A Torrington man was charged with driving under the influence after he was allegedly driving over 100 mph as troopers were attending to a disabled vehicle on Route 8 in Litchfield on Sunday, according to the Connecticut State Police.
A trooper from Troop L in Litchfield was checking on a disabled vehicle on the right shoulder on Route 8 North in the area of Exit 42 in Litchfield just after 2:30 a.m. on Sunday as a second trooper was conducting a traffic stop just north of that location.
The first state police cruiser was parked on the right shoulder on Route 8 with the emergency lights activated as a trooper checked on the disabled vehicle. The trooper saw a blue Jeep Patriot approaching at a high rate of speed in the right lane, according to state police. The Jeep stayed in the right lane while passing the two stopped state police cruisers in violation of Connecticut’s “Move Over” law, the state police said.
As the trooper merged onto Route 8, they observed the Jeep using the right lane to pass other motorists and allegedly traveling in excess of 100 mph, state police said.
The state police issued a traffic stop in the area of Exit 44 in Torrington as a trooper from Troop B in North Canaan assisted.
The Jeep driver was identified as 25-year-old Jose Torres-Jimenez of Torrington by his Connecticut Adult Learner’s Permit, state police said. As the trooper spoke with Torres-Jimenez and an adult in the vehicle, they alleged that Torres-Jimenez was showing signs of impairment. Torres-Jimenez was asked to exit the Jeep and agreed to participate in field sobriety tests, which he allegedly failed, according to state police.
Torres-Jimenez was taken into custody and transported to Troop L for processing. He is charged with operating under the influence of drugs/alcohol, reckless driving, passing on the right, failure to move over or reduce speed for emergency vehicles.
Torres-Jimenez was later released on a $500 non-surety bond and is scheduled for arraignment on Feb. 21 at Torrington Superior Court.