State Rep. Joe Verrengia of West Hartford was granted accelerated rehabilitation following an arrest on DUI charges last fall.

By Ronni Newton

State Rep. Joe Verrengia, a Democrat who represents West Hartford’s 20th General Assembly District, has been granted accelerated rehabilitation and was reappointed last week by House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz (D-Berlin/Southington) as chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee.

Verrengia, 55, was charged with DUI on Oct. 2, 2019, and stripped of his chairmanship by Aresimowicz the next day.

In a statement issued following the arrest, Verrengia apologized for his actions and pledged to take full responsibility and deal with the situation head-on. “I have disappointed many and have much work to do to gain back trust,” Verrengia said at the time.

“The last few months have been an important time for personal growth and participation in an alcohol education program,” Verrengia, who is a retired 25-year veteran of the West Hartford Police Department and has represented the 20th District since 2011, told We-Ha.com.

After completing the education program, he applied for and was granted accelerated rehabilitation – a pretrial diversionary program for first time offenders where chargers are dropped after a year as long as there are no other related offenses during that time period.

“I am grateful for the abundance of kindness and support that I have received from my family, friends, and the community and look forward to continuing to serve the residents of the 20th District during the upcoming session,” Verrengia said.

“I am also appreciative of the speaker’s confidence in me and I look forward to leading the Public Safety Committee in the New Year.”

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