Man Charged In Accident That Killed Waterford Woman: State Police

POMFRET, CT — A man has been arrested in connection with a crash last fall that killed a Waterford woman, according to state police.

Ian Gillis, 35, of Griswold, was charged with reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs/alcohol, failure to drive on the right side of the road, and second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle.

Elisha Eden Roode, 35, of Waterford, was a passenger in the car and died in the accident, NBC CT reported.

The accident occurred Oct. 9, 2023, when Gillis was driving his 1967 Triumph GT6. He was driving on Route 169 in Pomfret at 8:24 p.m.

While negotiating a turn, the car left the road, struck a guardrail, then hit a tree and ended up in a gulley. Gillis was driving over 70 mph in a 35-mph zone at the time of the accident, according to state police.

Police also said they found beer cans in the car. His blood-alcohol content was .07 at the time of the crash, slightly below the legal limit of .08, according to the arrest warrant.

Gillis suffered serious injuries in the crash and was taken by medical helicopter to UMASS Memorial Medical Center.

He turned himself in to state police recently and was held on $125,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Danielson Superior Court on July 1.