Portland Man Tried To Get Woman Into SUV: Middletown Police

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A Portland man, who is a registered sex offender, is accused of trying to get a woman into his SUV after nearly hitting her near the Arrigoni Bridge last week, according to Middletown police.

The incident happened Wednesday night and involved a gray Ford Escape that was heading toward Portland via the Arrigoni Bridge. Police responded to an initial report of a woman nearly getting struck by a car and the driver tried to “drag” her into the vehicle.

The victim told police she was going for a walk on North Main Street when a man backed up his vehicle and asked her to be his friend, according to a police report. She declined the offer and continued to walk away on the sidewalk.

The same vehicle then went in reverse at a high rate of speed and nearly struck the victim, who said it came within inches of hitting her. The man, later identified as Dennis J. Sanborn, again asked the woman to be his friend and she yelled “no,” according to police.

The victim walked the other way to get away from the vehicle, which pulled up to her a third time and the man yelled “get into the car,” police wrote in the report. The victim yelled and ran away from the road to get away from the man and so he wouldn’t be able to run her over, according to police.

A witness heard the woman screaming and headed toward her and the vehicle sped away. Surveillance footage from the area confirmed the victim’s account, according to police.

Portland police came into contact with the same vehicle and driver earlier in the day and provided Middletown police with a name. Sanborn was later found by Portland police and detained. The victim positively identified Sanborn as the driver and he was taken into custody by Middletown police, according to the report.

Sanborn, 61, of Rose Hill Road in Portland, was arrested and charged with second-degree breach of peace and first-degree reckless endangerment. He was held in lieu of a $30,000 bond.

Police said Sanborn is a registered sex offender and currently on probation. He has previous convictions for two separate fourth-degree sexual assault cases, multiple DUIs, possession of narcotics, threatening, disorderly conduct and breach of peace, according to police.