A Naugatuck woman is facing multiple motor vehicle charges following a pursuit from New York into Connecticut on Interstate 84 on Tuesday.
Troop A in Southbury was contacted by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department in New York just after 3 p.m. on Tuesday asking for help in apprehending a fleeing vehicle into Connecticut for multiple motor vehicle violations, according to Connecticut State Police.
Dispatch received information that the vehicle, a black Infiniti QX60 with Connecticut registration plates, was traveling at approximately 25 mph on I-84 East crossing into Connecticut from New York, state police said.
A trooper responded to the area and observed several Putnam County Sheriff’s Department cruisers following the Infiniti at a slow speed on I-84 east near Exit 6 in Danbury. Deputies were able to successfully box in the Infiniti near Exit 8, according to state police.
The trooper noted that the Infiniti had been driving on damaged driver’s side rims, with the tires completely worn down, “indicating that the driver was knowingly operating the vehicle with defective equipment,” state police said.
Once stopped, both the female driver and passenger were removed from the vehicle and detained in handcuffs. The driver was identified as 33-year-old Courtney Calvo. State police learned that her license was suspension, according to police.
A Putnam County Sheriff’s deputy told the trooper the Infiniti and its occupants were suspects in a series of alleged retail thefts in New York, state police said.
They told the trooper they initially attempted to stop Calvo on I-84 east in Southeast, New York after they observed the car with a cracked windshield and learned that the registration was invalid, according to state police. When deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, Calvo allegedly accelerated at a high rate of speed and began weaving in and out of traffic, nearly striking other motorists, state police learned.
At one point, the deputies said the Infiniti slowed and stopped on the right shoulder, where a tire deflation device was deployed, successfully deflating the driver’s side tires, according to state police.
As the Infiniti crossed into Connecticut, Calvo allegedly continued driving erratically and nearly collided with the deputy’s cruiser, state police learned.
During the investigation, the trooper confirmed that the Infiniti was not registered, did not meet the minimum insurance requirements and had an invalid Connecticut registration, according to state police.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office completed an arrest warrant application for Calvo related to the offenses leading up to the incident. The warrant was approved for extradition, with Calvo facing two felony assault charges. Calvo’s passenger was later released from the scene, state police said.
Calvo was taken into state police custody and transported to Troop A where she was charged with failure to renew registration, improper use of registration, illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under suspension, reckless driving, failure to insure private motor vehicle, second-degree reckless endangerment, interfering with an officer and fugitive from justice.
Calvo was being held on a $500,000 bond, which she was unable to post, and was scheduled for arraignment at Danbury Superior Court on Wednesday.
