Montville Police Sgt. Michael Pelletier, charged with drunken driving following a Sept. 15 crash in Griswold, applied for the alcohol education diversionary program when he appeared in Superior Court in Norwich on Wednesday.

State police said blood tests indicated Pelletier's blood alcohol concentration was 0.24 percent, which is three times the 0.08 percent legal limit for driving, after he drove his Dodge Avenger sedan into the rear-end of a Chevy Silverado pickup truck near the four-way intersection of Route 138/Route 164 and Pleasant View Street in Griswold.

Pelletier, 33, who was hired by the Montville Police Department in 2010 and was promoted to sergeant in 2018, will return to court on Jan. 22 to learn if he is eligible for the program for first-time offenders. During his brief appearance before Judge Nuala Droney, he stood with his attorney, Robert Britt, was sworn in and indicated he had never used the program before nor been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

If the court grants the program, Pelletier's charges of driving under the influence and following too closely will be dismissed after he successfully completes 10 or 15 alcohol education classes and, if recommended, undergoes counseling. He also will be required to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim impact panel.

Town Mayor Ron McDaniel, noting the incident occurred while Pelletier was off-duty and in his personal vehicle, said last month that Pelletier had been placed on administrative duty while his court case was pending and that a separate internal affairs investigation would take place.

According to a state police search and seizure warrant affidavit, the woman driving the pickup truck told state police she had called 911 to report the erratic driving of the tan sedan behind her, which she said was swerving, and she saw it strike a mailbox. Police listened to the recording of the call, and said that while the operator was speaking with Troop E dispatch, they could hear the tan sedan collide with the operator's truck. Multiple witnesses said they observed Pelletier's car driving erratically before the collision.

Pelletier was slumped over in the driver's seat of his car, appeared dazed and smelled of alcohol following the accident, according to the affidavit. He was placed in a police cruiser while the officer investigated the crash, and appeared unconscious upon the officer's return. He woke up and agreed to go to the hospital, according to the affidavit.

k.florin@theday.com