DUI Driver Arrested For Crash That Injured Cop: Fairfield Police

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Bridgeport man is accused of driving under the influence at more than three times the legal limit when he crashed into an off-duty Fairfield Police officer while driving on the wrong side of the road last month. The crash occurred just before 11 p.m. on Jan. 20 on Kings Highway Cutoff near New England Avenue while the officer was on his way to work, according to Capt. Robert Kalamaras.

Kalamaras said the driver of the other vehicle, later identified as James Crowther, was traveling the wrong way heading eastbound in the westbound lane of Kings Highway Cutoff when it collided into the front end of the officer’s off-duty vehicle that was traveling westbound on Kings Highway Cutoff. Crowther showed signs of intoxication at the scene, but both drivers were taken to the hospital for treatment of their injuries, according to Kalamaras.

Police obtained a search warrant for Crowther’s blood and urine samples and his medical records on Jan. 22. The medical records revealed a BAC of .29 and a positive presence of Benzodiazepines at the time of the collision on Jan. 20, according to Kalamaras.

Crowther, 49, of Grovers Avenue in Bridgeport, turned himself in on an active arrest warrant on Feb. 6. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, failure to obtain a Connecticut driver license after 30 days of residing within the state and driving on the wrong side of the road. He was held on $25,000 court-set bond and given a court date of Feb. 19.

Pictured: James Crowther, 49, of Bridgeport / Fairfield Police Department