Mosback arrested for drunk driving

A former city police officer who totaled his cruiser in a late-night crash in June has turned himself in to state police on drunken driving charges connected to the on-duty wreck,

Robert Mosback, 38, turned himself in to the Hartford barracks Thursday morning, according to state police, who reinvestigated the case at the request of New Britain's state's attorney.

Mosback resigned from the force in September after the city's insurer discovered a hospital laboratory test showed he had been drunk at the time of the accident. He asked for his job back a few weeks later.

City police did not charge Mosback in the case and did not check his blood alcohol level at the scene.

An investigation is underway to determine if any officers erred and whether a coverup occurred.

Mayor Art Ward said the arrest is "evidently as a result of the investigation" by the state's attorney's office in New Britain, which began a month ago after the state police declined to get involved directly.

"They've determined this is the appropriate manner in which to proceed," Ward said.

He said city leaders wanted outside, unimpeded probes into the case and apparently that's what is happening.
"State police investigators conducted numerous interviews, obtained search and seizure warrants from Superior Court to seize evidence and examined all facts and circumstances related to this accident," according to state Police Lt. Paul Vance.

Mosback is due in court in Bristol on Dec. 14. He was released on a $5,000 cash bond.  See the press release here.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

What happens when your blood alcohol level is .15?

Let's see if we can translate the .15 blood alcohol level that a still-unseen toxicology report apparently showed that former Officer Robert Mosback had in his bloodstream following his June 26 on-duty accident into something more real than a number.
Here's how the University of Oklahoma Police Department describes it:
0.13 — 0.15 BAC: Gross motor impairment and lack of physical control. Blurred vision and major loss of balance. Euphoria is reduced and dysphoria* is beginning to appear. Judgment and perception are severely impaired.( * —Dysphoria: An emotional state of anxiety, depression, or unease.)
In the Know Zone describes it this way:

6. BAC = .12-.15 = Vomiting usually occurs, unless this level is reached slowly or a person has developed a tolerance to alcohol. Drinkers are drowsy.
Drinkers display emotional instability, loss of critical judgment, impairment of perception, memory, and comprehension.
Lack of sensor-motor coordination and impaired balance are typical. Decreased sensory responses and increased reaction times develop. The vision is significantly impaired, including limited ability to see detail, peripheral vision, and slower glare recovery.
7. BAC = .15 = This blood-alcohol level means the equivalent of 1/2 pint of whiskey is circulating in the blood stream.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Bristol father's deadly, drunken crash

Hartford Courant reporter Don Stacom has a good piece today about a drunk driving accident in March that killed a Bristol man who should never have been behind the wheel:

When Walter Madore picked up his sons at a Collins Road house, he was supposed to be the responsible father safely driving the boys and one of their friends home from a late-night get-together with friends.
But all of that went horribly wrong.
Barely a mile away, the ride ended in disaster: Madore's 15-year-old son recalls their Chevy Suburban sliding out of control toward a utility pole and his father — drunk — reaching for his hand and saying "I'm sorry."
Moments later, the car was demolished, the boys were hurt, and Madore, described by friends as a model father, was dead. Click here to read the whole story, at least until the Courant moves it into its archive section.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Broken by the bottle? An ex-wife talks and a camera may have captured Park at a key moment

Two more stories about the hit-and-run suspect to round out this weekend's offerings:

First off, Jackie Majerus writes about what Robert Park's ex-wife has to say in this story.

And I've got one about the possibility that a videocamera caught Park at a liquor store shortly before the accident.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Hit-and-run driver's history of drinking

Reporter Jackie Majerus wrote this terrific story, from his son's perspective, about the man behind the wheel in the fatal hit-and-run that left 14-year-old Henry Waye, Jr dead this month.

I chipped in this one, which makes it clear that Robert Park's drinking hasn't gotten better in recent years.

And don't miss Jim Smith's column today taking the police to task for undue secrecy.

I haven't seen the paper itself so I don't know if a couple of other stories are in print today or waiting for tomorrow's issue (or later, depending on how things go).

I would ask that if anyone who knows Park -- friends, family, coworkers, etc. -- would like to offer a different perspective on the man, we are eager to hear from you. We'd very much like to offer more balance, but with Park and his wife passing up the chance to talk to us, it's hard.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com