Norwalk Police Department patrol car
From Hartford Courant
Hours after Brandon Dupee was arrested for driving under the influence, police say he was back behind the wheel.
Brandon Dupee was charged with DUI hours before fatal crash in Conn 121616
When Fairfield officers found Dupee, 33, and his sister Lindsay, 31, just before 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, they were in a black Honda Accord that had slammed into a tree near Sunfield Lane, police said. The crash killed the siblings and police said Brandon was driving.
Dupee, who once split a $1 million lottery prize, was stopped by Norwalk police officers hours earlier on Tuesday night when police noticed he was in no shape to drive, officials said.
Dupee’s driving had caught the attention of a Maine police chief, part of a convoy driving in Norwalk for the military tribute Wreaths Across America, Norwalk Sgt. Sofia Gulino said.
The chief flagged down a state trooper, who spoke to Dupee about 7:15 p.m., smelling marijuana as they talked, Gulino said.
A Norwalk officer called to the scene reported back that Dupee’s eyes were glassy, and his speech was slow and labored.
“He seemed confused,” Gulino told the Courant Thursday.
Police gave Dupee a field sobriety test which Dupee “could not perform to standard,” Gulino said.
Brandon Dupee DUI wreck double fatal. Photo courtesy of Fairfield Police
With the help of a city police dog, officers found marijuana in the center console, police said. He was arrested and his 2013 Nissan Maxima was towed from the area.
He was taken to the Norwalk Police Department about 8 p.m., where his license was seized, police said. He was charged with driving under the influence and possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana.
By about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, a bail bondsman had arrived to help Dupee post the $500 bond. Gulino said she does not know where he went after leaving police headquarters or how he ended up behind the wheel of the other car.
Officials removed the bodies of Brandon and Lindsay Dupee from the crashed vehicle Wednesday morning. Autopsies conducted by the state medical examiner’s office showed the siblings died from blunt force trauma. MORE
