State police capture 2 suspects that allegedly dragged trooper, police officer

Canterbury — State police say they have captured the two suspects that allegedly dragged a state trooper and a police officer a short distance during a traffic stop on Friday evening.

Mark Mills, 22, the vehicle’s passenger, and Cara Cote, 19, the alleged driver of the silver Chevrolet Lumina, are each charged with two counts of assault on public safety/emergency personnel, two counts of interfering with an officer and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. Cote also is charged with a stop sign violation and failure to carry a registration/insurance certificate.

The suspects were arrested behind a residence on Palmer Road in Chaplin around noon on Monday.

Around 5:44 p.m. Friday, in the area of the Canterbury Fire House, State Trooper Chris Toney stopped the vehicle after he saw it leave the driveway of an abandoned residence. Plainfield officer Ken Davidson also responded to the traffic stop.

State police said Mills began to make suspicious movements inside of the vehicle before Toney and Davidson attempted to remove him from the car. Mills also had two outstanding arrest warrants for failure to appear in court, police said.

When police tried to remove him from the vehicle, Mills put up a fight and pulled Toney and Davidson into the passenger seat and told Cote to “go,” police said.

As the car drove off, both the state trooper and the officer were dangling from the vehicle and were dragged a short distance. Both then fell to the ground, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. Toney was treated at Day Kimball Hospital and released. Davidson refused medical treatment at the scene.

Both Mills and Cote are held on $500,000 bond and will appear in Danielson Superior Court on Tuesday.