Man accused of driving drunk in the wrong direction on Route 8 in Torrington

TORRINGTON, CT (WFSB) - State police said they tracked down a wrong way driver in Torrington early Friday morning.

Michael Wiggins, 67, of Waterbury, was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs/alcohol, failure to drive in a proper lane, and driving the wrong way on a divided highway.

Michael Wiggins was arrested on drunk driving charges after 911 callers reported that he... — Michael Wiggins was arrested on drunk driving charges after 911 callers reported that he traveled the wrong way on Route 8 in Torrington on May 19.(Connecticut State Police)

Troopers said that around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, they received 911 calls about a driver who was headed south on Route 8 northbound in the area of exit 43 in Torrington.

One of the callers told dispatchers that they saw the wrong-way driver turn around start to head in the correct direction on Route 8 northbound at exit 44.

“The caller provided a description of the wrong-way vehicle and later explained to troopers that it had exited Route 8 northbound at exit 44, East Main Street, before entering Route 8 southbound and traveling in an erratic manner, swerving across the travel lanes,” state police said in a news release.

Troopers said they found a vehicle that matched the description provided by the caller on Route 8 southbound in the area of exit 41 and initiated a motor vehicle stop.

“During interactions with troopers, the vehicle operator, later identified as Wiggins, exhibited signs of possible impairment and agreed to participate in standardized field sobriety tests, which were not performed to standard,” state police said.

Wiggins was released on a $1,000 non-surety bond and scheduled for an arraignment at Torrington Superior Court on June 2.

“We thank the members of the public who did not hesitate to call 911 to report this incident,” state police said. “As always, we ask that anyone who observes a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction please keep a safe distance away and call 911 as soon as possible, as this is a true emergency.”