The driver accused of the fatal hit-and-run that killed a state trooper on Interstate 84 Thursday was under the influence at the time of the crash and has a murder and attempted homicide convictions on his record in Puerto Rico, officials said.
Alex Oyola-Sanchez, 44, of Zion Street in Hartford, is charged with second-degree manslaughter and seven other charges, including illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and evading, police said.
He was originally held in lieu of $5 million bail and appeared remotely from the hospital Friday for his arraignment at state Superior Court in New Britain.
During his arraignment, Judge Maureen Keegan said Oyola-Sanchez “has demonstrated that he is a safety risk to others.” Keegan lowered his bail to $1.5 million, which was more than the $500,000 Cloutier and his defense attorney, William Deegan, suggested.
Deegan said Oyola-Sanchez has a third-grade education and makes $300 a week as a housekeeper and maintenance worker.
“It seems any significant bond he will be unable to post,” Deegan said.
His next court date is June 6.
Oyola-Sanchez is accused of driving a pickup that sideswiped Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier’s patrol car and then struck him while he was talking to a driver during a traffic stop on the highway.
Pelletier, a nine-year veteran with a wife and children, died at the scene.
Oyola-Sanchez fled the scene, but was arrested moments later when police caught up with him, Connecticut State Police said in a news release.
His other charges include illegal operation of a motor vehicle without minimal insurance, failure to renew registration, failure to drive in proper lane and illegal operation of a motor vehicle in violation of license class. The statute for the latter charge suggests he only had a learner’s permit.
In addition, Oyola-Sanchez is charged with a failure to move over or slow down when approaching an emergency vehicle, informally known as the state’s “move over law.”
Oyola-Sanchez appeared in state Superior Court in New Britain for his arraignment via video feed from a hospital bed. His eyes were closed most of the time, and he appeared groggy. It’s not clear why he was in the hospital, although a police report states that he told troopers he had ingested drugs earlier in the day.
A native of Puerto Rico, Oyola-Sanchez has lived in Connecticut 11 years and has no convictions in the state, said DeAnna Cloutier, the bail commissioner.
His record in Puerto Rico is markedly different: He was convicted of third-degree murder in 2007 and has a 2008 conviction for three counts of attempted homicide, she said.
More recently, in 2012, Puerto Rican authorities arrested him on a manslaughter charge, although the disposition of the case wasn’t clear, Cloutier said.
Saying Oyola-Sanchez “has demonstrated that he is a safety risk to others,” Judge Maureen Keegan set his bail at $1.5 million, less then the $5 million set by state police but higher than the $500,000 Cloutier and his defense attorney, William Deegan, suggested.
Deegan said Oyola-Sanchez has a third-grade education and makes $300 a week as a housekeeper and maintenance worker.
“It seems any significant bond he will be unable to post,” Deegan said.
His next court date is June 6.
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