Drunken Driving Arrests Skyrocketing In Vernon

VERNON, CT — Drunken Driving incidents are skyrocketing in Vernon so far in 2026.

Vernon Police Department Captain Robert Marra said the spike in arrests for driving under the influence cannot be traced to any specialized enforcement. It has been months since the VPD staged a checkpoint.

It is, for lack of a better term, just happening, Marra said.

Year-to-date, there have been 98 recorded drunken driving arrests in town, according to VPS statistics obtained by Patch via a freedom of information request. That number, considering it represents about a quarter of the year, is on pace to more than double previous few years' totals.

In 2025, DUI arrest incidents totaled 147.

In 2024, the number was 152.

In 2023, the total was 130.

And the incidents have been all over the place in terms of circumstances.

For example, just last week on Monday, An officer observed a 26-year-old from Wethersfield swerving on Talcottville Road in his car, according to an arrest report. He failed field sobriety tests and was arrested, according to an arrest report.

On February 28, A black sedan was headed east on Hartford Turnpike at 9:16 p.m. with its lights off. The vehicle was also weaving over the center line, according to an arrest report. The driver, a 23-year-old Middletown woman, failed sobriety tests after a traffic stop and was taken into custody, according to an arrest report.

Two days before that incident, at 1:50 in the morning, a 36-year-old Vernon man was located passed out behind the wheel in his vehicle, which was stopped in the middle of the road near Taylor Street and Lorraine Drive, according to an arrest report. He was charged with DUI, records show.

The stops are not necessarily because of alcohol, records show.

For example, at 12:29 a.m. on April 23, a vehicle being driven by a 26-year-old Southhampton, MA woman nearly hit a VPD cruiser that was clearing a previous incident, according to an arrest report. Her car was stopped, she failed sobriety tests and was charged with not only DUI, but the use of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and failure to move over for an emergency.

On April 1, Vernon police stopped a vehicle on Linden Place. VPD canine Boone was called to the scene and detected the presence of narcotics, according to an arrest report. In addition to DUI, the driver, a 27-year-o0ld Meriden man, was charged with the use of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

The arrests were not limited to cars and trucks.

On April 23 at 6:47 p.m., Vernon police were dispatched to the area of Cottage Street and St. Bernard Terrace to investigate a moped crash. They soon located a 65-year-old Stafford man sitting beside a a toppled moped on East Main Street, according to a crash report. The main admitted to consuming a large amount of alcohol and failed sobriety tests after being taken to an area hospital, according to a crash report. He was charged with driving under the influence and driving without a license.

On April 21 at 6:58 p.m., officers on patrol observed a woman operating a scooter erratically on West Street and stopped her after she narrowly missed hitting several other vehicles, according to an arrest report. She showed signs of impairment and subsequently failed sobriety tests, according to an arrest report. The woman, a 42-year-old Vernon resident, was charged with driving under the influence, failure to drive in the proper lane, failure to reinstate a license after 60 days, failure to grant the right of way and failure to obey a stop sign.

Marra said police will continue to strictly enforce DUI laws.