Wilton Woman Arrested Twice for DUI in Same Day

WILTON, CT — Police arrested a Wilton woman — twice — on Saturday for DUI.

Wilton police received a complaint around 2:30 in the afternoon about a woman, whom the caller described as "intoxicated." She drove a 2012 Lexus sedan into a vehicle parked in a lot at 5 River Road, according to police.

Officers at the scene made contact with driver, Ellen Needleman-O'Neill, 64, and detected an odor of alcohol coming from the suspect, according to the police report. Needleman-O'Neill failed the field sobriety test the officers administered, and was placed under arrest for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

The suspect was taken to Wilton Police Headquarters and further chemical testing yielded a blood alcohol level of 0.2261. Police there also searched Needleman-O'Neill's belongings and discovered she had a Tylenol/codeine pill inside her purse. She was further charged with possession of a controlled substance, and had her right to drive revoked.

Needleman-O'Neill was released on a written promise to appear in court, and was given a court date of Sept. 17 before Norwalk Superior Court.

Later that same Saturday, Sept. 7, Wilton police received a call reporting that Needleman-O'Neill had entered a liquor store to buy alcohol and had driven away in the same Lexus she had crashed about six hours earlier.

Police located Needleman-O'Neill heading to her home on Old Farm Road and stopped her car. Officers then detected she was still under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and was not in possession of a valid driver's license, according to police.

Back at HQ again, Needleman-O'Neill was re-tested and found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.0928. She was charged with DUI, operating a motor vehicle while right to drive is revoked, and driving an unregistered motor vehicle, without a license.

She was released after she posted her $230 bond. Her scheduled court date stayed the same.