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An officer from the Westport Police Department on patrol at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 24 came upon a disabled vehicle on Riverside Avenue that had front-end damage and was missing a front wheel. It was determined that the damage was consistent with reports of a vehicle that had struck parked cars in the area earlier that night.
According to police, after initially passing the Jeep and attempting to turn around, the officer at the scene saw a woman near the disabled vehicle. However, by the time the officer turned around his patrol car, the woman had left the area.
Police said that multiple patrol units conducted an “extensive search” of the area for the driver, including a canine tracker, but were unable to locate anyone.
A computer check of the disabled Jeep showed that it was registered to Bridgeport resident Yogebeth Arias-Elizondo. Police investigators in Bridgeport were contacted for assistance with the investigation, but were unable to locate the registered owner of the Jeep.
More than two hours after the initial discovery of the crash, Arias-Elizondo contacted police in Westport to report that she had been involved in a crash and was returning to file an official report. Arias-Elizondo responded to police headquarters in Westport and alleged that a vehicle had swerved into her lane on Riverside Avenue and that, in her attempt to avoid the driver, struck a parked vehicle.
Arias-Elizondo alleged that she did not recall many details of the crash and that a Good Samaritan had transported her home. She stated that she could not contact police earlier because she did not have her cellphone on her.
Based on the investigation, police arrested Arias-Elizondo and charged her with evading responsibility, failure to drive in the proper lane and traveling too fast for the conditions. Arias-Elizondo was able to post $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in Norwalk Superior Court on Friday, Aug. 2 to answer the charges.
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