Man, 21, Charged In Crash At Westport Pizzeria: Police

WESTPORT, CT — A Shelton man accused of crashing a pickup truck into a Westport pizzeria and significantly damaging both the interior and exterior of the building was arrested Monday, according to police.

In a news release, Westport Police Lt. Dave Wolf said officers were called to Outpost Pizza around 3:30 a.m. on June 27 after a pickup truck crashed into the restaurant, located at 333 Main Street.

The driver was identified as Jacob Teto, 21, of Shelton. According to Wolf, an investigating officer reported Teto showed signs of intoxication, including slurred speech and blood shot eyes, and was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

A toxicology report later showed Teto's blood alcohol content was above the legal limit at the time of the incident, and officers obtained a warrant for his arrest, Wolf said.

Teto turned himself in at the Westport Police Department on Monday and was charged with operating under the influence of drugs/alcohol and failure to drive in the proper lane. He is scheduled to appear in court in October.

As the time of the crash, Westport Fire Department and Assistant Building Official Peter Howard said the building's damage was "substantial but repairable."

While owner Joe Dedovic initially hoped to reopen Outpost Pizza a couple weeks after the crash, it remained closed until August. Dedovic noted reopening the Westport location after the incident was almost like starting all over.

"It's pretty much like starting from scratch again, to be quite honest," Dedovic said in July. "It's back to the advertisement, getting to the reopening, organizing, prepping, cleaning, letting people know that we're open again."

See also: Outpost Pizza Reopens In Westport After Destructive Crash

• Owner Plans To Reopen Outpost Pizza In Westport After Crash

When the restaurant officially reopened in August, many customers, as well as First Selectman Jim Marpe and Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce president Matthew Mandell, celebrated the pizzeria's return.

"When I participated in the original opening," Marpe said, "I noted what a great addition they were to their neighborhood and to the overall town, and they quickly became a go-to place for pizza. Our town departments are committed to helping businesses open, and re-open, as quickly and safely as possible, and this is another example of delivering on that commitment."

Outpost Pizza also operates a location on West Avenue in Stamford.