Accident under the influence of alcohol on I-84 in Vernon leads to arrest warrant for animal cruelty

VERNON, CT — A 64-year-old driver is facing charges not only of drunken driving but also of animal cruelty for an accident last month on Interstate 84 in Vernon.

The accident occurred on August 1 at 5:22 p.m. on I-84 westbound, near a warrant served last week.

According to an arrest warrant, officers responded to the area near Exit 67 after receiving reports of a “skidding” accident. According to the warrant, officers found a Ford Taurus in the left shoulder lane with tire tracks and debris scattered across all three lanes.

The driver, identified as Gary Shepard, who had a Maine driver's license but is listed in a police report as a Stafford resident, said he could remember hitting the guardrail but not much else, according to the police report.

According to the arrest warrant, police also found a dog in the center lane that had been thrown from the Ford and killed in the rollover accident. A second dog had been thrown from the Ford but was uninjured, state police said.

According to an arrest warrant, Shepherd admitted to drinking “three beers and two shots” an hour earlier, but denied drinking in the vehicle. According to the warrant, officers found several open containers of alcoholic beverages in the car.

Another driver on the west side told state police the Taurus passed his pickup with two dogs hanging out the windows, an arrest warrant says. The pickup was going 73 and the Taurus passed him without any problem, an arrest warrant says.

The driver of the pickup truck then lost sight of the Taurus, but then noticed a “collection of smoke and debris” and saw that the Taurus was completely destroyed when he caught up with it.

According to an arrest warrant, hospital tests revealed that Shepard was drunk.

According to a police report, he was charged with animal cruelty, driving under the influence, reckless driving and lane violation.

Tolland Animal Control took care of the uninjured dog, state police said.