond, according to state police.
He’s due to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on March 20, the criminal information summary shows.
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