State Trooper Involved in 2019 Southbury Crash Resigns

A Connecticut State Police trooper who was charged with driving under the influence after a crash in Southbury in September 2019 that injured a mother and daughter has resigned.

State police said they received a letter of resignation from Sergeant John McDonald on Nov. 4, over two years after the accident.

McDonald was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, reckless driving and failure to obey a stop sign.

He was placed on administrative assignment with suspended police powers, according to authorities. McDonald was arrested as a result of the police investigation.

Connecticut State Police Union President Andy Williams said McDonald decided it was in his and his family's best interest to resign.

Police said McDonald was off-duty in his unmarked police car when he didn’t stop at a stop sign on Sept. 25, 2019, crashing into a car traveling on Route 188. According to an arrest warrant, McDonald was driving 71 miles per hour just before the crash. The posted speed limit in the area is 40 miles per hour.

Witnesses to the crash described McDonald as "slurring his words" and smelling of alcohol, according to the warrant. McDonald never took a blood alcohol test.

Before the crash, McDonald was at the Black Hog Brewing Company in Oxford, according to the warrant. Based on surveillance footage, investigators believe McDonald drank at least eight alcoholic drinks between 2:19 p.m. and 5:13 p.m. He was later seen ordering more drinks and bringing them outside, where he could not be seen by surveillance.

State Trooper Involved in Southbury Crash to Serve Probation

The two women injured in the crash filed a lawsuit against McDonald and Black Hog Brewing Company. Lawyers said that the brewery has settled for $225,000.

Brewery Surveillance Video Shows Trooper's Actions Before Drunk Driving Crash in Southbury