A Connecticut State Police sergeant arrested for getting in a crash and leaving the scene has applied for a diversion program for first-time offenders.
The incident from last July involving Sergeant Catherine Koeppel took place in Brookfield when she was off duty, but still in her state police vehicle, a Dodge Charger.
The attorney for the owner of the vehicle struck by Koeppel confirmed she has applied for accelerated rehabilitation.
That is a program for first-time offenders that does not involve a guilty plea, where charges are erased after roughly a year, if they meet conditions imposed by the court.
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The state police incident report said Koeppel rear-ended a car twice on route seven north on July 24 last year, then left the scene.
The woman in the other vehicle was not injured and her car had rear-end damage, according to the report, and trooper bodycam and dashcam video NBC Connecticut Investigates obtained via a Freedom of Information request.
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The state police report also said soon after the crash, Koeppel called her state police barracks and told dispatch she hit a deer.
The report then said the investigating troopers went to Koeppel’s home. They heard an unidentifiable voice inside and no one answered when they knocked.
Troopers reviewed the damage to her cruiser and determined it was not consistent with a deer strike.
Koeppel was eventually reached and given a misdemeanor summons a few days later.
State police told us Koeppel’s police powers remain suspended and she remains on administrative duty. The agency added there is an internal investigation of this incident pending.
NBC Connecticut reached out to Koeppel’s attorney for comment and have not heard back.
