Vernon man facing several charges after police pursuit ends in crash on I-91 in Rocky Hill
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WFSB) - A man from Vernon is facing over a dozen charges after a police pursuit that ended on I-91 in Rocky Hill on early Sunday morning.
At around 12:50 p.m. troopers were in the area of I-84 eastbound to Route 2 in East Hartford patrolling when they saw a sport vehicle was not staying in their lane, state police said.
The vehicle continued to swerve and drift from their lane and troopers began to attempt a traffic stop.
At first, the driver seemed to comply and was slowing down as well as move to the right lane but suddenly the operator started to drive at a high rate of speed.
Police began a pursuit and on Route 2, then the operator exited to Route 3 south without stopping at a red light and continued traveling on I-91 southbound.
Backup was called to assist with the pursuit and troopers tried to slowly box in the car in the shoulder.
The driver decided to not comply with orders from law enforcement and attempted to get out of the box in.
Police said the driver wanted to drive around the box in, but by doing so, he crashed with the right side of one of the cruisers.
The crash caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle and started spinning out across the highway and crash into a wire rope guardrail.
Officials have identified the driver as 28-year-old Daniel Henderson of Vernon.
When police spoke with Henderson, they witnessed signs of impairment like pinpoint pupils and profuse sweating that is consistent with the use of narcotics.
It was also revealed Henderson’s license was suspended.
Once the ambulance arrived, he said he was suffering from back pain due to the crash.
Following an investigation, the driver admitted to being on his phone during the pursuit while also not wearing his seatbelt.
Henderson was transported to a local hospital and was then placed under arrest.
He is now facing the following charges:
- Failure to Wear Seatbelt
- Illegal Operation of a Motor Vehicle Under Suspension
- Reckless Driving
- Engaging Police in Pursuit
- Illegal Operation of a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs
- Failure to Maintain Proper Lane- Limited Access Highway
- Failure to Stop on the Right Side of the Roadway
- Operation of a Motor Vehicle Using Handheld Electronic Device
- Failure to Obey Traffic Control Signal
- Operating a Motor Vehicle Without a License
- Operating a Motor Vehicle with Unsafe Tires
- Tinted Auto Glass Requirements
- Interfering with an Officer/Resisting
- Assault on Public Safety Personnel
- Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree
Henderson has since been released on a $50,000 bond.
He is expected to appear at Manchester Superior Court on Monday.
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