Eastern CT Driving Instructor Accused Of Bad Conduct During Lessons

MANSFIELD, CT — An eastern Connecticut driving instructor is accused in an arrest warrant of inappropriate behavior during lessons with a teenage girl.

State police out of the Troop C barracks made the warrant available Tuesday, one day after 36-year-old Willimantic resident Theodore Ohanlon surrendered at the Mansfield Resident State Trooper's Office. He was charged with disorderly conduct. He posted a $5,000 bond and is due in Rockville Superior Court on June 21, according to state police records.

According to a warrant, state police began investigating Ohanlon after a 16-year-old girl who attends a high school in Tolland County complained about his behavior toward her during driving lessons. Ohanlon worked for an area driving school that picked students up at their respective schools after classes and then brought them back to the schools for parental pickups after road lessons.

The girl told state police that Ohanlon made her feel "uncomfortable" several times during lessons, according to a warrant.

The girl said that, on one occasion, Ohanlon inquired about her address, which was on a learner's permit anyway, according to a warrant. The girl said he then entered her address into a map application during the lesson and offered to drop her home rather than the school, according to a warrant.

The girl told state police that Ohanlon asked if she used drugs and offered to connect her with "his plugs in Willimantic" if she needed some, according to a warrant.

The girl told state police that he also inquired about her sexual habits, according to a warrant. The girl said the inquiry was "extremely creepy," and she became so uncomfortable that she inadvertently hit speeds of 75 to 80 mph on a highway, according to a warrant. She said his inquiries were "very weird," according to a warrant.

He offered hugs while inching closer to the girl and asked the girl if she wanted his phone number, and one time he called personally to confirm a lesson, which was not normal procedure for the driving school, according to a warrant. The girl told state police that he also said she could text him, according to a warrant.