A father is facing charges after police said he drove drunk with his 9-day-old infant in the car hours after his birthday and hit another vehicle as he turned around and sped off to avoid a sobriety checkpoint in Clinton, according to police.
Amado Dilone, who just turned 25 on Saturday night, came across a sobriety check point located on Route 81 in Clinton at about 1:37 a.m. on Sunday, police said. He stopped suddenly as he approached the checkpoint, causing the vehicle behind him to slam on the brakes, police said. Dilone backed into the bumper of the car behind him, pulled a "U" turn and took off, police said.
Officers pursued him and stopped him nearby, determining he was intoxicated. They discovered his 9-day-old baby was in the car at the time and wasn't secured.
Police also arrested a woman in the car who had a small amount of pot on her and a stun gun.
Officers charged Dilone, of Killingworth, with operating under the influence, operating with a suspended license, evading responsibilities, unsafe backing, transporting a child under the age of 4 without a proper restraint system and risk of injury to a minor. He is being held in police custody in lieu of a $5,000 bond.
Police also charged the female passenger, Sage Grady, 18, of West Haven, with possessing a weapon in a motor vehicle and possession of less than four ounces of a controlled substance. Her relationship to Dilone is unknown. She was released on a written promise to appear in court on Oct. 2.
The baby's mother was in the car too, but police didn't charge her with anything.
Other than that car, 400 passed through the sobriety checkpoint. Police also arrested Jonathan Gavern, 35, of Trumbull, on a drunken driving charge. He was released after he posted a $500 bond and is due in Middletown Superior Court on Oct. 1.
Four other people were cited on charges of driving without a license and driving an unregistered motor vehicle.
Partners in the Community funds the sobriety checkpoints in town several times a year.
Photo Credit: Clinton Police