Man Tells Cops Being Near Gasoline Affected His Blood Alcohol Content: Cops

A man charged with drunken driving in Middletown told police he wasn’t drinking and claimed being around gasoline while working on cars caused his elevated blood alcohol content, according to police.

Just before 5:30 p.m. on April 23, a Middletown police officer on patrol near Laurel Grove Street pulled over and offered to help Clifford Rioux, 50, of Meriden, who was standing by the bed of his pickup, which was filled with rolls of chain link fence, police said.

When Rioux struggled while responding that he was just tying the fencing down, the officer asked Rioux if he’d been drinking, commenting he appeared intoxicated.

The officer also noted the odor of alcohol in the arraignment report.

At one point during the exchange, the officer opened the door of the truck to turn off the engine and noticed a small empty bottle of 50-proof vodka inside a paper bag, a 25-ounce can of Natural Light beer with a few ounces of beer inside and an empty bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade in cherry flavor, according to the arraignment report.

The officer then asked Rioux if he drank the alcohol in the containers found in his truck.

He said he didn’t and told the officer they belonged to a female who had been in his truck earlier, police said.

In addition to the alcohol containers in the cab of the truck, police noted there were also 10 to 15 empty Natural Light cans in the bed of the truck.

At the scene, police gave Rioux a field sobriety test and arrested him on a driving while intoxicated charge.

At police headquarters, police administered breathalyzer tests and the first one revealed a blood alcohol content of .2276, which is almost three times the legal limit, according to the arraignment report.

After getting the results, police asked Rioux how much he had to drink.

He responded that he’d had nothing to drink and offered up that he had been working on cars earlier and being around gasoline caused his blood alcohol level to increase.

Rioux was charged with operating under the influence, as well as operating with a suspended license and released on a $500 bond.