Man Accused of Having Too Much Sauce Before Cutting Off Vernon Police Cruiser While Leaving Taco Bell

VERNON, CT — A man is accused of having a little too much sauce before exiting the local Taco Bell parking lot and cutting off a police cruiser in the process.

Derek Newton, 23, of Vernon, was charged with illegally operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs, failure to yield the right of way, marijuana possession, driving without a license, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to an arrest report. He is due in court on Dec. 12, police said.

The cruiser was on Route 83 at 12:51 a.m. and Newton's car emerged from the lot and nearly collided with the cruiser, according to an arrest report.

His blood alcohol level registered at .149 and .144 in tests, police said. The state legal limit is .08.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel