Two arrested after fleeing crash, prompting K-9 search in Woodstock: Police
Two people were arrested after Connecticut State Police said they crashed a car in Woodstock and fled into the woods Sunday afternoon before officers tracked them down with the help of state police K-9s.
The driver, a 35-year-old man from Pomfret, faces 11 different charges, including evading responsibility, causing physical injury, operating under suspension, and several narcotics-related offenses.
State police said they responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a one-car crash near the area of 782 Route 171 around 4:51 p.m. on Sunday.
They learned that the man was driving on Route 171 with a 42-year-old woman from Putnam when he lost control of the car and struck a pole. They were told the two had fled into the woods.
A male passenger who was involved in the crash remained on scene and was hospitalized with minor injuries. He told police that the two people ran into the woods after the accident, according to state police.
A state trooper and K-9 tracked through “a thick swamp in heavily vegetated woods for approximately 1.3 miles” until they found the female passenger in the area of Pulpit Road and Route 171, state police said.
The woman told police the driver’s name and that was still running in the woods, but she didn’t know where he was, according to state police.
The K-9 then found a large bag hidden in the woods near 815 Route 171. Inside the bag was the man’s driver’s license, $2,000 in cash, multiple prescription pills in clear plastic bags, suboxone (a prescription medication used to treat opioid use disorder), a white rock-like substance, drug paraphernalia, and a container of empty sandwich bags, police said.
Through security camera footage from a nearby home and help from other state police K-9 teams, troopers found the driver walking in the woods near Rocky Hill Road and placed him under arrest, state police said.
Investigators said he was allegedly carrying fentanyl and drug paraphernalia, and a small amount of cash when he was arrested, according to state police.
The driver was held on a $50,000 cash-surety bond in connection with the crash, in addition to a separate $200,000 bond tied to active warrants for charges of failure to appear in the first and second degrees. He appeared in court on Tuesday morning.
The woman was charged with interfering with an officer and was released on a $1,000 non-surety bond. She also appeared in court on Tuesday morning.
Police said the driver suffered injuries and was taken to Hartford Hospital for treatment.
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