A Meriden man was arrested Tuesday in connection with a hit-and-run that left an East Hampton firefighter injured at an active crash scene nearly a month earlier. Police say Kendal Shelton drove around a fire truck, struck multiple traffic cones and then hit a firefighter while disregarding a road closure set up for an earlier, unrelated crash on Sept. 13.
The firefighter suffered minor injuries and was evaluated at a hospital, according to courant.com. The outlet reported that the driver drove around a fire truck and hit multiple traffic cones before striking the firefighter, who was working the scene of the first crash when the vehicle came through. As CT Insider reported, Shelton was arrested Oct. 6 in connection with the Sept. 13 crash.
Police say the vehicle did not just strike one person — it came close to hitting several others working the closed road. According to newportdispatch.com, the driver disregarded the road closure, striking one firefighter while narrowly missing several others, police said.
A Chaotic Drive Through an Active Scene
Investigators say Shelton's driving before the crash was reckless well beyond the moment of impact. The vehicle passed multiple cars in no-passing zones, sped and created a hazard for pedestrians and other motorists, per the station's report citing police. That account, attributed to nbcconnecticut.com, describes a pattern of dangerous maneuvers that preceded the strike on the firefighter.
The incident immediately drew concern from East Hampton's fire leadership. The fire chief described it as a serious reminder of just how quickly an already dangerous roadside scene can become even more dangerous, according to courant.com. Firehouse.com separately reported Chief Robb Rainville saying, “We are extremely fortunate that this incident did not result in more serious injuries,” underscoring how close the outcome came to being far worse.
Weeks-Long Search Ends With Arrest
Shelton was not taken into custody at the scene. Investigators instead spent weeks working to identify him, ultimately using license plate recognition systems from outside agencies along with other resources to pin down the driver, per the same account from newportdispatch.com, which noted that Officer Bankowski led that identification effort.
That work led to Shelton's arrest on Oct. 6. He was held on a $30,000 bond, according to nbcconnecticut.com, and transported to Middlesex Superior Court to appear, according to newportdispatch.com. Patch reported that police described Shelton as well-known to the Meriden Police Department with 28 previous arrest convictions, though that figure has not been independently verified beyond the outlet's reporting.
Multiple Charges Filed
Shelton faces a lengthy list of charges tied to the incident. He was charged with engaging in a police pursuit, reckless driving, traffic and interference offenses, assault on public safety personnel with injury, evading responsibility with injury, failure to move over for emergency vehicles and failure to comply with fingerprinting, according to nbcconnecticut.com.
Connecticut's move-over expectations are relevant to the failure-to-move-over charge: drivers approaching vehicles stopped on the shoulder or in a breakdown lane must immediately reduce their speed to a reasonable level, according to the Connecticut Highway Safety Office. Patch also reported that Shelton was held on a $30,000 bond and faced charges including engaging police in a pursuit, reckless driving, assault on a public safety employee with injury and evading responsibility with injury — largely mirroring the charge list reported elsewhere, though Patch listed Shelton's age as 28, while newportdispatch.com reported he was 32.
The wtnh.com report similarly described Shelton as allegedly having struck a firefighter while driving erratically in town on Sept. 13, consistent with the broader police account of the incident. Shelton's case now moves through Middlesex Superior Court, where the full scope of the charges will be addressed.
