A man with a blood alcohol content that was allegedly more than twice the legal limit was arrested last week after passing a state trooper on Route 8 in Bridgeport while allegedly reaching speeds of more than 110 mph.
The driver was first spotted just after 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 28 on Route 8 North near Exit 2B as a trooper who was conducting traffic enforcement saw a vehicle coming from behind going very fast, according to Connecticut State Police.
The driver passed the cruiser, at which point the trooper began accelerating in an attempt to catch up to the motorist, state police said. The vehicle was found to be a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
According to state police, the Cherokee driver was allegedly going more than 100 mph and increasing its distance from the trooper. The trooper continued to accelerate, eventually closing the gap, and allegedly found that the driver reached speeds up to 112 mph, state police said.
When the Cherokee driver approached traffic ahead he began to slow down, at which point the trooper flipped on their emergency lights and siren to conduct a stop, according to state police. The driver pulled over in the right shoulder in the area of Exit 6 in Trumbull.
State police said the trooper then identified the driver as 44-year-old Nathaniel Earl of Derby. According to state police, the trooper allegedly noticed “clear signs of impairment,” including bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol.
Earl allegedly failed field sobriety testing and was arrested on charges of reckless driving and illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. State police said chemical testing carried out at the Troop G barracks showed that Earl’s blood alcohol content was allegedly more than twice the legal limit.
Earl was later released on a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Sept. 22.
