Hit-And-Run At Fairfield School Results In DUI For Driver: Cops

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield man faces several charges after a hit-and-run in which he is accused of crashing into a woman's SUV outside a local school and fleeing the scene, according to police.

David J. Drabaski, 66, was arrested Feb. 10 on a warrant at Fairfield police headquarters and charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, driving under the influence, failure to drive in the proper lane and evading responsibility, police said in a report.

The incident occurred just before 1 p.m. Jan. 10, when a woman was picking up young children from The Southport School in the 200 block of Main Street and a white 1978 Ford Bronco brushed against her and smashed into an open passenger door on her Land Rover, according to the report. The Bronco's front right bumper was inches from pinning the woman against her SUV, she told police, although no one was injured, the report said.

The Bronco pulled over briefly before fleeing, and the woman remembered part of the vehicle's license plate, according to the report. Additionally, police found one of the Bronco's side view mirrors at the scene, the report said. Law enforcement reviewed surveillance from the school and spoke with the proprietor of a nearby market, who identified Drabaski as the owner an older Bronco, according to the report.

Police confirmed the proprietor's tip with the Department of Motor Vehicles and went to Drabaski's home in the 300 block of Duck Farm Road, where they found a Bronco in the driveway that had damage consistent with the hit-and run, the report said. Also at the residence, police encountered Drabaski, who spoke with slurred speech, smelled strongly of alcohol and told law enforcement he had been drinking since the morning and did not remember the crash, according to the report.

Medical personnel called to the home confirmed Drabaski was heavily intoxicated and had prescriptions for oxycodone and blood thinners, the report said. Drabaski was taken to St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport.

About two weeks later, police received confirmation Drabaski's blood alcohol content less than two hours after the collision was 0.28 percent — more than three times the legal limit, according to the report.

Drabaski's bond was set at $100,000, according to the report, which also said Drabaski had previously been arrested in connection with driving under the influence in 2011 and 2012. He is set to appear in court Monday for the new charges, court records said.