On Nov 23, the night before Thanksgiving, around 8:00pm Greenwich Police received a phone call from a witness who said someone had passed through the drive-through at Taco Bell in Riverside and appeared to be intoxicated.
The witness relayed the driver’s license plate, which was broadcast to patrol units.
According to Lt. Kraig Gray, the press information officer for Greenwich Police, Chief James Heavey, who was off duty in the area, observed the vehicle driving erratically and made a motor vehicle stop.
“Although it was not during normal business hours, the Chief of Police is never off duty,” said Lt. Gray. “If there is a crime, accident or any disturbance in town, the Chief is often the first one there.”
According to the police report, the vehicle, driven by Rocco J Decarlo, 59, of 13 Scofield Street in Cos Cob, was observed on East Putnam Avenue in the area of River Road Extension. The report said the driver, Mr. Decarlo, traveled over and then straddled white dotted line.
When officers activated their emergency lights, the vehicle continued another 100 yards before finally pulling over. Officers detected the odor of alcoholic beverages emanating from Decarlo, whose speech was slurred and he was who had difficulty forming sentences.
Decarlo agreed to get out of his car to undergo standard field sobriety tests, but stumbled while attempting to maintain his balance. He did not perform the tests to standard and was arrested and charged with both DUI and Failure to Drive in Proper Lane.
Decarlo was released on a Promise to Appear in Court on Dec 7, 2016 at Stamford Superior Court.