[Updated Thursday 3 p.m.] State Rep. Zalaski Charged in Wednesday DUI

Updated: Thursday at 3 p.m.
Southington’s State Rep. Bruce “Zeke” Zalaski will appear in court next month on a charge of driving under the influence stemming from an arrest in Bristol early Wednesday morning, police said Thursday.

Zalaski was charged around 1 a.m. Wednesday after officers found him pulled over to the side of the road along North Main Street in Bristol, according to a statement provided to the Record-Journal.

Lt. Don Watson, the police spokesman, said about 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, officers came across Zalaski parked on the side of the road on North Main Street. The car was running and the door was open, Watson said.

Officers noted that Zalaski smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated, Watson said. Zalaski then failed a field sobriety test and police had probable cause to make the DUI arrest, he said.

Message left by Southington Patch for Lt. Don Watson, the public information officer for the Bristol Police Department, were not returned.

Althought police said the arrest came from a traffic stop, friends close to Zalaski said he never actually drove his car anywhere, but rather had been sitting in the parking lot of a Bristol factory following a union holiday party at the factory.

Zalaski did not return messages seeking comment.

The five-term representative of the state’s 81st district had recently made news opposing , asking schools to consider alternative options to asking more money from in-state students. He also helped write the earlier this year.

Zalaski, 61, was released after posting a $500 bond and is due in Bristol Superior Court for arraignment on Jan.3, according to court officials.