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Hartford County resident Barry Howard of Manchester was arrested on Sunday, Aug. 11 in connection with an incident on the same day that began on Interstate 84 East, Connecticut State Police said on Monday, Aug. 12.
At around 11:50 a.m. on the day of Howard's arrest, a trooper watching traffic on I-84 East near Exit 59 at the Manchester and East Hartford town line saw a brown Volkswagen Jetta erratically changing lanes and speeding, police said.
The trooper then started following the Volkswagen and clocked it at around 90 miles per hour before it slowed down to around 70 mph. A DMV query also revealed that the car's registration was allegedly suspended because of a lack of insurance, according to authorities.
Eventually, the trooper followed the Volkswagen to the Exit 60 off-ramp in Manchester and pulled it over. Once it was stopped, the driver, identified as Howard, spoke with the trooper and gave them his license, which was soon found to be suspended.
When the trooper went to walk back to Howard's car while still holding his license, the Volkswagen sped off, according to police.
After this, authorities checked Howard's last known address but did not find him there. They were then able to get ahold of one of Howard's family members, who spoke with him on the phone and encouraged him to meet up with police again.
During this conversation, Howard said he was on foot and would walk to the area of Manchester's Northwest Park to meet with authorities. However, after waiting for a period of time, Howard never arrived at the meeting spot, state police said.
Troopers then started looking for Howard and eventually found him walking on Union Street, where he was apprehended. He declined to further discuss the circumstances of the traffic stop before his arrest, according to authorities.
Howard was charged with resisting, engaging police in pursuit, reckless driving, and other traffic offenses, police said. He was issued a $55,000 cash/surety bond and was scheduled for arraignment on Monday.
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