On 03/23/2023, at approximately 8:15 a.m., Troop I in Bethany received a call from a complainant reporting a non-active disturbance on I-691 eastbound in the area of Exit 10 in Meriden.
The complainant explained to the responding Trooper that he was traveling on I-691 eastbound on the Exit 10 ramp in heavy traffic when he observed a gray Jeep Cherokee to the left of his vehicle, attempting to force its way onto the exit ramp, despite there not being adequate space for the Jeep to merge.
To avoid being struck by the Jeep, the complainant explained that he had to maneuver his vehicle into the right shoulder. He then moved into the middle lane, preparing to merge onto I-91 southbound. The complainant then noticed that the Jeep was traveling immediately to his right and the Jeep operator, a female, lowered her vehicle’s window and allegedly began speaking to the complainant using obscenities.
The complainant then began traveling behind the Jeep on Route 15 southbound as it exited at Exit 67S, traveling toward Main Street in Meriden. According to the complainant, the operator abruptly applied the Jeep’s brakes in the middle of the exit ramp, forcing the complainant to do the same to avoid colliding with the Jeep, before continuing on East Main Street and entering a parking lot. The complainant further explained that he had been on a 911 call and disconnected the call as the Jeep drove up beside him and the female operator lowered the vehicle’s windows to speak to him.
During the interaction, the complainant advised the Jeep operator that police would be responding to their location. The Jeep operator allegedly responded by saying “I’m law enforcement. Let me show you my badge. Let’s talk about it.”
According to the complainant, the Jeep operator allegedly displayed a gold-colored badge and ID in a wallet before driving out of the parking lot. The complainant was able to obtain the New York registration displayed on the Jeep and provided the information to the responding Trooper. Additionally, the complainant’s vehicle was equipped with a camera system that had recorded these alleged interactions.
During the on-scene investigation, the complainant played back the video recording of the alleged incident for the Trooper to view. The face of the Jeep operator was not visible; however, the audio portion of the recording corroborated the allegations that the female operator claimed that she was law enforcement. The video recording also depicted the operator of the Jeep slamming her brakes on the Route 15 southbound exit 67S off-ramp. A copy of the audio/video recording was subsequently processed as evidence in this investigation.
During the investigation, the Trooper identified the operator of the Jeep as Kimberly N. Nelson, DOB 01/25/1999, of New Rochelle, New York.
On 05/18/2023, the investigating Trooper made contact with Nelson by phone and obtained a brief account of the events leading up to the alleged incident. During the phone conversation, Nelson explained that she may have given the complainant the middle finger and showed the complainant a badge. It was determined that Nelson was not a member of law enforcement. The Trooper advised Nelson that they would need to coordinate a meeting to further discuss the alleged incident.
Following the 05/18/2023 telephone conversation with Nelson, the Trooper attempted multiple times to contact Nelson by phone to coordinate a meeting, with no success.
Based on the information obtained during the investigation, the Trooper applied for and was granted a warrant for the arrest of Kimberly N. Nelson.
On 02/20/20/24, after learning of the active warrant for her arrest, Kimberly N. Nelson turned herself in at Troop I in Bethany. Nelson was taken into custody, processed and charged with the following violations:
C.G.S. 53a-181, Breach of Peace in the Second Degree
C.G.S. 53a-64, Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree
C.G.S. 53a-130a, Impersonation of a Police Officer
Nelson was released on a $5,000 cash bond and is scheduled for arraignment at Meriden Superior, on 03/06/2024.
