Firearms Instructor Charged With DUI, Carrying Gun: Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — A firearms instructor is accused of driving and carrying a gun while under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash Saturday night in Meriden, according to police.

Police responded around 8:35 p.m. on May 20 to a report of a vehicle fire at the intersection of East Main Street and Preston Avenue.

Firefighters were already at the scene when officers arrived and reported that the driver is a firearms instructor and said there was a gun in his vehicle, according to police.

Police said officers determined that the driver, Stephen Grimes, had been drinking and was also involved in a collision on Bee Street but left the scene.

Grimes was taken into custody, and police said officers didn’t find the gun that was reported to be in his vehicle. A member of the Meriden Fire Department later found a holster containing a gun on the side of the road near Grimes’ vehicle, according to police.

Police said the gun was determined to be registered to Grimes.

Grimes was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, second-degree reckless endangerment, carrying a firearm while under the influence, failure to properly store a firearm, and evading responsibility. He was held in lieu of a $50,000 bond.