FaceTiming Driver Says Knife in Car Belonged to Grandma: VPD

VERNON, CT — A driver stopped for speeding and FaceTiming on Route 83 on Thursday afternoon told police a steak knife found in a door compartment belonged to his grandmother, a report indicates.

At 5:41 p.m., an officer conducting speed enforcement on the 600 block of Talcottville Road — the local address for that section of Route 83 — picked up a Toyota Corolla traveling north at 56 mph in a 35 mph zone with a laser device, according to a report.

The officer also noticed the driver, identified as 22-year-old Brian Ducas, of Vernon, holding a cellphone upright while he was driving. Ducas said he was FaceTiming with someone while driving, according to a report.

The officer smelled marijuana in the car and located 1.5-ounces of it in leaf form in a plastic bag, according to a report. He also found marijuana in wax form in a glass jar, according to a report.

A further search uncovered a rusty steak knife with a 5.5-inch blade in a door map compartment. When asked why it was there, Ducas said the knife belonged to his grandmother, according to a report.

Ducas was charged with possessing a weapon in a motor vehicle, speeding, driving while using a hand-held device, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia, record show.

He is due in court on Sept. 4, according to police records.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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