No prison time for CT trooper in DUI case
Plea deal for charges linked to Southbury crash
MIDDLETOWN — A state trooper will not go to jail on charges he drunkenly ran a stop sign before a Tbone crash in Southbury that seriously injured a woman and her daughter if he successfully completes a court diversion program and community service, according to a plea agreement.
Appearing in state Superior Court in Middletown Thursday, McDonald pleaded nolo contendere to two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment and a judge granted his application for the pretrial alcohol education program, which will result in the DUI charge being dismissed if he com
pletes the program successfully.
The nolo plea means McDonald, 38, did not admit or deny the charge. A judge entered a finding of guilty in the case, but the plea can’t be used against him in a lawsuit filed in connection to the crash.
Judge Kevin Murphy then sentenced McDonald to a one-year suspended jail sentence and two years of probation. Conditions of McDonald’s probation include completing the alcohol education program, 100 hours of community service and attending at least one drunk driving victim impact panel.
“I had the opportunity several months ago to apologize to the victims and I’d like to apologize again today, not only to them but their extended families as well as everyone effected by my actions,” McDonald said in court. “I appreciate their consideration and their kindness.”
The prosecutor in the case, Jeffrey Doskos, said the victims are satisfied with the resolution.
A court victim advocate read a statement from the victims, Lisa and Madison Conroy, that said, “It would be extremely upsetting and very difficult for us to be present today.
“This incident has permanently and forever changed our lives,” the Conroys’ statement said. “Both the prosecutor and our attorney have made us very well aware of what is transpiring today. We have complete faith in the justice system and appreciate everything that has been done on our behalf.”
McDonald, a 15-year trooper, was suspended following his arrest in the 2019 crash investigation. Despite being stripped of police powers, state police officials said McDonald still receives salary working on administrative duty while an internal investigation remains pending.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon following McDonald’s no-contest plea, state police said the resolution of the criminal case means the internal affairs investigation can be completed.
“Once the internal affairs investigation is completed, the administrative investigation will be sent to the Office of Labor Relations for administrative disposition in conjunction with the current collective bargaining agreement,” the statement said.
The statement also reaffirmed that McDonald’s police powers remain suspended while he is on “administrative assignment.”
Doskos said in court that McDonald had been at a retirement party at the Black Hog Brewery in Oxford before running a stop light at Airport Road and Route 188 in his police cruiser, which crashed into the side of the victims’ vehicle.
The impact sent the victims’ car off the road. The two were transported to St. Mary’s Hospital because of “significant injuries” for which they are still receiving treatment, Doskos said.
Doskos said accident investigators determined McDonald’s vehicle was going 47 mph when it hit the Conroys’ vehicle.
A Southbury police officer said McDonald was swaying back and forth in the road after the collision and “appeared injured or drunk.” Doskos quoted an Oxford firefighter as saying McDonald was “hammered” and not listening to firefighters to stay out of the road.
“The defendant was taken to Waterbury Hospital for evaluation and treatment of his injuries,” Doskos said. “However, he left the hospital without being treated and he left on his own volition, refusing treatment.”
McDonald was arrested nearly two months after the crash, which was first reported on by the Waterbury Republican-American.
The prosecutor said surveillance video from within the brewery that showed McDonald consuming “at least what was believed to be eight pints of beer, or a substance that appeared to be beer,” over the course of about five hours, leaving him “unsteady on his feet and stumbling.”
The video has not been publicly released.
McDonald, who has been free on a written promise to appear, was sued by the victims. Their lawyer, Joseph Foti, said this week that the lawsuit was “on track” and they are continuing to conduct depositions of witnesses.
McDonald’s lawyer, Robert Britt, told the judge that McDonald, “throughout this process, has always been worried about what had occurred on that fateful day.”
“We truly appreciate the compassion and the Godgiven grace shown by this victim family,” he said.
Britt said McDonald has been receiving alcohol treatment and treatment from a therapist specializing in dealing with first responders.
“He hasn’t had a drink since that event,” Britt said, saying McDonald suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from his youth as well as from his time as a state trooper.
“Suffice it to say, he had a lot of baggage moving forward,” the lawyer said.
The civil suit is scheduled for a remote hearing next month.
McDonald declined to comment to reporters after leaving the courthouse Thursday. Britt thanked the victims, judge and prosecutor but declined to say whether McDonald would fight to keep his job.