Local Man Sought in Connection With Out-of-Town Auto Accident

On May 2, Stratford police responded to an address on North Avenue to assist Milford police, who were looking for a gray colored Ford F-250 truck that was involved in a hit-and-run accident.

Upon arrival at the address, Stratford police found no pickup truck in the driveway. The responding officer went to the front and rear doors of the residence to try to make contact with the homeowner, to no avail.

Police were about to leave the scene when a gray Ford pickup pulled into the driveway with a license plate matching the one Milford police were seeking, although a check of the plate revealed that it belonged to another vehicle.

The operator, Donald McEwen, III, of North Avenue, produced a driver’s license that had recently expired. He told Stratford police that he had just received a call from Milford police wanting to speak to him regarding an accident that had occurred in Milford over the weekend.

McEwen told Stratford police that the damage evident on the side of his vehicle was from a snow storm in January and that a claim had already been filed with his insurance company. Milford police still wanted to talk to McEwen, and the Milford office told Stratford police that McEwen’s truck was allegedly involved in an accident in Milford on Saturday.

The officer asked about certain details of the truck, which matched McEwen’s vehicle. The Milford officer said that McEwen’s truck was believed to have been involved in hitting two vehicles and would be contacting him about the incident.

McEwen then took from behind the passenger side front seat a valid combination license plate and insurance card for the truck.

However, he was taken into custody and charged with misuse of license plate and failure to renew his license. He was released on a promise to appear in court on May 17.