NORWALK — State police say a veteran Connecticut police officer has been charged with driving under the influence after allegedly sideswiping a truck on a highway and leaving the scene.
Police say Norwalk Officer Hector Delgado was on Interstate 95 north in Fairfield on August 8th when he struck the truck. A witness reported that a silver pickup truck had sideswiped the truck and failed to stop. The witness followed the truck into the parking lot of a local business on the Post Road in Fairfield. When State Police arrived a minute or two later, they saw the truck pulling out of the parking lot. They then pulled the truck over.
In addition to DUI, Delgado is also charged with illegally carrying a firearm while under the influence and failure to drive in the proper lane.
Delgado, a 26-year department veteran who in 2014 was named the city’s Officer of the Year, told The Hour that he “used poor judgment,” and is prepared to go through the court system and “face the consequences.”
The 46-year-old Delgado remains on duty. Norwalk Police say they have “just received the reports on the incident”, and Chief Thomas Kulhawik will review the case when he returns next week. They also say a pre-disciplinary hearing will be scheduled, as required by law and the police union’s collective bargaining agreement, and to allow the officer to present information to the chief before any decision on disciplining the officer.
