WESTERN DISTRICT
Beaver attacks fisherman:
On August 5th, EnCon Police Officer Ed Yescott responded to a complaint on the Farmington River in Barkhamsted. A fisherman in the Farmington River reported that he had been attacked and bitten by a beaver while fly fishing. Officer Yescott located the beaver which appeared to be sick or injured along the riverbank near where the attack took place. The beaver was euthanized and tested for the possibility of rabies. The fisherman was treated and released from a local hospital for his injuries.
Trespassing fishermen arrested:
EnCon Police officers in the Northwest Sector had received a number of complaints regarding fishermen trespassing on private property to access Cream Hill Lake in Cornwall. Officers Keith Williams and Tate Begley received another call regarding this issue on August 10th. Upon arrival, Officer Williams observed two individuals in a small boat on Cream Hill Lake. The boat was powered by an electric trolling motor however one of the subjects would row the boat occasionally to make it look like the boat was propelled by oars. Cream Hill Lake does not allow any type of motors on boats. Officer Williams was able to signal the boat to return to shore. Upon interviewing the two subjects in the boat Officer Williams determined that they had trespassed on private property to access the lake. One of the subjects admitted to cutting off a lock on a gate which barred access on the private property and replacing the lock with one of his own so that he could open and close the gate. Officer Williams arrested the one subject who admitted cutting the lock off for Criminal Trespass 3rd degree, Criminal Mischief 3rd degree and Violation of Boating Regulations. The second subject was arrested for Simple Trespass.
ATV operator attempts to run down officer:
On August 20th EnCon Police Officer Keith Williams was on foot patrol of Osbornedale State Park when he observed a subject operating an ATV in the fields behind the upper Pavilion of the park. As Officer Williams approached the ATV, the operator saw Officer Williams and began to flee the area. Officer Williams shouted several times at the subject to stop his machine. Officer Williams then ran through a wooded area and intercepted the subject who was cutting back through a field towards the upper parking area. Officer Williams again shouted to the subject to stop and signaled him to stop. At that point the subject accelerated the ATV towards Officer Williams who had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. The ATV continued on for about one hundred yards and stopped. Officer Williams continued his foot pursuit and the ATV turned around and was headed towards the officer again. Officer Williams was able to get the ATV stopped at which point the operator was arrested for Operating an unregistered ATV, Operating an ATV on state land without permission and Interfering with an officer.
MARINE DISTRICT
BOATING
Marine District Officers responded to eight reported Boating Accidents in August, fortunately, none were reported to have life threatening injuries. Three of them occurred on the 8th of the month, where Officer Lindo responded to a capsizing in Branford. The operator was rescued by a passing vessel. Officer Tavares responded to a minor two vessel collision in Groton, and Officer Logiodice responded to Bridgeport, another capsizing that occurred near Penfield Reef where three individuals were rescued by a passing fishing vessel. Other accidents include one on the 11th, where Officers Stanko and Samorajczyk responded to a minor two vessel collision in East Haven, one on the 13th that Officer Hey responded to in Westport involving a vessel versus jetty, which Westport Marine Division investigated and one on the 14th in Guilford at Mulberry Point where a 34 foot vessel struck the rocks and five people were rescued by Branford Fire Dept. There was also a vessel fire on the 26th on the Connecticut River in Essex, where the occupants were rescued by a passing vessel, attended by Officer Chemacki and on the 29th Officer Chickos responded to jetski accident in Branford involving minor leg injuries.
Marine Officers also performed their 3rd Boating Under the Influence checkpoint this Summer. They issued 12 infractions in Branford for violations such as unregistered vessels/vehicles, failure to carry registration/safe boating certificates and fishing violations. Sergeant Lundin and Officers Chickos, Stanko and Logiodice participated.
PARK and FOREST
On the 6th and 7th of the month Officer Stanko arrested three employees of the Connecticut State Parks for felony larceny charges after an investigation that began in June, in response to funds unaccounted for during the Memorial Day weekend. The three employees were accused of embezzling cash from the ticket booth at Hammonassett State Park in Madison. The trio were to appear in court in late August to answer charges including Larceny 1st degree and Larceny 2nd degree after posting bonds. The Parks Division has changed accounting practices as a result of this investigation.
Officer Persico arrested a 49 year old individual from East Haven at the front gate to Rocky Neck State Park on the 11th for Driving Under the Influence. Apparently the individual was riding a moped erratically on his way back in to the park, and had sustained injury to his face/head area outside the park. After a brief investigation he was arrested after refusing medical treatment for his injuries.
On August 28th Officer Tavares, Officer Persico, Officer Lambert and Sgt. Healy arrested an individual in Rocky Neck State Park for Breach of Peace and Interfering with a Police Officer after several complaints were lodged against him for his inappropriately touching females in the swim area. When approached by Officers the staggering, 50 year old individual became belligerent, refused to leave the park, refused commands by the Officers and was swearing loudly at patrons and staff. He appeared to be intoxicated and was processed at State Police, Troop E in Montville after his wife posted a $500 cash bond.
FISHING
Officers in the Marine District arrested more than fifty individuals for fishing violations in August and nearly twenty for illegal crabbing as well. Most arrests were for undersize or over the limit violations.
On the 3rd of August Officer Logiodice gave two individuals verbal warnings for possession of a Sand Tiger Shark in Milford. They were not aware that the take and possession of many sharks, (regardless where taken) is prohibited in Connecticut.
There were several fishing violations where the individuals dumped the contents of fish coolers in order to avoid prosecution. On the 7th of August Officer Persico dealt with two individuals who he had previously arrested in the past. When one individual was landing his vessel at the Dock Road, Waterford launch he was “tipped off “ by his father using a cell phone, who was already at the launch. The individual refused Officer Persico’s commands and dumped an unknown number of illegal fish, except one short Scup. The individual was arrested for the short Scup and Failure to Standby. Both individuals had previously been arrested in June where they had off loaded a cooler of fish on a floating dock only to have Officer Persico secure the aid of a good Samaritan boater, finding numerous Bluefish and Scup violations. The father had also been arrested by Officer Persico at the same launch in September of 2008 for the same type of offenses.
Office Stanko dealt with two incidents where individuals were arrested for Failure to Standby as well as other offenses in August. On the 18th, he was attempting to contact three individuals who were fishing on Pine Orchard Jetty in Branford. On his approach he observed the three were on a rock beyond the jetty and he had to wade in the water in order to check them. When they observed Officer Stanko making his approach they all threw numerous short Scup in to the water. All three were arrested for Failure to Standby and other violations including undersize fish and fishing without a license. On the 24th a similar incident with two individuals in another location in Branford resulted in arrests for short Scup and Failure to Standby when they attempted to discard short fish.
On the 29th of August, Officers Chickos and Chemacki checked two individuals fishing in Guilford. While in the course of examining their catch they heard an unusual sound emanating from the seat of the boat. Upon further examination they discovered a hidden compartment located in the bench seat of the aluminum boat. The foam floatation had been removed after the seat had been cut, and a plywood cover with false screws and a pedestal seat were installed over the opening. The hidden compartment was found to contain 150 Scup over the possession limit and 120 of those were under the size limit. They were charged with numerous violations.
EASTERN DISTRICT
August was a particularly busy month for Eastern District officers. The district was plagued by smash and grab burglaries that had occurred at Salmon River State Park. Several suspects were developed, however no arrests as of this date have been made.
ATV VIOLATION:
While on patrol Encon Police Officer Laura Pettus observed an ATV operating illegally in Shnepsit State Forest. Officer Pettus signaled for the ATV to stop. Initially the ATV complied, however as Officer Pettus approached the ATV, the operator sped towards the officer knocking her to the ground. Officer Pettus sustained contusions, sprains and strains as a result of being struck by the ATV. Officer Pettus then contacted Sgt Dwyer who responded to the scene with Officer Danielson, Officer Williams and SCO Marvin. After a thorough and lengthy investigation, a seventeen year old was apprehended and charged with Assault on a Police Officer, Assault and numerous ATV violations. Individual was processed at Troop C in Tolland. Numerous facts and circumstances were found to charge the suspect with ATV crimes that occurred in April 2010 involving Officer Danielson. An ATV was seized as a result of the arrest.
STOLEN VEHICLE RECOVERED:
Sgt Dwyer, Officer Danielson and SCO Marvin responded to Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union for a report of a stolen motor vehicle. The motor vehicle was located in Springfield, MA the following day. The vehicle had been stripped, leaving just the frame.
MISSING PERSON SEARCH:
Eastern District Officers responded to a call for service for a missing person at Hopeville State Park in Griswold. Upon arrival, officers conducted a search and investigation. While interviewing parties, officers received a report that a body had been located at Ashland Pond in the town Griswold. The body was later identified as the missing person from the original call. Eastern District Officers worked closely with State Police Major Crime in an effort to reveal possibility of criminal activity.
__________________
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police
Captain Raul Camejo raul.camejo@ct.gov
Beaver attacks fisherman:
On August 5th, EnCon Police Officer Ed Yescott responded to a complaint on the Farmington River in Barkhamsted. A fisherman in the Farmington River reported that he had been attacked and bitten by a beaver while fly fishing. Officer Yescott located the beaver which appeared to be sick or injured along the riverbank near where the attack took place. The beaver was euthanized and tested for the possibility of rabies. The fisherman was treated and released from a local hospital for his injuries.
Trespassing fishermen arrested:
EnCon Police officers in the Northwest Sector had received a number of complaints regarding fishermen trespassing on private property to access Cream Hill Lake in Cornwall. Officers Keith Williams and Tate Begley received another call regarding this issue on August 10th. Upon arrival, Officer Williams observed two individuals in a small boat on Cream Hill Lake. The boat was powered by an electric trolling motor however one of the subjects would row the boat occasionally to make it look like the boat was propelled by oars. Cream Hill Lake does not allow any type of motors on boats. Officer Williams was able to signal the boat to return to shore. Upon interviewing the two subjects in the boat Officer Williams determined that they had trespassed on private property to access the lake. One of the subjects admitted to cutting off a lock on a gate which barred access on the private property and replacing the lock with one of his own so that he could open and close the gate. Officer Williams arrested the one subject who admitted cutting the lock off for Criminal Trespass 3rd degree, Criminal Mischief 3rd degree and Violation of Boating Regulations. The second subject was arrested for Simple Trespass.
ATV operator attempts to run down officer:
On August 20th EnCon Police Officer Keith Williams was on foot patrol of Osbornedale State Park when he observed a subject operating an ATV in the fields behind the upper Pavilion of the park. As Officer Williams approached the ATV, the operator saw Officer Williams and began to flee the area. Officer Williams shouted several times at the subject to stop his machine. Officer Williams then ran through a wooded area and intercepted the subject who was cutting back through a field towards the upper parking area. Officer Williams again shouted to the subject to stop and signaled him to stop. At that point the subject accelerated the ATV towards Officer Williams who had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. The ATV continued on for about one hundred yards and stopped. Officer Williams continued his foot pursuit and the ATV turned around and was headed towards the officer again. Officer Williams was able to get the ATV stopped at which point the operator was arrested for Operating an unregistered ATV, Operating an ATV on state land without permission and Interfering with an officer.
MARINE DISTRICT
BOATING
Marine District Officers responded to eight reported Boating Accidents in August, fortunately, none were reported to have life threatening injuries. Three of them occurred on the 8th of the month, where Officer Lindo responded to a capsizing in Branford. The operator was rescued by a passing vessel. Officer Tavares responded to a minor two vessel collision in Groton, and Officer Logiodice responded to Bridgeport, another capsizing that occurred near Penfield Reef where three individuals were rescued by a passing fishing vessel. Other accidents include one on the 11th, where Officers Stanko and Samorajczyk responded to a minor two vessel collision in East Haven, one on the 13th that Officer Hey responded to in Westport involving a vessel versus jetty, which Westport Marine Division investigated and one on the 14th in Guilford at Mulberry Point where a 34 foot vessel struck the rocks and five people were rescued by Branford Fire Dept. There was also a vessel fire on the 26th on the Connecticut River in Essex, where the occupants were rescued by a passing vessel, attended by Officer Chemacki and on the 29th Officer Chickos responded to jetski accident in Branford involving minor leg injuries.
Marine Officers also performed their 3rd Boating Under the Influence checkpoint this Summer. They issued 12 infractions in Branford for violations such as unregistered vessels/vehicles, failure to carry registration/safe boating certificates and fishing violations. Sergeant Lundin and Officers Chickos, Stanko and Logiodice participated.
PARK and FOREST
On the 6th and 7th of the month Officer Stanko arrested three employees of the Connecticut State Parks for felony larceny charges after an investigation that began in June, in response to funds unaccounted for during the Memorial Day weekend. The three employees were accused of embezzling cash from the ticket booth at Hammonassett State Park in Madison. The trio were to appear in court in late August to answer charges including Larceny 1st degree and Larceny 2nd degree after posting bonds. The Parks Division has changed accounting practices as a result of this investigation.
Officer Persico arrested a 49 year old individual from East Haven at the front gate to Rocky Neck State Park on the 11th for Driving Under the Influence. Apparently the individual was riding a moped erratically on his way back in to the park, and had sustained injury to his face/head area outside the park. After a brief investigation he was arrested after refusing medical treatment for his injuries.
On August 28th Officer Tavares, Officer Persico, Officer Lambert and Sgt. Healy arrested an individual in Rocky Neck State Park for Breach of Peace and Interfering with a Police Officer after several complaints were lodged against him for his inappropriately touching females in the swim area. When approached by Officers the staggering, 50 year old individual became belligerent, refused to leave the park, refused commands by the Officers and was swearing loudly at patrons and staff. He appeared to be intoxicated and was processed at State Police, Troop E in Montville after his wife posted a $500 cash bond.
FISHING
Officers in the Marine District arrested more than fifty individuals for fishing violations in August and nearly twenty for illegal crabbing as well. Most arrests were for undersize or over the limit violations.
On the 3rd of August Officer Logiodice gave two individuals verbal warnings for possession of a Sand Tiger Shark in Milford. They were not aware that the take and possession of many sharks, (regardless where taken) is prohibited in Connecticut.
There were several fishing violations where the individuals dumped the contents of fish coolers in order to avoid prosecution. On the 7th of August Officer Persico dealt with two individuals who he had previously arrested in the past. When one individual was landing his vessel at the Dock Road, Waterford launch he was “tipped off “ by his father using a cell phone, who was already at the launch. The individual refused Officer Persico’s commands and dumped an unknown number of illegal fish, except one short Scup. The individual was arrested for the short Scup and Failure to Standby. Both individuals had previously been arrested in June where they had off loaded a cooler of fish on a floating dock only to have Officer Persico secure the aid of a good Samaritan boater, finding numerous Bluefish and Scup violations. The father had also been arrested by Officer Persico at the same launch in September of 2008 for the same type of offenses.
Office Stanko dealt with two incidents where individuals were arrested for Failure to Standby as well as other offenses in August. On the 18th, he was attempting to contact three individuals who were fishing on Pine Orchard Jetty in Branford. On his approach he observed the three were on a rock beyond the jetty and he had to wade in the water in order to check them. When they observed Officer Stanko making his approach they all threw numerous short Scup in to the water. All three were arrested for Failure to Standby and other violations including undersize fish and fishing without a license. On the 24th a similar incident with two individuals in another location in Branford resulted in arrests for short Scup and Failure to Standby when they attempted to discard short fish.
On the 29th of August, Officers Chickos and Chemacki checked two individuals fishing in Guilford. While in the course of examining their catch they heard an unusual sound emanating from the seat of the boat. Upon further examination they discovered a hidden compartment located in the bench seat of the aluminum boat. The foam floatation had been removed after the seat had been cut, and a plywood cover with false screws and a pedestal seat were installed over the opening. The hidden compartment was found to contain 150 Scup over the possession limit and 120 of those were under the size limit. They were charged with numerous violations.
EASTERN DISTRICT
August was a particularly busy month for Eastern District officers. The district was plagued by smash and grab burglaries that had occurred at Salmon River State Park. Several suspects were developed, however no arrests as of this date have been made.
ATV VIOLATION:
While on patrol Encon Police Officer Laura Pettus observed an ATV operating illegally in Shnepsit State Forest. Officer Pettus signaled for the ATV to stop. Initially the ATV complied, however as Officer Pettus approached the ATV, the operator sped towards the officer knocking her to the ground. Officer Pettus sustained contusions, sprains and strains as a result of being struck by the ATV. Officer Pettus then contacted Sgt Dwyer who responded to the scene with Officer Danielson, Officer Williams and SCO Marvin. After a thorough and lengthy investigation, a seventeen year old was apprehended and charged with Assault on a Police Officer, Assault and numerous ATV violations. Individual was processed at Troop C in Tolland. Numerous facts and circumstances were found to charge the suspect with ATV crimes that occurred in April 2010 involving Officer Danielson. An ATV was seized as a result of the arrest.
STOLEN VEHICLE RECOVERED:
Sgt Dwyer, Officer Danielson and SCO Marvin responded to Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union for a report of a stolen motor vehicle. The motor vehicle was located in Springfield, MA the following day. The vehicle had been stripped, leaving just the frame.
MISSING PERSON SEARCH:
Eastern District Officers responded to a call for service for a missing person at Hopeville State Park in Griswold. Upon arrival, officers conducted a search and investigation. While interviewing parties, officers received a report that a body had been located at Ashland Pond in the town Griswold. The body was later identified as the missing person from the original call. Eastern District Officers worked closely with State Police Major Crime in an effort to reveal possibility of criminal activity.
__________________
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police
Captain Raul Camejo raul.camejo@ct.gov