New Canaan police ran a DUI checkpoint on Route 106 by the Merritt Parkway overpass last week—overnight headed into the Fourth of July—and arrested a handful of motorists as a result.
At 7:53 p.m. on July 3, police arrested a 22-year-old Spring Valley, N.Y. man and charged him with driving under the influence, operating without a license and drinking while operating a motor vehicle.
Driving a 2001 Acura MDX, he failed to slow down at the checkpoint when officers first told him to do so, then police saw two open beer bottles, still cold, on the floor of the rear passenger seat. The man was released on $260 bond and scheduled to appear July 15 in state Superior Court in Norwalk.
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Police at 11:31 p.m. on July 3 cited a 29-year-old Norwalk man for possession of less than .5 ounces of marijuana. Police could smell pot emanating from his car when he pulled down his window at the checkpoint. The motorist reached into his pants and pulled out a small piece of folded paper with marijuana inside it, according to a police report.
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Police at 12:33 a.m. on July 4 stopped a 23-year-old Stamford man traveling south on Route 106 and cited a passenger in the car for possession of less than .5 ounces of marijuana, second offense.
Police could smell marijuana coming from the car at the checkpoint stop.
The reached under the front seat and handed over a zip-locked baggie with marijuana in it, police said.