Police Reports: Road Rage Incident Leads to DUI

The following information was supplied by the Monroe Police Department. No arrested person is guilty until so judged in a court of law.

Road Rage, DUI Arrest

A Norwalk man was arrested for drunken driving, resisting arrest and other charges following a road rage incident at the intersection of routes 59 and 25 at around 6:39 p.m. on Jan. 20.

Joseph Reda, 48, of Lufberry Avenue was charged with interfering with an officer, breach of peace, DUI, evading responsibility and operating with a suspended license. Bond was set at $500 for a Jan. 27 court date.

Police said they were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of routes 59 and 25.

A 32-year-old Bethel woman told officers that she drove behind an ’83 Oldsmobile Cutlass wagon that was driving erratically, honked her horn at the driver and threw her hands up in frustration.

Police said the driver, Reda, allegedly flipped her off and intentionally backed into her car at a red light. When the light turned green, Reda allegedly accelerated, turning into the parking lot — and nearly hitting the building's stairs while backing into a parking space.

When officers arrived, police said a male passenger was walking out of the liquor store carrying two 12-packs of beer. While talking to Reda, police said his speech was slurred, his eyes were glassy and that he was agitated and uncooperative.

When an officer told Reda to give him his keys, Reda started to shout at the officers, according to the report. Police said Reda also refused to step out of the car, flailed his arms at the officers and struggled as he was being handcuffed.

At police headquarters, Reda refused to participate in field sobriety tests, police said, adding breath tests showed a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

More Paintball Vandalism

Two pink paintball shootings were reported on Nutmeg Circle and Boulder Ridge Road on Jan. 21.

A Nutmeg Circle resident told officers she heard a loud bang outside her residence and found pink paint from paintballs all over the window, according to the report.

Police said the woman's home was also paintballed on Jan. 17, but that she had not reported it.

At 11:49 that night officers on patrol saw an 18-year-old Boulder Ridge Road man running and yelling. When they asked him if there was a problem, he told them that his house had just been paintballed and he ran outside to see if he could find the shooter.

He told officers that the front kitchen window was "severely covered with pink paint." His mother said their house had also been paintballed a week prior, but that she did not report the incident.