45°
WESTPORT, Conn. Driving around with a rear bumper that's dragging on the ground is something police notice, as one Wilton resident found out Thursday morning.
A Westport police officer driving south on Wilton Road heard a loud scrapping noise as a green SUV driving north passed by, police said. When the officer checked his rearview mirror, he saw the SUV's rear bumper was falling off. When the officer turned around to follow the SUV, it, too, turned around and pulled into a driveway off Wilton Road.
There, the officer spotted Nicolas Galella, 24, sitting in the driver's seat with the door slightly open. In approaching Galella, the officer smelled alcohol, police said. When asked about the bumper, Galella told the officer that he left a friend's house on Rice's Lane and possibly hit a mailbox. But he then changed his story and said he hit a rock, police said. Officers sent to the Rice's Lane home did not find any damaged property.
Galella failed field sobriety tests and was charged with operating under the influence. He was held on $500 bond and arraigned at Norwalk Superior Court.
For all the latest crime news, follow The Daily Westport on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.
