Darien police charged a 48-year-old man with driving while under the influence of alcohol on Monday, Jan. 14, after an officer spotted the man's car parked on the driveway to Ox Ridge School.
Darien police gave this account of the incident and arrest:
At about 2 a.m., an officer on patrol saw a 2011 Infinity M37X car stopped on the school driveway. The right front tire was flat, and its rim was damaged.
The driver, Ronald Cioppa of Trumbull, was standing next to the car. He told the officer something was wrong with the vehicle and he couldn't drive it away.
The officer saw that Cioppa seemed to be unsteady on his feet and he was slurring his words. Cioppa, of Fernwood Road in Trumbull, failed field sobriety tests and was chraged with driving while under the influence of alcohol.
He posted a $250 bond and is to appear Jan. 23 in state Superior Court in Stamford.
Police never found out just what caused the tire to go flat and the rim to be damaged.
