Man Who Narrowly Missed Hitting Southington Police Cruiser Charged

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A man who came to a screeching halt a few feet from a police cruiser at a traffic stop has been charged with drunken driving, police said.

On Feb. 6 at 11:13 p.m., a Southington police officer was conducting a motor vehicle stop on West Street near the intersection of Executive Boulevard, according to a report.

The officer’s cruiser was stopped in the right northbound lane when he observed a vehicle traveling in the right northbound lane approaching the rear of his vehicle at a high rate of speed, according to a report.

The Officer began to pull his vehicle forward, to avoid being struck by the approaching vehicle and the driver slammed on the brakes and stopped just 5 feet from the rear of the stopped cruiser, a report indicates.

The operator of the vehicle who was identified as Paul Gressak, age 35 of Bristol, police said.

Upon speaking with Gressak, the officer observed "signs of intoxication" and administered standardized field sobriety tests, which Gressak was unable to perform to standard, according to a report.

Gressak was taken into custody and transported to police headquarters, where he was charged with driving under the influence failure to move over for a stationary emergency vehicle.

Gressak is slated to to appear in Bristol Superior Court on Feb. 21, police said.

Photo Credit: SPD