The New Britain father who was accused of badly injuring his 2-year-old daughter when he drove drunk and crashed into a swimming pool in Ledyard in 2014 has been sentenced to 14-and-a-half years in prison.
Police said the Marcus Harvin, of New Britain, admitted to having “a few” alcoholic beverages at Mohegan Sun Casino before the crash just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, May 25, 2014. Medical records showed Harvin’s blood alcohol level was .293, which is more than three times the legal limit, according to police.
Police said Harvin’s daughter, who was then 2, was injured so badly that she nearly lost her arm.
The person who called 911 told the dispatcher that she had gone up to a car that was stopped at Route 12 and Route 2A in Preston, noticed a man who appeared to be asleep as well as two young children in the car and knocked on the window to get the man’s attention, and the driver woke up and fled south on Route 12, toward Ledyard, police said.
At 12:53 a.m., a Ledyard police found the car in the parking lot of the Henny Penny and found a driver who appeared to be asleep behind the wheel. Two small children were in the back of the car, police said.
When the officer knocked on the window, Harvin opened it, and the officer noticed the smell of alcohol and his bloodshot eyes, police said.
With slurred speech, Harvin gave police his brother's name and admitted to having had drinks at the casino, police said. As the officer went to his car to check Harvin’s information, he heard the engine as Harvin sped down Route 12.
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Police started pursuing the car, but ended the chase and called state police because children were in the car, police said.
As Harvin fled, he lost control of his car, went off Route 12, hit a utility pole and traffic control box, went through a metal guard rail on the opposite side of the road, then crashed upside down in a swimming pool on Baldwin Hill Road in Ledyard, according to police.
After police rescued Harvin and his two daughters, the father told officers he did not remember anything leading up to the crash, police said.
The 2-year-old girl’s arm was “partially severed” during the crash, police said, and she went through a nine-hour surgery, followed by a second surgery, and has a pulse in her fingers, with the exception of the thumb, according to court paperwork.
The other child, a 4-year-old, broke her right ankle in the crash, police said, and has been released from the hospital.
