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Archive for the ‘CONNECTICUT’ Category
Disgraced Former Bridgeport Connecticut Police Officer Douglas Bepko May Be Rehired After Firing For Choking His Former Girlfriend
July 3rd, 2008
BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT — A former city police officer, fired after he was charged with choking a former girlfriend, will be allowed to carry a gun if he is rehired by the Police Department, a judge ruled today.
Douglas Bepko, a 13-year veteran of the police force, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Brian Fischer to a one-year suspended term followed by two years probation for the misdemeanor charge of breach of peace.
Despite the objections of Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Dunn, the judge agreed to allow Bepko to resume carrying a handgun if he is employed as a police officer. But he would have to surrender his weapon when his shift ends.
The 40-year-old Bepko was fired by the Board of Police Commissioners last year at the recommendation of Police Chief Bryan Norwood following Bepko’s arrest for third-degree assault, second-degree unlawful restraint, criminal possession of a firearm, violation of a protective order and threatening.
Read MoreCheshire Connecticut Police Criticized For Doing Nothing During Home Invasion
July 1st, 2008
CHESHIRE, CONNECTICUT - A couple whose daughter and two granddaughters were killed by intruders in their Cheshire home last July are criticizing the police department’s actions that day.
The Rev. Richard Hawke and his wife, Marybelle, say quicker police action could have saved the lives of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters. It’s the first time that relatives of the victims have questioned the police handling of the July 23 crime.
“I think if they had their signals together and their communication together as well as the prisoners had their communication together, their lives could have been saved,” Marybelle Hawke told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The couple, who lives in western Pennsylvania, also wrote critical letters to the police department and prosecutors that were obtained Tuesday by The AP.
Read MoreNorwich Connecticut Police Officer Michael Blanchette Gets A Special Plea Deal And Tiny Slap On The Wrist After His Arrest At Heroin Dealer’s Home In New York City
July 1st, 2008
NORWICH, CONNECTICUT - Norwich Police Officer Michael Blanchette pleaded guilty Monday to the charge of disorderly conduct in connection with his arrest in Bronx, N.Y. in May, according to court officials.
Blanchette, 42, was ordered to pay a $100 fine.
On May 16, Blanchette was arrested, along with his brother Anothony Blanchette, 29, at the residence of a suspected heroin dealer in the Bronx.
Michael Blanchette was charged with seventh-degree possession of a controlled substance. His brother, Anthony, faces felony drug possession charges.
Michael Blanchette is the focus of an internal investigation still ongoing at the department. He has since applied for retirement. Appeared Here
Waterbury Connecticut Police Officer Capt. Michael Edwards Arrested, Charged With Domestic Assault After Attacking 22 Year Old Woman - Previously Suspended After Attempt To Hunt Down Someone He Believed Assaulted His Daughter
July 1st, 2008
WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT — Police Capt. Michael Edwards was arrested and charged with domestic assault and breach of peace Monday after detectives investigated a complaint filed early Sunday morning.
“As of now he is being placed on suspension with pay pending the completion of the criminal investigation and the internal affairs investigation,” said Police Superintendent Neil O’Leary. “That will determine what his fate will be.”
Edwards surrendered himself at police headquarters Monday afternoon and bond was set at $3,000.
Police initially responded to a 911 call to 229 Platt St. at 1:28 a.m. Sunday. A 22-year-old woman told them that she had been assaulted by Edwards, said O’Leary.
No arrests were made after the initial inquiry.
“The incident was brought to my attention this morning and after looking at the investigation that was conducted that evening, the victim was re-interviewed today by members of the detective bureau and the internal affairs division. As a result, a warrant was applied for charging Edwards with assault in the third degree and breach of peace.”
Read MoreDouble Standard: Former Mayor Gene Eriquez Receives A Warning From Danbury Connecticut Police After Drunken Wreck Which Knocked Out Power For 530 Residents For 2 Hours
June 28th, 2008
DANBURY, CONNECTICUT — Police issued a verbal warning to Gene Eriquez Monday after the former mayor crashed into a utility pole, leaving 530 nearby customers without power for two hours.
The accident happened at about 10 p.m., according to Danbury Police Capt. Robert Myles.
Eriquez, 55, of Starrs Plain Road, told police he was driving north on East Pembroke Road when a speeding car traveling in the other direction entered his lane.
“He apparently took some evasive action to the right, struck a telephone pole in front of 18 East Pembroke,” Myles said.
Eriquez, who was not injured and declined medical attention at the scene, received a verbal warning for failing to stay in his lane.
Danbury Police Chief Al Baker said police smelled alcohol on the former mayor’s breath but did not conduct a field sobriety test.
Read MoreFormer Veteran East Windsor Connecticut Police Officer Darren Seligman Sentenced To Just 4 Years In Federal Prison After Seeking Sex With An 11 Year Old Girl
June 28th, 2008
EAST WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT - Darren Seligman had built two careers over 19 years, one in the military and another as a police officer.
During a one- to two-week period in October, the East Windsor police officer began exchanging e-mails and messages with an 11-year-old girl that have destroyed those careers and brought him a federal prison term. Seligman, 39, was sentenced Thursday to 48 months in prison by a judge in U.S. District Court in New Haven for trying to sexually entice the girl over the Internet.
Senior U.S. District Judge Ellen Bree Burns also sentenced Seligman to 10 years of supervised release. On April 3, Seligman waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of using an interstate facility to transmit information about a minor. Seligman, who resigned from the police department in November, must register as a sex offender upon his release and can not be alone with any children under the age of 18 except for his two sons.
Read More12 Year Old Girl Charged By Westport Connecticut Police With Distributing A Nude Photo Of Classmate
June 25th, 2008
WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT - A 12-year-old Westport girl has been charged with distributing a nude photo of a classmate to fellow students.
The investigation began on May 12 when the incident was reported to Westport police after word circulated throughout Coleytown Middle School that a nude snapshot was taken during a video chat and distributed to others.
The girl is being referred to Juvenile Court in Norwalk on a charge of second-degree breach of peace, which involves the distribution of offensive and indecent material. Her name is not being released because of her age.
Read MoreWaterbury Connecticut Police Officer Israel Lugo Arrested, Suspended, Charged After Using Police Databases To Illegally Disclose Information On State Police Surveillance Vehicle
June 24th, 2008
WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT — A Waterbury police officer was arrested Monday for illegally disclosing information about a state police drug investigation that netted 20 pounds of marijuana.
According to Lt. Christopher Corbett, a Waterbury police spokesman, officer Israel Lugo, 29, of 817 Woodtick Road, was arrested after police accused him of illegally using a police computer to check the license plate of a state police surveillance vehicle.
Corbett said state police were investigating Shaun Ducham, 29, of 57 America St., in the Town Plot section of the city and a lifelong friend of Lugo.
State police raided Ducham’s home Friday, seizing 20 pounds of marijuana, guns and about $1,000 in cash. Ducham was charged with possession of more than a kilogram of marijuana, intent to sell and possession of more than 1 kilogram within 1,500 feet of a school, according to Trooper William Tate, a state police spokesman.
Read MoreBig Brother: Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd’s “Housing Legislation” Has Hidden Wholesale Data Dump - Targets U.S. Citizens And Businesses - Nearly Every Online Purchase, Sale, And Credit Card Transaction To Be Reported To The Federal Government
June 19th, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC - Hidden deep in Senator Christopher Dodd’s 630-page Senate housing legislation is a sweeping provision that affects the privacy and operation of nearly all of America’s small businesses. The provision, which was added by the bill’s managers without debate this week, would require the nation’s payment systems to track, aggregate, and report information on nearly every electronic transaction to the federal government.
FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey commented: “This is a provision with astonishing reach, and it was slipped into the bill just this week. Not only does it affect nearly every credit card transaction in America, such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express, but the bill specifically targets payment systems like eBay’s PayPal, Amazon, and Google Checkout that are used by many small online businesses. The privacy implications for America’s small businesses are breathtaking.”
“Privacy groups like the Center for Democracy and Technology and small business organizations like the NFIB sharply criticized this idea when it first appeared earlier this year. What is the federal government’s purpose with this kind of detailed data? How will this database be secured, and who will have access? Many small proprietors use their Social Security number as their tax ID. How will their privacy be protected? What compliance costs will this impose on businesses? Why is Sen. Chris Dodd putting this provision in a housing bailout bill? The bill also includes the creation of a new national fingerprint registry for mortgage brokers.
Read MoreFormer Waterbury Connecticut Judicial Marshal Donald Beaulieu Begins 10 Year Prison Sentence After Sexually Assaulting A Young Boy - Could Have Taken Deal For 9 Months in Prison - Hopefully He’s Soon On The Receving End Of Similar Attacks - Waterbury Police Lieutenant And Others Also Charged After Assualting Same Boy
June 19th, 2008
NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT - A former judicial marshal in Waterbury court began serving a 10-year prison term Wednesday, after being sentenced for sexually assaulting a teen boy in Waterbury last year.
Donald Beaulieu, one of eight men including a Waterbury police lieutenant and a manufacturing company executive — charged in 2007 with molesting the boy in separate incidents, wept as he was escorted out of the courtroom.
Some of the cases are pending, including those of the now-fired officer and the company executive. Other defendants have accepted plea bargains. Beaulieu is the only defendant to have gone to trial so far.
Beaulieu, 40, of Watertown, opted for trial when he turned down a state offer to plead guilty and serve nine months in prison. In March, a jury convicted him of two counts of second-degree sexual assault and three other felony charges.
Read MoreBond Doubled To Half A Million For Bridgeport Connecticut Police Officer Andre Orbegozo For Kidnapping Female Police Officer From The Front Of Her Home
June 14th, 2008
ANSONIA, CONNECTICUT - A Bridgeport police officer was arrested Wednesday, accused of kidnapping a fellow officer.
Police said Andre Orbegozo, 32, of Naugatuck, abducted an Ansonia woman from the front of her home and forced her to a heavily wooded area behind Ansonia High School.
Orbegozo appeared in Derby Superior Court Wednesday and his bond was doubled from $250,000 to $500,000.
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Ansonia police said they went to Griffin Hospital at about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday after getting a call from Bridgeport police stating that a police officer had assaulted another officer, according to a news release from Ansonia police.
Orbegozo hit the woman in the head with a gun, causing a laceration, police said. The victim was able to convince Orbegozo she needed medical attention and he took her to Griffin Hospital for treatment, police said.
Police are calling the incident domestic violence. Orbegozo was charged with second-degree assault and second-degree kidnapping with a firearm.
Read MoreHartford Connecticut Police Bomb Squad Blows Up Roasting Chicken
June 10th, 2008
SIMSBURY, CONNECTICUT - Authorities in Connecticut are wondering who stuffed a raw roasting chicken with a pipe bomb and left it on a roadside.
Simsbury police Capt. Matthew Catania says a motorist noticed the chicken Monday morning. He says the bomb was large enough to harm a person if it went off.
The road was closed while the Hartford Police Department’s bomb squad came and blew up the chicken.
Nobody was injured. No arrests had been made Monday night. Appeared Here
Bridgeport Connecticut Police Officer Andre Orbegozo Arrested, Charged With Kidnapping And Assault
June 9th, 2008
BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT - Ansonia police have arrested Bridgeport policeman on charges he kidnapped and hit a fellow officer.
Andre Orbegozo, 32, of Naugatuck, was charged with second-degree assault with a firearm and second-degree kidnapping with a firearm.
Police said the assault stemmed from a domestic dispute between Orbegozo and the female officer.
Police said Ansonia officers were sent to investigate about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday at Griffin Hospital in Derby, where Orbegozo and the woman went after the incident.
Police said the woman, whose identity has not been released, was taken from her Ansonia home at gunpoint.
Police said Orbegozo then forced the woman to walk into a heavily wooded area to a site near a city reservoir and struck the woman in the head with a firearm, causing a serious cut.
The woman was treated and released. Appeared Here
Veteran New Haven Connecticut Police Officer Anthony Maio Charged After Sexually Assaulting Two Women
June 7th, 2008
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT - Two college students claimed a New Haven police officer arrested earlier this week on sexual assault charges groped them in the bathroom of a bar while on duty, according to an arrest affidavit.
Officer Anthony Maio, a 13-year veteran, was charged with two counts of sexual assault in the fourth degree and two counts of unlawful restraint in the second degree.
“This is a police veteran with an exemplary record,” Tim Pothin, Maio’s attorney, said Friday. “There has never been any hint of any impropriety on his part. He adamantly denies these essentially uncorroborated allegations.”
The alleged incident took place in April at a Crown Street bar where Maio was on duty providing security. The women, who were not identified, are 20 and 21.
Around closing time, Maio invited the women upstairs, where he took them to an employee bathroom and locked the door, according to the affidavit.
Read MoreWestport Connecticut Police Cite Girl For Riding Her Pony To To School - School Officials “Ordered” Her Arrest
June 7th, 2008
WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT - A high school senior who brought her pony to school Friday morning, partly as a prank, partly to protest high gas prices, was charged with breach of peace after school administrators called police.
Sarah Friedson, 17, walked her chocolate-colored pony, Cocoa, to Staples High School, to celebrate her last day of school, holding a sign that read “Save Gas” on one side, “Staples 2008″ on the other. Her father, Ronald, drove behind in the rain, his blinkers flashing.
When they reached the high school parking lot, Friedson’s friends flocked to the pony to pet him. School administrators, citing concern for the students’ safety, called police.
Both father and daughter were charged with breach of peace, a misdemeanor. In a statement released hours after their arrest, Westport police said both had ignored a security guards warning to keep the pony off school grounds, along with an earlier warning from school administrators.
Read MoreMan Gets Suspended Sentence After East Hartford Connecticut Police Chase That Nearly Resulted In Disabled Senior Being Run Down
June 4th, 2008
MANCHESTER, CONNECTICUT - A moped rider who nearly ran over a disabled man when he fled police last month in East Hartford was sentenced to probation today in Superior Court.
Robert Irish, 41, of Main Street in East Hartford pleaded guilty to reckless driving and interfering with police. Judge Bradford Ward gave him a suspended, one-year jail term and a year of probation. Irish still faces unrelated charges of larceny and failure to appear in court in New London.
On May 6, police said, Irish sped away from an officer parked near The Venus Lounge at 1268 Main St. He steered the moped into a parking lot at 20 Burnside Avenue, where a CVS store is located, and drove in and out of traffic. He then drove back toward Main Street, almost hitting a 71-year old man walking with a cane.
While Killing 290 Others In North America, Hartford Connecticut Police Officer’s Taser Weapon Attack On Hospital Patient May Have Corrected Heart’s Atrial Fibrillation Condition
May 28th, 2008
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - A quick shock from a Taser may have zapped a man’s fluttering heart back into a healthy rhythm, doctors reported on Tuesday.
They cited the incident as evidence that the devices, which are used by police who want to use less-than-deadly force to incapacitate people but are condemned by some civil rights groups as dangerous, may affect the heart as critics allege.
In this case, the outcome was a happy one, the doctors reported in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Several lawsuits in the United States and Canada contend the devices, which use an electric charge to subdue an attacker, can stop the heart.
The 28-year-old patient was fleeing police and jumped into a lake in April, when the water was still very cold.
Read MoreVeteran Norwich Connecticut Police Officer Lt. Michael Blanchette Arrested, Charged With Possession Of Heroin In New York City While Collecting Worker’s Compensation
May 18th, 2008
Norwich Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro has ordered an internal investigation seeking details of the arrest.
“I’m disappointed,” Fusaro said. “I certainly hope this does not reflect on the hard work being performed by the men and women at the department.”
Blanchette, 43, has been on medical leave and collecting worker’s compensation for about 16 months because of a knee injury.
As per department policy, Blanchette was stripped of police powers and placed on administrative suspension after 30 days of absence from the department.
He is one of four lieutenants on the force.
Blanchette was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the Bronx, said New York City police Det. Brian Sessa. The charge is a misdemeanor, Sessa said.
Paul Jakubson Chief Of Troubled Madison Connecticut Police Department Suspended Indefinitely
May 16th, 2008
MADISON, CONNECTICUT - More controversy in a department that’s already seen four officers bounced off the job. Madison’s Police Chief is taking a hit and once again the town is in the spotlight.
Police Chief Paul Jakubson was ordered to surrender his badge, his gun and his assigned car. He is now on paid administrative leave until an internal affairs investigation into his conduct is completed.
“This is a tough call to make but we have to do our duty today,” Emile Geisenheimer, Madison Police Commissioner, said.
With that, Police Chief Paul Jakubson is removed from his post for an indefinite amount of time. “I, of course, have no idea about the nature of the allegations or whether they will be borne out,” First Selectman Al Goldberg, of Madison, said.
All the first selectman will say is that the police commission has enough information to justify an investigation into the Chief. Jakubson is the most recent, and highest-ranking officer, to fall.
Fired After Beating Woman, Disgraced Norwich Connecticut Police Officer Jamie D. Longolucco Turns Down Slap On The Wrist Plea Deal
May 15th, 2008
NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT — A fired Norwich police officer has rejected a plea deal involving criminal charges that would have meant no prison time.
The state had offered 33-year-old Jamie D. Longolucco of Griswold an unsupervised form of probation if he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and assault.
Longolucco refused the offer during a court appearance Monday, and his cases were added to the trial list.
Longolucco was fired in December 2007, accused of striking a New London woman when he and a fellow officer visited her in her apartment in November.
He was later charged for allegedly telling a state trooper of his homicidal feelings against Norwich police Chief Louis J. Fusaro.
Longolucco has called the charges against him ridiculous.
Disgraced Former Shelton Connecticut Police Officer Thomas Chickos Charged With Acting As On-Duty Lookout During Theft By A Friend
May 15th, 2008
SHELTON, CONNECTICUT - A former Shelton police officer is being accused of acting as a lookout while on duty as a friend allegedly stole equipment.
Police said Thomas Chickos, 26, was charged with aiding and abetting larceny and making a false statement.
Cell phone records lined Chickos to Jason Dennis, 28, who is accused of the thefts, police said.
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Dennis pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny in the May 2007 thefts.
Chickos resigned in June 2007, before an internal affairs investigation.
He is free on $5,000 bond.
Connecticut State Police Officers Upset That They’ll Have To Buy Gas - Have Been Allowed To Use Patrol Cars For Personal Use - Our Tax Dollars At Work
May 15th, 2008
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - The state police union is challenging a new directive designed to reduce the department’s gasoline consumption by prohibiting troopers from using state gas pumps on their days off.
A memo, distributed last week, allows troopers to fill up their cruisers at state pumps only while on duty.
Troopers are allowed to use those cruisers for personal trips and had been able to fill up on state gas for free, even on their days off. In exchange, they must always be on call.
The new policy was implemented after Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered state agencies to reduce gasoline consumption by about 10 percent before June 30. She wants a 25 percent reduction in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
The state Department of Public Safety said that it uses about 2.7 million gallons of gas each year, much of it in vehicles used by Connecticut’s more than 1,200 troopers.
Read MoreCops Gone Wild: Hartford Connecticut Police Officers Illegally Entered Innocent Man’s Home, Illegally Searched Without A Warrant, Ripped Catheter From Man’s Body, And Left Without Calling Ambulance
May 10th, 2008
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - A man alleges that police entered his home illegally and ripped a catheter from his body during a child pornography investigation that led to the arrest of two neighbors.
Andrew Glover, 60, filed a notice with the city Thursday that he intends to pursue a federal civil rights lawsuit. He accused the officers of inflicting severe injuries as he was recovering from intestinal surgery in February.
Glover’s lawyer, Paul Spinella, said police entered Glover’s apartment Jan. 30 and Feb. 28. Glover wasn’t involved in child pornography, has not been charged and has no criminal record, Spinella said.
“The poor guy,” Spinella said. “They ripped the catheter off his person. They assaulted the guy. He’s got major problems as a result of this. He’s a mess now.”
Lt. James Wardwell, a police spokesman, said Friday that the department had not received the intent-to-sue notice and would not comment. A message was left for the city’s corporation counsel.
Read MoreMadison Connecticut Police Sex Scandal Involving Whores Leads To Less Than A Slap On The Wrist For Drunk Driver Who Killed Teen Girl
April 28th, 2008
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT - A Madison man avoided prison in a drunken driving death because a town police officer who investigated the case was recently fired in a scandal involving prostitutes.
Neal Gobrogge, 23, hosted a party last year after which Kirsten Meyer, 19, was killed in a crash that allegedly involved drunken driving.
Gobrogge faced three years in prison if he had been convicted of the original charges of delivery of alcohol to a minor, permitting a minor to possess alcohol in a dwelling and second-degree reckless endangerment.
The state offered him a lesser charges because former Madison police Officer Matthew Sterling, who arrested Gobrogge, was fired amid scandal in January.
Gobrogge pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment Thursday in Superior Court in New Haven.
Gobrogge’s attorney, William Gerace, argued that Sterling misrepresented facts in the arrest warrant. Gerace said that while alcohol was consumed at the party, Gobrogge did not supply it to minors.
Read MoreFormer New Haven Connecticut Police Officer Lt. William White Sentenced To Only 3+ Years In Federal Prison For Accepting Bribes And Stealing Money
April 28th, 2008
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT – The former head of the New Haven police narcotics unit was sentenced Monday to more than three years in federal prison for taking bribes from bail bondsmen and stealing thousands of dollars planted by the FBI during sting operations.
Former Lt. William White, 64, pleaded guilty last October in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to commit bribery and theft of government property. Judge Janet Bond Arterton sentenced him to 38 months and more than $45,000 in restitution and fines.
White, a 39-year police veteran, apologized in court to his family, the court and prosecutors that he worked with over the years before U.S. District Court.
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“I want to apologize to my friends I let down and my family,” he said. “I hope everybody can dig deep in their heart and forgive me for what I’ve done.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Nora Dannehy said the sentence is appropriate.
Read MoreFormer New Haven Connecticut Police Officer Lt. William White Sentenced To Only 3+ Years In Federal Prison For Accepting Bribes And Stealing Money
April 28th, 2008
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT – The former head of the New Haven police narcotics unit was sentenced Monday to more than three years in federal prison for taking bribes from bail bondsmen and stealing thousands of dollars planted by the FBI during sting operations.
Former Lt. William White, 64, pleaded guilty last October in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to commit bribery and theft of government property. Judge Janet Bond Arterton sentenced him to 38 months and more than $45,000 in restitution and fines.
White, a 39-year police veteran, apologized in court to his family, the court and prosecutors that he worked with over the years before U.S. District Court.
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“I want to apologize to my friends I let down and my family,” he said. “I hope everybody can dig deep in their heart and forgive me for what I’ve done.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Nora Dannehy said the sentence is appropriate.
Read MoreSuicide A Larger Threat To Police Than Criminals
April 23rd, 2008
NORWALK, CONNECTICUT - When Matthew Morelli, a 38-year-old police officer, was found slumped in a secluded parking lot with an AK-47 rifle on March 21, state and local authorities spent two days looking for a suspect, with helicopters and police dogs scouring the neighborhood, where witnesses reported hearing multiple shots. The culprit turned out to be a stealthy if surprisingly familiar cop killer: suicide.
“We’re all numb,” said William Curwen, the president of Norwalk’s police union, speaking for many at Officer Morelli’s wake almost a week later.
Within one recent week, a 35-year-old New York State trooper fatally shot himself with his service pistol after learning that he might be disciplined for minor misconduct, and a New York City police officer was found dead in her home in Upper Manhattan, propped up in bed with the Glock pistol that delivered the fatal shot in one hand, a beer can in the other. And the Los Angeles Police Department, which has counted one or two suicides annually in recent years, presented a report last month calling for online prevention programs for all employees, additional training for supervisors, and psychologists at roll calls to discuss the topic with officers.
Read MoreFormer New Haven Connecticut Police Officer Lt. William White Sentenced To Only 3+ Years In Federal Prison For Accepting Bribes And Stealing Money
April 18th, 2008
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT – The former head of the New Haven police narcotics unit was sentenced Monday to more than three years in federal prison for taking bribes from bail bondsmen and stealing thousands of dollars planted by the FBI during sting operations.
Former Lt. William White, 64, pleaded guilty last October in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to commit bribery and theft of government property. Judge Janet Bond Arterton sentenced him to 38 months and more than $45,000 in restitution and fines.
White, a 39-year police veteran, apologized in court to his family, the court and prosecutors that he worked with over the years before U.S. District Court.
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“I want to apologize to my friends I let down and my family,” he said. “I hope everybody can dig deep in their heart and forgive me for what I’ve done.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Nora Dannehy said the sentence is appropriate.
Read MoreSuspended Hartford Connecticut Police Narcotics Detective Nataniel Ortiz Pleades Guilty To Lying To Obtain Search Warrant
April 16th, 2008
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - A suspended Hartford narcotics detective was found guilty Tuesday of making false statements to support a drug investigation case.
Nataniel Ortiz pleaded guilty to making a false statement in the second-degree in Superior Court in Hartford. Ortiz pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine, which means that he did not admit guilt, but agreed the evidence against him supported a conviction.
Ortiz acknowleged that he fabricated facts to buttress a search and seizure warrant application for 37 Green St. In Hartford.
The fabricated warrant said that Ortiz saw a suspect buy drugs from a confidential informant. Ortiz said that he received cocaine and marijuana from that buy but later it was learned that marijuana was added to bolster the claim that it was being sold out of 37 Green St. in Hartford’s Northend.
“I understand what they alleged yes,” Ortiz said during the canvas with Judge David Gold.
Read MoreYale University Connecticut To Stop Hiding Yale Police Department Records
April 16th, 2008
CONNECTICUT - Yale University announced Friday morning that it would not contest the Freedom of Information Commission’s February ruling that mandated the Yale Police Department to disclose personnel files for two of its officers.
Almost two months ago, the commission ruled that although it is a privately funded and privately hired law-enforcement agency, the YPD is subject to the same disclosure rules as public agencies like the New Haven Police Department. Although University officials initially held their ground after the ruling, asserting that the YPD was not “functionally equivalent” to a public police department, they reversed their stance entirely Friday, citing the YPD’s involvement in policing the city.
“The University will abide by the FOI Commission’s decision requiring disclosure of certain documents related to Yale Police Department officers,” Friday’s release states. “[W]e are doing so because Yale recognizes the unique and public law enforcement role that its officers play in the City of New Haven. Yale takes extremely seriously its relationship to the public in performing its police work in the City.”
Read MoreEast Haven Connecticut Police Officer Robert Nappe’s List Of Injuries In Civil Suit Makes One Wonder How He Can Preform His Job After Winning Job Back
April 16th, 2008
EAST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT - He fought for his job back and won. But, can East Haven Police Officer Robert Nappe perform the demands of his duty? A civil suit lists injuries Nappe says he suffers from — and some of them are serious.
He is not yet on the road but Robert Nappe is back in uniform — once again wearing a badge. “Yes, he is back on the schedule, full-time, as a police officer,” Mayor April Capone Almon, of East Haven, said.
Re-hiring Nappe was controversial. He left the force in 2004 to work with a private contractor in Iraq. Upon returning, Nappe sued to get his job back and won. Ten days ago the town dropped its appeal paving the way to put him back on the job.
Now News Channel 8 has obtained the lawsuit filed by Nappe in which he claims physical issues due to car accident raising concerns.
Read MoreFormer Veteran Norwich Connecticut Police Officer Jamie Longolucco Offered A Special Plea Deal, Slap On The Wrist - Charged With Burglarizing Jewlery Store, Beating 2 Women, And Wanting To Kill Police Chief Who Fired Him
April 16th, 2008
NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT - A deal is in the works for a nine-year Norwich police veteran to resolve three pending criminal cases against him.
Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Kevin Hogan reported Jamie Longolucco left the Norwich Superior Court building shortly before noon.
Longolucco left with information about a possible deal that would end the cases against him without going to trial. Details of the deal and a possible decision were not immediately released.
Longolucco has the opportunity to officially accept or reject the deal on May 12.
The embattled officer told The Norwich Bulletin outside the courthouse that the deal is “unacceptable,” saying it involves probation and conviction.
Hogan reported that Longolucco said, “I emphatically proclaim I’m innocent.”
Read MoreFormer Connecticut Probation Officer Richard Straub Still Drawing $50,000 Per Year Pension While Serving 15 Year Child Molestation Sentence
April 16th, 2008
CONNECTICUT - Richard Straub, the former state probation officer who was charged with molesting young men, has become part of the debate over whether the state legislature should vote to revoke the pensions of corrupt state officials.
Straub, now 72, pleaded no contest in 1999 for 31 crimes against 15 young men whom he supervised over a decade as a probation officer in eastern Connecticut. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for charges including sexual assault, kidnapping, and unlawful restraint. A state employee for 23 years, he retired before being arrested in November 1996 and thus kept his pension. He currently receives nearly $4,100 per month.
Straub was the subject of a detailed two-part series by investigative reporter Dave Altimari in The Hartford Courant on Sunday and Monday.
Read MoreFormer Veteran Norwich Connecticut Police Officer Jamie Longolucco Turns Down Special Plea Deal - Fired And Charged With Beating Woman, Wanted To Kill Chief, Charged With Burglarizing Jewelery Store
April 15th, 2008
NORWICH, CONNECTICUT - Former Norwich patrolman Jamie Longolucco, who is facing three criminal charges in New London Superior Court, said Monday that the state has made an offer to resolve the cases short of trial that is “unacceptable.”
The offer, which neither Longolucco nor the state have specified, would involve him pleading guilty and being sentenced to probation, not prison time, Longolucco said. He said the charges against him are “ridiculous” and that he would not accept a conviction. He will let the court know on May 12 whether he accepts or rejects the deal.
“I emphatically proclaim my innocence,” he said during a conversation with reporters in the hallway of the Broad Street courthouse. He had appeared in court briefly after his attorney had discussed the case privately with a prosecutor, Christa Baker, and Judge Kevin P. McMahon.
Read MoreFormer Southington Connecticut Police Officer Gary Allard Arrested, Again, Charged After Firing Gun At His Home
April 15th, 2008
SOUTHINGTON, CONNECTICUT - Former police officer Gary Allard was arrested for the second time this year on Monday after police said he had unlawfully fired a gun at his residence.
Allard, 51, is faced with charges of unlawful discharge of a firearm, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree breach of peace and violation of conditions of release. He was held on a $100,000 bond and arraigned in Bristol Superior Court this morning.
Police said they arrested Allard around 1:30 p.m. Monday after finding a shotgun in his home and a shell on his person. Allard was arrested in March for impersonating an officer, at which time eight guns and three rifles were confiscated. As conditions of his release, a judge mandated that Allard was not to be in possession of any firearms.
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Federal Lawsuit Charging Three West Haven Connecticut Police Officers With Death Of Innocent Motorist To Proceed
April 12th, 2008
WEST HAVEN, CT - A federal judge says three West Haven police officers should stand trial in a civil rights lawsuit filed by the family of a teenager who was struck and killed by a pickup truck on Interstate 95 while running from police.
The family of Gary “Chris” Tyson is accusing West Haven police of using excessive force, because officers unleashed a police dog that tracked and bit Tyson in September 2002 after he was involved in a fight.
Tyson was fleeing from the officer and the dog when he was hit by the truck. He was 18 years old. Black community leaders protested the death and blamed the white officers for causing the black youth’s death.
U.S. District Judge Robert Chatigny (CHAT-nee) has rejected West Haven’s request for summary judgment, a move that clears the way for the case to go before a jury.
Read MoreWrong Address: Federal Lawsuit Charges East Hartford Connecticut Police With Invading Man’s Home Without A Warrant And Beating Him
April 11th, 2008
EAST HARTFORD, CT - A local man has filed a federal lawsuit against the town police department, alleging that officers raided his home without a warrant during a search for the driver of a stolen car, then beat and verbally abused him before realizing they had targeted the wrong address.
Ricky Frink is seeking an undetermined amount of damages at U.S. District Court in Hartford.
Frink says police pounded on the front door of his home on Indian Hill Street about 12:30 a.m. on a night in January 2007 because they thought they had found a stolen car parked outside his home.
When Frink opened the door, he alleges, officers threw him to the ground, verbally abused him and punched him when he tried to ask what they were there for.
Officers ransacked his house before a supervisor arrived to tell them that they had the wrong address, Frink says in his suit.
Read MoreFederal Tax Dollars Pissed Away Investigating Senator Joseph Lieberman’s Misconfigured Internet Server
April 9th, 2008
CONNECTICUT - A federal investigation has concluded that U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s 2006 re-election campaign was to blame for the crash of its Web site the day before Connecticut’s heated Aug. 8 Democratic primary.
The FBI office in New Haven found no evidence supporting the Lieberman campaign’s allegations that supporters of primary challenger Ned Lamont of Greenwich were to blame for the Web site crash.
Lieberman, who was fighting for his political life against the anti-Iraq war candidate Lamont, implied that joe2006.com was hacked by Lamont supporters.
“The server that hosted the joe2006.com Web site failed because it was overutilized and misconfigured. There was no evidence of (an) attack,” according to the e-mail.
A program that could have detected a legitimate attack was improperly configured, the e-mail states.
“New Haven will be administratively closing this investigation,” it concluded.
Read MoreJailed Former East Windsor Connecticut Police Officer Darren Dempsey (AKA Darren Seligman) Pleads Guilty In Federal Court After Seeking Sex With 11 Year Old Girl
April 5th, 2008
NEW HAVEN, CT - A former East Windsor police officer pleaded guilty in federal court in New Haven Thursday to trying to sexually entice an 11-year-old girl through the Internet.
Darren Dempsey, formerly known as Darren Seligman, 39, of Mansfield waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of using an interstate facility to transmit information about a minor.
Dempsey faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced June 18 in U.S. District Court. He has been in jail since his arrest by the FBI on Oct. 29.
Dempsey was exchanging sexually explicit instant messages with the girl, with whom he had been communicating since September, court records show. But on Oct. 22, an Avon police officer took the girl’s place. At the time Dempsey was an East Windsor police officer, officials said.
Read MoreTwo Witnesses Describe Waterford Connecticut Police Officers Beating Man At Mall
April 5th, 2008
WATERFORD, CT - Two people who said they had witnessed an arrest Wednesday night at the Crystal Mall called The Day Thursday to protest what they described as excessive use of force.
Waterford Chief of Police Murray Pendleton on Thursday defended tactics used by police in the arrest.
Based on Lt. Brett Mahoney’s report of the incident, Pendleton said police were called to Sears after an employee there reported that a man was attempting to steal something out of an electronics case. By the time Mahoney arrived on the scene, Pendleton said, the man had smashed the case and started to run. Pendleton said Mahoney chased the man through several departments of the store. As the man attempted to run outside at the tool department entrance, he encountered a Sears security guard and began to struggle with the guard, the report said.
Read MoreVictim Testifies About Being Molested And Raped As A Young Boy By Former New Hartford Connecticut Police Officer Alden C. Hewett
April 5th, 2008
PITTSFIELD, CT — The boy on the brink of adolescence considered the Otis man to be a friend and confidant — someone he looked up to and trusted during a period of his life when his own parents were emotionally inaccessible.
The boy admired the former police officer, an authority figure who also taught him about martial arts and skiing — and life, in general. But that admiration and trust was gradually replaced by fear and shame after Alden C. Hewett allegedly began sexually assaulting the boy in the early ’90s.
The alleged victim, who claims he was 12 during the first assault, waited for more than a decade to tell his story. What unleashed the flood of memories — very bad memories — was a chance sighting of Hewett years after the alleged abuse, he said. The alleged victim, now a 6-foot-tall man who owns his own business, said he felt compelled to tell his story after spotting Hewett driving in the Berkshires with a