Former CT congressional candidate Robert Hyde charged with DUI

The report, which was prepared by Bloomfield Police Sgt. Kenan Vugdalic, states the responding officers transported Hyde to department headquarters after they determined he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 

Hyde, who was operating a 2018 GMC Sierra at the time of the crash, was booked and processed without incident, according to the two-paragraph police report. The document, known as an unusual occurrence report, offers no further information about the early-morning crash, but provides details about Hyde’s background.

“Hyde ran for US Senate to represent CT in the 2022 elections,” Vugdalic wrote in the report. “He’s a lobbyist and a businessman out of Simsbury. He is very active on social media and gained attention during the first impeachment of Donald Trump. Hyde was cooperative during this process and provided with a courtesy ride home.”

The Bloomfield police incident report, released later Sunday night, did not provide more information about the crash or arrest. The incident report listed Hyde’s hometown as Canton, while the unusual occurrence report stated he lives in Simsbury.

Capt. Stephen Hajdasz, a spokesperson for the Bloomfield Police Department, did not respond to questions seeking more information about the incident and why the unusual occurrence report was filed.

Hyde did not respond Sunday to messages seeking comment.

Bloomfield Police Chief Paul Hammick also could not be reached on Sunday.

Hyde, a Republican, gained notoriety in 2020 when messages released by congressional investigators as part of an impeachment inquiry showed he communicated with Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas. The messages suggested Hyde was involved in a secretive effort to conduct surveillance of the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, an accusation he denied. 

The revelation came months after Hyde launched a longshot campaign for the 5th Congressional District, his first run for office. He later dropped out of the GOP primary after facing pressure from fellow Republicans to leave the race. 

Undeterred by the loss, Hyde ran for the U.S. Senate last year. But he again failed to win support from within his own party. At the GOP convention in May, he was eliminated from the contest after winning just four votes. 

Hyde’s arrest on Sunday is not his first brush with law enforcement. He was arrested in Avon in 2011 and charged with reckless endangerment after his landscaping company’s work resulted in a tree falling on power lines. According to Hyde, the charges were later dropped. 
 
In 2019, Connecticut State Police seized several of his firearms due to a protective order. The order had been granted by a Washington, D.C. judge after a woman accused Hyde of…