Conn. Police Find 'Homemade Cannon' After DUI Traffic Stop
What to know
- A Vernon police officer stopped a driver for erratic behavior and suspected impairment before discovering drugs and paraphernalia inside the vehicle.
- After failing sobriety tests, the driver was arrested, and a search of the vehicle turned up a homemade cannon in the trunk.
- The suspect faces DUI, narcotics and multiple traffic charges as police highlighted the unpredictable risks officers encounter during routine stops.
VERNON, CT—When officers pulled over a vehicle last week, they did not expect to find a homemade cannon in the trunk.
Vernon police said Officer Tyler Wallace saw the vehicle operating erratically and commit several moving violations on Main Street at around 6:25 p.m. on Thursday. Wallace, a certified drug recognition expert, saw the driver exhibit multiple signs of impairment, according to the Vernon Police Department.
Wallace saw drug paraphernalia and suspected narcotics in the vehicle and administered standardized field sobriety tests, which the driver, identified as Benton Grenier, did not perform to standard, police said.
Grenier, 56, was arrested and officers searched his vehicle, finding what they described as a "homemade cannon," according to police.
Grenier, a Vernon resident, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, along with narcotics offenses and multiple motor vehicle violations, police said.
“This incident serves as another reminder of the unpredictable situations officers can encounter during routine traffic enforcement and the importance of proactive policing in keeping our community safe,” the department said.
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