POLICE: MONTVILLE MAN WHO SPED PAST TROOPER HAD MARIJUANA IN TRUNK

Clinton — State police said a Montville man who was speeding Sunday and flashed his high beams at a trooper on Interstate 95 had 2 pounds of marijuana in his trunk.

Joel Mayo Hope, 39, of 889 Chesterfield Road, Oakdale, was charged with driving with a suspended license, speeding, passing on the right, improper use of a high beam, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of more than a half-ounce of marijuana.

Police said Hope was driving about 80 mph on I-95 north when he approached the trooper in the left lane and then passed the trooper on the right.

The trooper pulled over Hope and smelled marijuana in his Honda Accord, police said. Police said the trooper searched Hope’s trunk and found the marijuana in a bag.

Hope posted a $10,000 bond and is due Aug. 9 in Middletown Superior Court. smoldering fire inside the 70-foot Italian yacht, Blue C, which was docked at the Seaport Marine.

The fire was reported about 9 a.m. and Mystic Fire Chief Fritz Hilbert said it was in an area between the engine room ceiling and the deck above, making it difficult to access. Firefighters had to move equipment and cut holes in the deck to get to the source.

Firefighters from the Mystic Fire Department were on scene for several hours and able to stop the spread of the fire and limit damage to the boat, Hilbert said. Manpower was called in from the Old Mystic Fire Department.

Hilbert, who also is the fire marshal, said the cause of the fire remained under investigation but appeared to be related to the electrical wiring and the exhaust that runs between the engine room ceiling and deck. Andino, according to the police’s news release, went missing Sunday evening near the Hadlyme Ferry launch in Lyme.

Police said following the recovery, the body was taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, and the case still is under investigation.

State police, the state Environmental Conservation Police, Lyme Firefighters, the South District Dive Team and the state police dive team began searching for Andino about 6:30 p.m. Sunday. However, Monday afternoon the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection suspended the search.