Groton — A New London High School teacher, who is also the school's wrestling coach, is due in court later this month to face charges he was driving drunk and tried to elbow a town police officer who was trying to place him in a cell. 

Michael J. Gorton Jr., 31, of Shore Drive, Waterford, was arrested in the early morning hours of Oct. 27 and charged with multiple traffic violations, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, resisting arrest and attempted assault on a police officer, which is a felony.

The New London school district did not respond to requests for information about Gorton, his status in the school district or whether he might face disciplinary action.

Groton Town police said that at 1:40 a.m. on Oct. 27,  two officers were in the middle of a motor vehicle stop on Allyn Street, at the intersection of New London Road, when a Volvo drove past them at high speed, according to a police report obtained by The Day.

One officer said he observed the Volvo driving in the shoulder of the road and “nearly collide with the adjacent sidewalk.” The other officer got into his cruiser to follow the Volvo. He wrote in his report that as he followed the Volvo his speedometer never went below 65 to 70 mph and he was not gaining any ground on the car through the residential area. 

Police said the Volvo ran a red light at the intersection of Allyn and Library streets and crossed over the double yellow lines to pass a vehicle in a no-passing zone while traveling northbound on Allyn Street.

When the Volvo pulled over in a driveway at 7 Whitehall Lane, police said they found Gorton in the driver’s seat wearing a a Sasquatch costume. Gorton told police he had come from a Halloween party at Angie’s Pizza in Mystic where he had a “couple sodas.”

Police said Gorton’s speech was slurred, his eyes red and glassy and he was unsteady on his feet. Gorton removed the Sasquatch feet in favor of sneakers before performing a “walk and turn,” and “one leg stand test.”

Gorton failed the field sobriety tests and declined to take a breathalyzer test, police said.

At the police station, police said Gorton was argumentative and when police tried to get him into a cell pulled away, telling the officer “I’m a slippery guy. What are you going to do? You gonna (expletive) me up right now?”

One officer grabbed Gorton’s bicep and wrist and began guiding him into the cell.

“While doing so, Gorton twisted his body forward escaping from my grasp and immediately swung his elbow backwards. Gorton’s elbow came within a few inches of striking me. Gorton’s left hand struck my upper torso, but I did not feel any pain or sustain any injuries,” Groton Town Police Officer Chad Potter wrote in his report.

Gorton was released on a promise to appear in court on Friday in New London Superior Court. He faces the following charges: driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, failure to obey a traffic control signal, failure to obey a stop sign, passing in a no-passing zone, failure to signal a turn properly, interfering with a police officer, attempted assault on a police officer, traveling too fast, making a restricted turn and failure to obey an officer's signal.

Gorton was not available to comment Monday.

g.smith@theday.com