NJ Man Crashes Car In Westport, Runs From Cops

WESTPORT, CT — A 23-year-old West Orange, NJ man was arrested on a host of charges early Monday morning, including interfering with a officer, after he crashed his car in Westport and ran from police, according to authorities.

Christian Gutherie was arrested just after 3 a.m. after crashing his Acura sedan through a guardrail into a marsh in the area of Beachside Avenue and Sasco Creek Road.

Prior to the arrest, Fairfield police alerted Westport police that a vehicle (which was later determined to be Gutherie) traveling toward Westport at high rate of speed, and within minutes, Westport officers learned of the crash.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers found the unoccupied Acura and set up a perimeter with a police dog to search for the driver.

"Shortly after discovering the accident, a Westport canine officer located a party running in the yard of a nearby home that is under construction," wrote Westport police in a statement. "This individual, identified as Christian Guthrie, admitted to being the operator of the damaged vehicle, but gave officers several different accounts of the events leading up to the motor vehicle accident. A continued search of the search of the area yielded no other vehicle occupants."

Gutherie was taken into custody and charged with:

• Interfering with an Officer
• Evading Responsibility
• Traveling Unreasonably Fast

He was held in lieu of bail of $5,000 and was scheduled to be arraigned in Norwalk Superior Court on Aug. 5.