Waterbury man ruled competent to stand trial

LITCHFIELD » A Waterbury man accused of throwing dozens of grams of heroin out of his car window before a traffic stop in Goshen was deemed fit to stand trial Friday.

Orenthal Parris, 38, of 100 Mark Lane, Unit R10, Waterbury, was arrested in January 2016 and charged with possession with intent to sell/dispense, possession of a controlled substance, interfering with an officer/resisting arrest, possession in a school zone, and posses-

sion with intent to sell/dispense by non-drug-dependent person, according to state records.

Parris withdrew a motion to represent himself in court proceedings Friday, according to court records. He told Judge Carl Schuman that he had decided against representing himself in favor of dedicating time to family members, and had chosen to retain an attorney.

Schuman ruled Parris competent to stand trial Friday.

Parris was stopped by a state trooper while traveling in Goshen, according to an arrest warrant affidavit, for a potential speeding violation in January 2016. He was going 60 mph in a 45 mph zone, according to the affidavit.

The trooper saw the driver, later identified as, throw what appeared to be a plastic bag containing a white substance out of the passenger-side window, according to the report, during the stop.

Parris provided his license and registration to the trooper, according to the affidavit, but denied throwing anything out of the vehicle when asked.

The trooper walked back to his vehicle with Parris’ license and registration, according to the affidavit, at which time Parris “departed the traffic stop at a high rate of speed heading south on (Route) 63.”

The trooper followed Parris’ vehicle for about two miles, according to the affidavit, then disengaged the pursuit to return to the site of the traffic stop.

The site of the stop could be distinguished, according to the affidavit, because of local landmarks. The trooper found the bag containing the white substance, which later was determined to be heroin, and brought it back to Troop B.

The heroin later was determined to weigh 77.5 grams, according to the report, without a troop-issued plastic bag.

The vehicle Parris was driving later was found “running and abandoned in the town of Woodbury” by Troop L, according to the affidavit, and impounded at Troop B

Parris reported the vehicle stolen the next day, according to the affidavit, and traveled to Troop B to “provide details about the vehicle having gone missing.”

When Parris arrives, the trooper recognized him from the traffic stop, according to the affidavit.

In the course of an interview, Parris declined to provide fingerprints or DNA, which police said would “help to determine who the offender was” if the car was stolen, then left without answering further questions.

The site of the traffic stop was less than 1,500 feet from Goshen Center School, according to the affidavit.

Parris is to appear in court Sept. 8, according to court documents.

The trooper found the bag containing the white substance, which later was determined to be heroin, and brought it back to Troop B.