Waterford —  State Sen. Andrew Maynard's attorney said he never told police officers that Maynard's reading and writing ability was impaired, despite what's written in an accident report.

Waterford Police Lt. Dave Burton on Wednesday confirmed that he received an email from attorney Robert Reardon Tuesday evening and said as soon as both officers who interviewed Maynard are working, Waterford police will ask the two of them together about the statement.

In the report about Maynard's Jan. 14 wrong-way, two-car accident, Officer Richard Avdevich wrote that "Attorney Reardon stated that Maynard may have difficulty reading and writing and would not be able to do any writing due to his condition."

According to Reardon, officers removed a blank form from their file toward the end of their Jan. 26 interview with Maynard, but inexplicably put it away without asking Maynard for a written statement.

"While there is no question that I informed your investigators that Senator Maynard has difficulty finding words due to aphasia and sometimes needs assistance with that function, I never would have commented that his reading or writing ability is impaired," Reardon wrote in his email to Burton. "In fact he read, asked questions about and then signed insurance documents relating to the accident in my office that same day just before your investigators arrived."

Reardon said conclusions people are drawing that the senator is "unable to carry out his duties due to an inability to read or write" are a "disservice" to Maynard, a Democrat from Stonington who represents the 18th District. He asked Burton to review the report.

"I believe (the investigators) will acknowledge that such a statement was never made by me and that Senator Maynard was never asked to read or write anything during the interview," Reardon wrote.

Burton said police ask a standard set of questions before they take a statement from someone, which include asking whether a person can read and write English and what his or her highest attained level of education is.

He said if police learn of a learning disability or medical condition that may affect one's ability to provide a written statement — whether from the person or the person's attorney — they document that and don't ask for one.

"But I want to confirm that that conversation took place," Burton added.

Burton said officers also can make the decision not to take a written statement during an interview if it appears a person is having trouble with comprehension.

According to Avdevich, "Maynard understood our questions, as he would nod or shake his head and use hand gestures, but had difficulty articulating what he wanted to say."

For example, Maynard said "we were going" and "something didn't feel right" when describing what he remembers about the drive home from Hartford Jan. 14. Avdevich said police confirmed that Maynard was the only person in the vehicle that day, despite saying "we."

Burton emphasized that police strive to use the words of the people interviewed, not their own words, in reports and that the four people present during the Jan. 26 interview — Maynard, Maynard's sister, attorney Robert Reardon and attorney Kelly Reardon — likely were informed that everything they said during the interview had to be true.

If it turns out the officers made the decision not to take a written statement from Maynard on their own and not because of something Robert Reardon said, Burton said police will add a supplemental report to the accident report detailing that.

Regardless of the outcome, Burton said, Waterford police will release an official response to Reardon's email as soon as it's ready.

Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, attorney Kelly Reardon said the email "speaks for itself" and that the firm wasn't going to comment further.

She said she was present during a large portion of the Waterford officers' interview of Maynard, but not when the officers allegedly pulled out and then put away a blank police statement form.

Maynard, who suffered a traumatic brain injury during an early morning fall outside his Stonington home in July 2014, was re-elected in November to represent the 18th District and attended the following session, although he missed most committee meetings.

Robert Reardon on Jan. 18 said that Maynard suffered a concussion in the Jan. 14 crash, which Waterford police on Tuesday said occurred after Maynard suffered a "breakthrough seizure."

Maynard has declined all media requests for interviews — including those offering to allow him to communicate by writing — since the first head injury.

Kelly Reardon said Maynard's denial of interview requests "has nothing to do with our representation of him" and declined to comment on why he isn't granting interviews.

l.boyle@theday.com