Investigators say suspect admitted to taking a number of drugs before hit-and-run that killed state trooper

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - A man accused of hitting and killing a state trooper in Southington was on a number of drugs at the time, according a report released by state investigators.

The Department of Public Safety on Friday afternoon released its investigation report into the death of Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier.

State police said they arrested 44-year-old Alex Oyola-Sanchez of Hartford for the incident.

Oyola-Sanchez struck and killed Pelletier as Pelletier conducted a traffic stop along Interstate 84 in Southington Thursday afternoon, troopers said.

Investigators interviewed a number of witnesses, one of which saw Oyola-Sanchez hit the trooper. The witness said the suspect admitted to hitting the trooper during an exchange that happened after the collision. Oyola-Sanchez told the witness that he knew, and that he needed to make a u-turn to go back. The witness called 911.

After he was taken into custody, he told investigators that before the incident he took fentanyl and powdered cocaine. He said he used 15 bags of fentanyl one at at time and “all of the cocaine.” He then went to sleep. When he woke up, he said he bought a pill, which he believed he was klonopin, from a street drug dealer. He drove to Waterbury for work. When he finished the job a couple of hours later, he headed toward Hartford.

He said the next thing he knew, he was flagged down by someone who witnessed him hitting Pelletier.

Oyola-Sanchez was taken to a hospital because he consented to a blood test. Investigators said he showed signs of gait ataxia, which meant he staggered as he walked.

At the hospital, he was checked out by drug experts whom noted signs of impairment.

Oyola-Sanchez was charged with a list of charges, including failure to renew registration, illegal operation of a motor vehicle without minimum insurance, evading a fatal motor vehicle accident scene, illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol/drugs, failure to drive in a proper lane, illegal operation with out a license, and second-degree manslaughter.

He was arraigned from a hospital bed on Friday afternoon.

He had been arrested last September for possessing a controlled substance, but the case was dropped.

He had also been convicted in 2007 of third degree murder and was sentenced to six years in prison, but it is unclear how long he served.

A year later, he was charged with three counts of attempted homicide. The court did not know if he served time for those crimes.

His bond is set at $1.5 million and is due back in court on June 6th.

Channel 3 continues to look into the suspect and the report. Watch Eyewitness News starting at 4 p.m. for updates.