State police have arrested a man who is suspected of driving under the influence and causing a crash on Route 8 in Beacon Falls in February that killed a Bridgeport mother and her two young children.
Andresa De Brito Alves, 25, of Bridgeport, and her 3-year-old son, Riquelme Alves Brito and her 6-year-old daughter, Laura Vitoria Alves Brito, were passengers in the Honda and died after the crash, according to state police.
William Michael Kundert, 40, of Oxford, is accused of hitting the Honda Civic they were in on Route 8 North just before 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 4.
According to the arrest warrant, Kundert was behind the wheel of a Ford F600 carrying a full load of wood and crossed the left lane, went into the left shoulder and hit the back of the Civic, which was either stopped or moving slowly in the shoulder of Route 8 North near exit 23.
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Neither child was in a child safety seat at the time of the crash, according to the warrant.
The driver of the Honda suffered minor injuries.
The warrant says Kundert staggered and appeared unsteady on his feet at the scene and he was slurring and mumbling while in the ambulance taking him to the hospital. It also says he did not recall driving or know what he was in the emergency department.
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Witnesses told investigators they saw the pickup moving erratically and hit concrete barriers on Route 8 North in Derby and Seymour.
Blood and urine tests were done at the hospital and the warrant says they showed the presence of benzodiazepines, opiates, fentanyl, morphine, Alprazolam, methadone and methadone metabolite in Kundert’s system.
He was arrested on Thursday and charged with second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence, reckless driving and additional charges.
Bond for Kundert has been set at $1 million and he is due in court on Friday.
