Trooper charged in DUI crash still gets paid
Suspended 18 months ago in Southbury accident that injured 2, sergeant collecting 6-figure salary, overtime
Nearly 18 months since state police Sgt. John McDonald was suspended following accusations that he was drunk when he smashed his police cruiser into a car in Southbury in 2019, injuring a mother and her daughter, he continues to collect a six-figure salary and has made nearly $25,000 in overtime despite being stripped of his police powers.
McDonald, 38, has yet to enter a plea to charges including seconddegree assault, driving under the influence, and reckless driving for the Sept. 25, 2019, crash. A prosecutor said last month that a deal was in discussion but he was waiting for input from the victims, Lisa Conroy and her daughter Madison, before presenting it to the court.
McDonald is scheduled to appear in court on May 6. Attorneys for the victim have spoken recently with the prosecutor and were told a disposition was likely on Thursday.
“We have full faith in the criminal justice system and that the court and judge will do the right thing. We are all very appreciative of the fact they have kept the family and the victims appraised of the situation going on and taken this matter very seriously due to the seriousness of the injuries,” said attorney Joseph Foti, who represents the Conroys, of a potential plea deal.
McDonald’s criminal attorney, Robert J.T. Britt, declined to comment on the case when reached last week.
Prior to his suspension in November 2019, McDonald, a 15-year trooper, was assigned to the Western District Major Crimes Squad. Now, state police say, he remains relegated to administrative duties while he awaits the outcome of an internal investigation.
In response to questions about his suspension, state police said in a statement: “On Nov. 14, 2019, pursuant to a criminal investigation, as well as an internal investigation, Col. [Stavros] Mellekas suspended Sgt. McDonald’s police powers as a state trooper in accordance with the state police rules and regulations. However, due to collective bargaining agreements, Sgt. McDonald was afforded the opportunity to be assigned to an administrative assignment pending the completion of the criminal case and administrative investigation.”
While on administrative duty, McDonald has managed to amass a sizable amount of overtime, making 2020 one of his most lucrative years, state records show.
That year, he made more than $13,000 in overtime, on top of a base salary of $109,000, records show. He’s on pace to eclipse that this year, having already collected more than $11,000 in overtime.
State police said McDonald has been assigned solely to administrative duties at headquarters.
“These assignments at times were required to be completed in a timely manner. During that period of time, Sgt. McDonald was afforded overtime to complete these specific assignments,” state police said.
State police did not say what tasks McDonald has been assigned on administrative duty.
More than a year since his arrest, McDonald still faces three disputes: a criminal case that carries the potential for a driver’s license suspension, a civil suit filed a month after the crash by the Conroys, and an outstanding internal investigation into his actions that day.
Charged by arrest warrant in November 2019, McDonald’s criminal cases started several months before the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic, which quickly shuttered court houses and slowed criminal proceedings.
In the intervening months, he has appeared
15 times, but never entered a plea, court records show.
The warrant filed after the crash said McDonald had about eight drinks at the Black Hog Brewery in Oxford before running a stop light at Airport Road and Route 188, then smashing into the side of the Conroy vehicle.
The force of the impact sent the car off the road, officials said, and sent both Conroys to St. Mary’s Hospital with injuries.
Witnesses told investigators they saw McDonald swaying in the middle of the road following the crash, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
“That guy is hammered. He is not listening to me to stay out of the roadway,” an off-duty Oxford firefighter said, according to the warrant.
Video from the brewery shows McDonald consumed about eight drinks in a three-hour period during the retirement party for a fellow trooper, according to the affidavit.
The video, a key piece of evidence in the case, has not been released by the state police and remains held from public view. Foti said he has not seen the video.
“Once the criminal matter has been resolved, I’m certain that will be coming out,” Foti said.
While an internal investigation remains unfinished without a conclusion to the criminal case, the lawsuit filed by the Conroys also remains outstanding with no clear conclusion in the near future.
Naming McDonald, the state, the brewery and its owners, the suit has laid out the anguish suffered by both the Conroys as a result of the crash. Both have suffered head and neck pain, along with concussions, headaches and anxiety, some of which may be permanent, the lawsuit said.
The brewery and its owners, brothers Thomas and Jason Sobocinski, quickly settled with the Conroys for $225,000 in January 2020. They have since been dismissed from the case. Attorneys for the Sobocinskis could not immediately be reached Tuesday.
It would be several months before lawyers for McDonald and the state would respond to the lawsuit, court records show.
Foti said Monday the lawyers have responded to the case and required interogatives and it is now “on track.”
“We’ve been doing depositions and we will continue to do depositons of various witnesses. It’s proceeding along, it’s on track,” Foti said.
Responses from both parties show they either denied most of the allegations or had insufficient knowledge, according to court filings.
An attorney representing McDonald in the civil matter said Monday he does not comment on “pending litigation.” An attorney representing the state did not respond to requests for comment.
The civil lawsuit is scheduled for a remote hearing on June 1 and has a preliminary date set for jury selection and a trial to begin on June 29, online court records show.