PD: West Hartford Police Chief Nabs Man Undergoing Detox For DUI in Middletown

A city man is facing drunken driving charges after a police chief returning from a New London meeting witnessed him driving erratically on the highway.

On July 26 at 1:58 p.m., West Hartford Police Chief Tracey Gove called dispatch about Ross R. Katten, 25, of Willow Avenue, Middletown, who was driving a Dodge Neon erratically on Route 9 northbound, according to the report.

The chief, who had been following Katten's car since he came upon it on the highway in Haddam, told officers he was so concerned about the safety of other he stopped Katten immediately. 

This isn't the first time that West Hartford's police chief has intervened in the midst of a potentially dangerous situation.

A few weeks ago Gove assisted in arresting a larceny suspect on Kane Street in West Hartford. 

The report says Katten was lethargic and admitted to taking the opioid dependence drug Suboxone 45 minutes beforehand and was on his way to the doctor to get more. 

When Katten was asked to exit the car, the report says, he stumbled out and nearly fell in the road, then slurred his speech while telling officers they needed a search warrant. A search revealed a plastic bag in the car with 7.4 grams of marijuana and a prescription bottle with cocaine and a straw. He failed sobriety tests, police say, and was given a urine test.

During booking, the report says, Katten told officers he was going to fight the DUI charge but didn't care so much about being arrested for narcotics. Despite being in the same bag, Katten said only the marijuana was his, not the cocaine. 

In a telephone interview Thursday morning, Gove was more embarrassed with the attention than anything.

"Police officers all across the country do this kind of thing every day," Gove said. "I think when I was a younger officer, I would attribute to skill in training but in this case, it’s just being in the right place at the right time."

If anything, Gove said, it shows how far removed he is from "traditional" policing.

He added, however, that regardless of the role — whether as chief, captain or a patrol officer, "the desire to go out there and catch perpetrators and menaces to society never subsides. ... That’s what drives you to the job: catching criminals and keeping society safe."

And while he may be a bit sheepish about the attention he has received, Gove said that he did get a bit of a rush from pulling over a suspect.

"It does feel good; it’s energizing," Gove said. "Sadly there are other tasks and duties that require my attention first. ... But it does show how dangerous the job can be. This is a great reminder of that. It does drive home what [many patrol officers] see on a day-to-day basis."

Katten was convicted of possession of narcotics, the report says, in 2008 and was recently arrested for DUI. He has another DUI conviction from 2007.

Katten was arrested for driving under the influence, use of drug paraphernalia, possession of controlled substances, and possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana.

The following police reports are obtained directly from the Middletown Police public information officer and inclusion on this list reflect charges filed, not convictions.