More Charges For Teen Involved In Fatal Crash That Killed Hartford Cop

HARTFORD, CT — The driver of the car that collided with a Hartford police vehicle earlier this month, killing one officer, has been charged with manslaughter after police said he was under the influence of pot.

Connecticut State Police Thursday said they have added several more charges to 18-year-old Hartford resident Richard O. Barrington's case.

Police said those charges were filed against Barrington Thursday as members of the State Police Central District Major Crime Squad served an arrest warrant against the suspect in Hartford Superior Court.

He has formally been charged with first-degree manslaughter; first-degree assault; first-degree reckless endangerment; disobeying the direction of an officer, resulting in death; driving under the influence; reckless driving; and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.

Barrington was being held on $1 million bond and was scheduled for a same-day arraignment on Thursday.

Shortly after the accident, Barrington was charged with failure to obey a traffic control signal; failure to renew registration; misuse of plates; and interfering with a police officer.

According to the arrest affidavit, Barrington told police he had smoked a marijuana joint prior to the incident.

The affidavit also reported that he sometimes sold marijuana to acquaintances and had a bag in his possession that contained marijuana and a scale.

Barrington was already in police custody in connection with the Sept. 6 accident, which claimed the life of Hartford Police Det. Bobby Garten, who was pronounced dead after the accident.

Garten, a second-generation HPD officer was posthumously promoted to police detective shortly after the crash.

The driver of the police vehicle, Officer Brian Kearney, was hurt in the crash and has, since, been released from the hospital.

Police said Barrington's vehicle was fleeing a traffic stop by two other HPD officers when it collided with Kearney and Garten, who were rushing to a separate, unrelated call that night in the city.

Garten's death stunned the city and state law enforcement communities and it was Hartford's first line-of-duty police death since the mid-1990s.

He was laid to rest earlier this month after two well-attended memorial services at Dunkin' Park and the XL Center.

From Sept. 7: 'Second-Generation Hartford Cop Killed In Crash: UPDATE'