State official goes to prison for DUI

Stephen Wright, then Chairman of the Board of the Education, at the 2012 Trumbull High graduation. Wright pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license and was sentenced to 18 months, suspended after he serves 120 days in prison. less Stephen Wright, then Chairman of the Board of the Education, at the 2012 Trumbull High graduation. Wright pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license and was sentenced to ... more Photo: Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close State official goes to prison for DUI 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

TRUMBULL - A State Board of Education member was sentenced Monday to 120 days in prison for the first of the four drunken driving arrests he rolled up in 12 weeks.

Stephen Wright, 62, a former chairman of the town’s Board of Education, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license and was sentenced by Bridgeport Superior Court Judge Kevin Doyle to 18 months, suspended after he serves 120 days in prison.

The judge also ordered Wright, a lawyer in Monroe, to pay a $1,000 fine.

Wright is still awaiting trials for drunk driving arrests in Norwalk, Derby and Shelton.

Wright was appointed to the state board b y Gov. Dannel Malloy.

“There are several legal matters before Mr Wright that require his immediate attention and full focus. As such, we have not yet had conversations directly with him regarding his future role on the State Board of Education, but do expect to engage in such a dialogue as some of these pressing matters begin to be resolved,” said Malloy’s spokesperson Kelly Donnelly.

Wright was first arrested on Feb. 22 by Norwalk police and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and released on a promise to appear in court, according to court records.

Five days later, he was charged in Shelton with driving under the influence and released after posting a $1,000 bond, records show. On March 17, he was charged by the State Police with drunken driving and failure to drive in the proper lane and released after posting a $500 bond.

He was arrested by Stratford police on April 10 and charged with drunken driving, operating while under suspension and failure to carry registration/insurance and released on a promise to appear in court.

A warrant was issued for his arrest on April 20 when police said he failed to appear for a court hearing on the Norwalk arrest. He was later arrested in New Haven.