Meriden Man Hitches a Ride With Vernon Cops to Surrender

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden man with an outstanding warrant essentially hitched a ride with Vernon officers on Tuesday to turn himself in, police said.

It was at 12:18 in the morning when a Vernon dispatcher answered a call from 23-year-old Joseph O'Brien, records show. The Meriden resident said he was in town and he wanted to surrender on an outstanding warrant, according to a report.

He told police he was at the corner of Dockerel and Hatch Hill Roads, a dark, hilly, woodsy stretch in the southern part of Vernon, almost at Bolton Lake.

Police looked him up and, sure enough, a warrant had been issued from New Haven Superior Court for failing to appear. The case is sealed on the state judicial system website, but Vernon police said it had to do with a 2015 drug possession arrest and a 2016 court date.

O'Brien posted a $5,000 bond and was released to a Sept. 18 court date.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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