A Rhode Island man accused of drunken driving and causing a serious crash was arrested in Stonington last night after his son called 911 to tell police he feared for his life, according to state police.
The 10-year-old boy called 911 just before 10:30 p.m. to report that he and his 12-year-old sister were in the car their father was driving on Interstate 95 and he was drunk and speeding, according to the police report.
The boy was so scared that he was considering jumping out of the moving car to avoid crashing at the speeds they were traveling, police said.
The call was made on the Connecticut-Rhode Island border and went to Rhode Island state police.
As Rhode Island state police were transferring the call to Connecticut state police, it was dropped, police said.
Within seconds, Connecticut state police started receiving several 911 calls reporting a crash in the area.
When police responded to I-95 South near exit 91, they found a Jeep overturned 50 feet off the right side of the road, down an embankment. The man in the vehicle suffered blunt-force trauma was taken to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital to be treated, police said.
Police gave the driver of the other car, Owen Gilman, 49, of Warwick, field sobriety tests and arrested him when he failed, police said.
Police said the two juveniles were transported to Westerly Hospital to be treated for lacerations.
Police said they also found a “significant amount” of marijuana in the car, as well as drug paraphernalia and Gilman was charged with reckless driving, operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol, illegal sale of a controlled substance, two counts of risk of injury to child, two counts of second-degree assault with a motor vehicle and additional charges.
He was unable to post the $35,000 cash/surety bond and he will be arraigned today in New London.
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