Driver charged with manslaughter after July 13 crash

A Connecticut police officer and his girlfriend were killed in a head-on collision earlier this month, and the driver, who authorities say was in the country illegally and driving under the influence, now faces manslaughter charges. The crash occurred on July 13 on Sugar Hollow Road in Danbury.

Officer Cooper Whiteside, 38, of the Bridgeport Police Department, was off duty and operating a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with his girlfriend, Brittany Islami, 34, as a passenger. According to police, a Jeep driven by 27-year-old Melissa Esperanza Ramirez-Romero crossed into the motorcycle's lane shortly before 3 a.m., resulting in a collision. Both Whiteside and Islami died at the scene from blunt force trauma.

Investigators reported that Ramirez-Romero's blood-alcohol level was 0.14 percent, nearly twice Connecticut's legal limit of 0.08 percent. She also tested positive for cannabis. Crash data indicated she was traveling at approximately 56 mph in a 45 mph zone prior to the impact. Police said they found spilled beer and a THC vape cartridge inside the Jeep.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Ramirez-Romero was in the United States without legal authorization and...