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New London County resident Ian Gillis of Griswold turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, June 19 in connection with a crash that happened in Windham County on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, Connecticut State Police announced on Wednesday, June 26.
According to state police, around 8:30 p.m. on the day of the crash, troopers responded to the area of 821 Pomfret St. (Route 169) in the town of Pomfret after a blue 1967 Triumph GT6 struck a metal beam guardrail before hitting a tree and coming to a rest at the bottom of a gully.
After the crash, Gillis was flown to UMass Hospital with serious injuries, while his passenger, 35-year-old New London County resident Elisha Roode of Waterford, was killed.
An investigation into the crash later determined that Gillis had allegedly been traveling between 70 and 74 miles per hour right before losing control of the Triumph, according to his arrest warrant.
Gillis' warrant also stated that troopers allegedly found several beer cans within the vehicle after responding to the crash, some of which still had liquid in them, and that his blood alcohol content was found to be 0.07 percent after the incident.
Gillis was then taken into custody on the strength of his active arrest warrant and charged with:
- Second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle;
- Illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
- Reckless driving;
- Failure to drive on the right side of the roadway.
He was later released on a $125,000 bond and will be arraigned at Danielson Superior Court on Monday, July 1.
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