Officers found Timothy Coon sleeping on the floor of a common area in his apartment building before he told police he had lost his keys.
Meriden’s city manager is stepping away from the job after being the subject of a police welfare check last week.
This follows a separate incident in April, when Timothy Coon was involved in a wrong-way crash in East Hartford and charged with DUI.
Back in April, Coon issued a public apology, saying he would not resign and would go through the city’s Employee Assistance Program.
It was a different story Monday after he submitted his resignation, and the City Council unanimously accepted.
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Coon’s resignation is effective Jan. 1. Until then, he is on paid administrative medical leave, effective immediately.
The action comes after a City Council special meeting, where several veterans spoke in defense of the retired Army Colonel.
“You don’t know what it’s like be in a war zone. You don’t know what it’s like to see a soldier get hurt, OK? And as a soldier myself, I’ve seen that. And he’s seen that. And you need to support him,” one woman said during public comment.
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Others demanded Coon leave the role after the crash and DUI arrest in April, then another encounter with police last week.
“You failed. You failed to protect the integrity of our city when you had the option a couple of months ago, which you chose not to take,” another woman told City Council members during public comment.
Just before 2 a.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a welfare check at Coon’s apartment. A police report obtained by NBC Connecticut states he was sleeping on the floor of a common hallway.
When he was awoken, Coon could not find his keys. After officers searched his car, another resident with a master key ultimately helped them into the apartment. Coon refused medical care and was allowed back inside.
“Unfortunately, it was a personal incident that occurred to someone directly impacting our city,” Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati said. “It's unfortunate for it to occur to anyone, and we just want them to get the help that they need.”
This comes after the City Council renewed Coon’s contract for two years following his April DUI.
Since the council tabled the appointment of an acting city manager Monday, the position defaults to Police Chief Roberto Rosado, one of two people Coon had appointed to act in his absence. The other person is Fire Chief Ken Morgan.
Mayor Scarpati said the council will likely appoint an interim city manager at the next meeting, before the lengthy search for a new city manager begins.
“The search process is going to take several months. So I don't expect by Jan. 1 we would have a new city manager,” Mayor Scarpati said.
Coon has not responded to our requests for comment.
Attorney Michael Quinn, who is representing Coon in his DUI Case, tells NBC Connecticut that since Coon did not face any charges in last week’s incident, there is no need to take legal action regarding that, and had no other comment.
The police department said they have no comment on the personnel matter involving Coon.
