State Police Watch Drug Activity Unfold on Traffic Cam, Manchester Man Charged

MANCHESTER, CT — A suspected drunken drug activity was caught on one of the state Department of Transportation traffic cameras monitoring Interstate-84 and, as a result, a Manchester man is facing criminal charges, state police said.

On Wednesday at about 8:25 a.m., the DOT traffic cam alerted state police at Troop H in Hartford to a red Jeep that was stopped in the right shoulder on I-84 westbound near Exit 56 in East Hartford, according to a police report.

The trooper assigned to the desk at Troop H then observed, on camera, that the operator of the Jeep was engaged in suspicious behavior consistent with drug activity. The desk trooper broadcast the information over the radio asking for any troopers in the East Hartford area to respond.

A trooper from Tolland-based Troop C. while awaiting a construction detail, responded to the area and located and stopped the Jeep, according to a report.

Through the course of the traffic stop, the trooper who is also a member of the Troop C Narcotics Enforcement Team, located illegal drugs inside of the vehicle, according to a report.

Two troopers assigned to state police specialized units operating in unmarked vehicles were also in the immediate area and responded to the scene, according to a report.

The operator, Vincent Maurer, who state police said turned 28 Thursday, was arrested and transported to Troop H. He lives at 111 John Olds Drive in Manchester, state police said.

While at Troop H, Maurer was asked to submit to standardized field sobriety tests, which he agreed to but did not perform to standard, state police said.

Maurer was charged with driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance, according to a report.

Maurer was released on a $1,500. bond and is scheduled to appear at Manchester Superior Court on Feb. 27, state police said.

Photo Credit: CSP; CT DOT