On Thursday at approximately 1:39am, Troop G in Bridgeport received a 9-1-1 call reporting a vehicle, which was described as a red SUV with black rims, traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-95 the area of Exit 3 in Greenwich.
Troopers were dispatched to that location as Troop G desk personnel began observing DOT highway camera images and identified a red vehicle stopped in the shoulder south of the Exit 3 entrance ramp. On the DOT cameras, desk personnel observed the red vehicle begin traveling in reverse in the right shoulder, before entering into the right and then center lane, still traveling in reverse as oncoming traffic swerved to avoid colliding with it. Upon passing the Exit 3 entrance ramp, the vehicle turned around and was observed to be traveling northbound in the area of Exit 5.
Shortly afterward, one of the responding Troopers located the vehicle, identified as a Honda HRV, traveling on I-95 southbound in the area of Exit 2. The Trooper initiated a motor vehicle stop and it was determined that the Honda HRV was the same vehicle that had been observed traveling in the wrong direction on I-95 northbound earlier.
During their interactions with the operator, who was identified as Flavia Cristina De Almeida Gomes, DOB: 11/11/1974, of West Harrison, New York, Troopers suspected that she may have been driving impaired. Troopers administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which were not performed to standard. Based upon the information obtained during the on-scene investigation, De Almeida Gomes was taken into custody and transported to Troop G in Bridgeport, where she was processed and charged with the following violations:
C.G.S. 14-227a, Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol and/or Drugs
C.G.S. 14-236, Failure to Maintain a Proper Lane
C.G.S. 14-237, Driving the Wrong Way on a Divided Highway
C.G.S. 14-243(b), Unsafe Backing
C.G.S. 14-251(c), Improper Parking
C.G.S. 53a-64, Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree
Ms De Almeida Gomes was later released on a $2,500 cash bond and is scheduled for arraignment at Stamford Superior Court on April 26, 2024.
As always, CT State Police ask that anyone who observes a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction please keep a safe distance away and call 9-1-1 as soon as possible, as this is a true emergency.
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