Montville police Sgt. Michael Pelletier, 33, was arrested by state police on Oct. 23 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and following too closely.

Records of the arrest were not in the state police Troop E police logs as of Tuesday.

The arrest was in connection with an incident that occurred Sept. 15. According to an application for a search and seizure warrant filed by Troop E state police Trooper Kyle Gorra and Troop E Sgt. Albert Gosselin, Pelletier was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which he rear-ended a red pickup truck near the four-way intersection of Route 138/Route 164 and Pleasant View Street in Griswold.

Gorra and Gosselin filed the warrant in order to obtain "the medical records pertaining to the blood drawn" from Pelletier on or about Sept. 15, as well as "the results of a chemical analysis of blood samples" on the same date from the William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich.

The warrant affidavit includes an account of the events of Sept. 15. About 4:38 p.m., Pelletier was driving a tan Dodge Avenger sedan when he collided with a red Chevy Silverado pickup. The adult female driving the truck did not report any injuries. The rear of her vehicle incurred non-disabling damage, while Pelletier's vehicle had disabling front-end damage.

The woman driving the truck told Gorra she was on the phone with 911 to report the erratic driving of the tan sedan behind her because she said the car was swerving and she saw it strike a mailbox. Police listened to the recording of the call, and found that "While the operator was speaking with Troop E dispatch you can hear the tan sedan collide with the operator's truck."

According to the warrant affidavit, Trooper 1st Class Matthew Belz, who responded to the scene with Gorra, "later found a damaged mailbox" at 189 Newent Road, Route 138, Lisbon. While handling the incident, Belz approached Pelletier, who he said was "slumped over" in the driver's seat. Belz reported that at the time Pelletier "appeared dazed and out of it." When asked if he was OK, Pelletier responded "Home."

American Ambulance personnel came to the scene to assess Pelletier's condition. They asked him questions he apparently couldn't answer. Belz told ambulance personnel that Pelletier has previous medical conditions. Pelletier initially indicated he didn't want to go to the hospital. Belz noted that "he smelled a faint odor of alcohol emanating" from Pelletier while they were interacting with the ambulance crew.

Multiple witnesses at the scene said they observed Pelletier's car driving erratically before the collision. Belz handcuffed Pelletier and detained him in the front passenger seat of Belz's police cruiser. After further investigation of the incident, Belz said he returned to the cruiser and found Pelletier "unconscious." After Belz roused him, Pelletier nodded his head when asked if he wanted to go to the hospital. Belz removed the handcuffs and escorted Pelletier to the ambulance.

While Pelletier sat on a stretcher in the ambulance, Gorra entered to give Pelletier the accident information summary. Gorra also "detected an odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from Pelletier's person." Gorra asked Pelletier if the accident was caused by his medical problems, and Pelletier nodded.

Pelletier was then taken to Backus Hospital's emergency room. Belz and Gorra went to the hospital to speak with Pelletier but he was returning from a CT scan and, despite attempts by nurses to wake him, he was unconscious.

The warrant affidavit concluded with a justification of the need for Pelletier's medical records as evidence in the investigation.

"Based on the preceding information, your affiants believe that Pelletier, Michael ... was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, or both, at approximately 1638 hours on Sept. 15, 2019 in the town of Griswold, CT," the affidavit reads. "Therefore, your affiants are requesting a search and seizure warrant for the medical records department of Backus Hospital in Norwich, CT."

Montville Mayor Ron McDaniel told The Day the incident occurred while Pelletier was off-duty and in his personal vehicle.

"He's on administrative duty until such time the process has been investigated and adjudicated," McDaniel said. "There will be an internal affairs investigation completed as the case winds through, and we'll see what goes from there."

In 2016, Montville's police department honored Pelletier and four other officers for the field training of new officers. On July 9, 2018, Pelletier was sworn in as a sergeant after working for Montville police for eight years. He began working for Montville's police force in April 2010.

Pelletier was supposed to be arraigned Tuesday, Oct. 29, but his court appearance was continued to Nov. 13. His attorney, Robert Britt, declined to comment on a pending case.

s.spinella@theday.com