Kehoe Stands By Response to State Police Crash

Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe stands behind his department's investigation of a on Toddy Hill Road this week.

"I was pretty comfortable with how our guys investigated it," Kehoe said Friday of the crash, which involved a state police lieutenant driving on a town road Weds., Aug. 31.

State police Lt. Michael Hofbauer, 46, a commander in the Southbury barracks, was traveling south near 25 Toddy Hill Road when he crossed the travel lanes and crashed into a utility pole on the other side of the street at about 5:20 p.m.

The crash knocked out power in the neighborhood for the second time in a week. The first time was as a result of Tropical Storm Irene.

State police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance said Hofbauer was ill at the time of the crash, and even had vomited earlier.

"There was no underlying cause whatsoever," Patch.

Vance also said Thursday that Hofbauer was not on patrol at the time and given the time of day was likely on duty or headed to duty. Hofbauer was spotted in shorts more than an hour or so after the crash.

Kehoe said Friday he was comfortable that Hofbauer was treated like others motorists and not given special treatment by Newtown officers. For instance, Kehoe said Newtown police cited Hofbauer for causing the accident – although the verbal warning issued – for failure to drive in a proper lane – is the least serious citation that could have been given.

The chief said the chioce of a verbal warning was at the discretion of the officers at the scene, and that it may have been because the cause of the crash may have been "well-explained," citing the possible medical condition.

Kehoe said if there was a hint Hofbauer was driving under the influence, Newtown police officers would have issued him a sobriety test and possibly charge him just as they do in other cases.

"We are always looking for that at every accident scene," the chief said.

Kehoe said officers would have looked inside the vehicle to see if they could spot any signs of alcohol or a controlled substance.

"Certainly talk to the motorist and see if we can detect any driving under the influence," Kehoe said.

The chief said he was satisfied there was no evidence of drunk driving or other symptoms of impaired driving particularly because there were many different personnel at the scene, including two police sergeants and two police officers, Sandy Hook volunteer firefighters and a Newtown Volunteer ambulance crew.

Had any of the personnel who responded to the scene told Kehoe that Hofbauer appeared under the influence or if there was other evidence, would have investigated it further, the chief said.