DANBURY, Conn. — A man was charged Tuesday in a fatal wrong-way crash that left a woman dead in September of 2023, according to Connecticut State Police.
State police said that Charles Connors, 34, of Milford, is facing charges of manslaughter in the second degree with a vehicle, reckless endangerment, driving the wrong way on a divided highway, operating under the influence and speeding.
State police said the crash happened on Sept. 10 at 2 a.m. on Route 7 south, north of the #7 entrance ramp in Danbury, and that they found the Dodge and a Honda Accord that collided head-on.
The driver of the Honda, identified as Danielle Rachel Dempsey, 25 of Danbury, died of her injuries after being taken to the hospital.
Connors was found conscious, but with serious injuries, and had to be removed and taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
A witness to the crash told investigators that they were driving in the far right lane of the highway near the Sugar Hollow Road exit when they saw a Dodge Challenger, which state police determined to be driven by Connors, going the wrong way. The witness said they had to swerve towards a guardrail to avoid the Dodge.
After making a U-turn, the witness said they found the Dodge had crashed into another car, with both vehicles smoking, and called 911 to alert troopers.
When troopers met with Connors at the hospital, state police said that they could smell alcohol coming off of him and that he mentioned drinking and driving "without being asked." Despite telling investigators that "I don't drink or drive or anything," he also commented that he could not remember anything before the crash.
According to state police, they did not give Connors a Standardized Field Sobriety Test due to him being treated at the hospital for his injuries.
State police said they obtained video and pictures from an additional witness that they determined to have been posted on Instagram at 9 p.m. on the day of the crash. Connors could be seen in five posts at multiple bars with what appeared to be alcoholic drinks and talking about "taking shots."
Through a search warrant, state police said they also gathered six blood samples and a urine sample that were taken from Connors at Danbury Hospital. Tests indicated that Connors' blood alcohol content was 0.197; the legal limit for drivers above the age of 21 is 0.08 in Connecticut.
Investigators also say a receipt from a bar in Norwalk that Connors was believed to have visited on the night of the crash showed a purchase at 8:37 p.m. of multiple alcoholic drinks.
State police said that on March 22, they received an analysis report from the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad which determined that Connor had been traveling north on Route 7 south, in the area of exit 7, at a speed of 56 MPH. While the Honda was headed south in the left lane, the Dodge entered a portion of the highway adjacent to the grass-covered median and hit the car head-on.
Connors was later arrested on a warrant that was granted on May 7 and was held on a $300,00 bond to appear in Danbury Superior Court on Wednesday.
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