Connecticut officer pleads guilty to DUI charge in fatal 2021 crash
A Connecticut police officer has pleaded guilty to a fatal DUI crash that killed his colleague in Las Vegas nearly two years ago.
Robert Ferraro, 36, had refused to take a field sobriety test at the scene of the crash on Sept. 17, 2021, at Spring Mountain Road and Decatur Boulevard, police have said.
He was driving a Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV with three other men, all Connecticut police officers, and two Texas women when he sped through the intersection and lost control of the vehicle, according to his arrest report.
The Rolls-Royce struck a Ford Mustang, four palm trees and a light pole before rolling, hitting a curb and fire hydrant, the report said. Although he refused field sobriety tests, Ferraro’s blood was drawn at the Clark County Detention Center after investigators obtained a search warrant.
During a court hearing Tuesday, Ferraro pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence resulting in death, court records show. His defense attorney, Gabriel Grasso, declined to comment on the case on Wednesday.
No one was wearing seat belts when the crash happened, and one of the off-duty police officers was thrown from the passenger seat when the car flipped on its roof, according to the arrest report.
Joshua Castellano, a seven-year veteran of the New Haven Police Department, died at University Medical Center.
The officers were in Las Vegas on vacation, Ferraro’s attorney has previously said. Castellano and Ferraro had been friends since high school and went through the police academy together.
Ferraro has been out of custody since posting a $100,000 bail shortly after the crash. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 14.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
