July Highlights
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MARINE DISTRICT
Jumps off Bridge
On 7/9/09, Special Conservation Officer (SCO) Rebelowski was just completing a shift of boating patrol on the Niantic River when he was alerted by citizens that there was a male down on the ground under the Rt. 156 highway bridge. Officer Rebelowski rushed to the subject and saw the subject had suffered severe trauma. Witnesses told him that the subject had jumped from the highway bridge onto the pavement below. Officer Rebelowski checked the subject and determined that he had no pulse and was not breathing. Officer Rebelowski made sure witnesses had called 911 to request help and started CPR. Officer Rebelowski continued CPR until medical aid arrived and took over for him. The subject did not survive.
Interfering with Officer
On 7/4/09, EnCon Police Officer Persico was leaving Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme and travelling on the Rocky Neck Connector when he saw two vehicles in the travel portion of the road with numerous people standing around them. Officer Perscio stopped his vehicle and noticed that several males in the group were involved in a verbal dispute. As Officer Persico approached the group, one of the males yelled at him to stay away from him and began to walk into the travel portion of the highway, which had a high volume of traffic. Officer Persico told the subject, who appeared to be intoxicated, to stay where he was and male swore at him and tried to push the officer out of the way. Officer Persico had to wrestle the subject to the ground and place him in handcuffs. Officer Persico called for assistance and Officer Tavares and Troopers from Troop E responded. The subject was transported to Troop E in Montville and charged with Breach of Peace and Interfering with an Officer. He was released on a non-surety bond.
Hammonasset Beach State Park
On 07/03/09, EnCon Police Officer Reilly and SCO Savage were the first to arrive at a reported chest pain / heart attack medical call at the campground of Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. Upon arrival, both Officers Reilly and Savage determined the subject had no pulse or breathing, and began administering Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for over five minutes while waiting advanced medical intervention by Madison Ambulance / EMS and a paramedic. Although the male victim was later pronounced dead, Officers Reilly and Savage immediately recognized the severity of the incident and instituted and continued CPR until advanced care arrived.
On 7/11/09, SCO Schreiner was patrolling Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison when he observed a vehicle he believed belonged to a subject that Officer Reilly had an arrest warrant for. A DMV records check confirmed the vehicle belonged to the wanted subject and Officer Schreiner, SCO Butler and Officer Reilly began watching the vehicle waiting for the subject to return. The subject was wanted on a warrant for Disorderly Conduct which was the result of a lengthy investigation by Officer Reilly based on a citizen complaint. The female complainant made statements that the subject of the warrant was stalking and harassing her and her daughter at the park. Officer Reilly applied for an arrest warrant which was issued in May of 2009. When the subject returned to his vehicle, he was taken into custody without incident and transported to Troop F for processing. He was held on a court set $5000.00 cash bond. When the subject was arraigned in New Haven Superior Court on 7/13/09, the charges were increased to Stalking in the second degree.
On 7/25/09, EnCon Police Officer DeFelice was patrolling Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. At approximately 10:30 p.m., he observed three individuals walking along the main beach road. This area is closed at sunset. Officer DeFelice identified himself as a police officer and the three individuals took off running, throwing beer cans and bottles as they ran. Officer DeFelice caught one of the subjects after a brief foot chase in a wooded area but the subject began to resist arrest, swinging his arms at Officer DeFelice. Officer DeFelice had to take the subject to the ground to get him under control and handcuff him. During a search of the subject, Officer DeFelice found a small amount of marijuana on the subject. The subject was transported to Troop F in Westbrook where he was released on a $5000.00 non-surety bond.
On 7/27/09, SCO’s Savage and Butler were on patrol of Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. While on patrol of the campground, an off-duty police officer that was camping at the park gave the officers a complaint that he believed several youths were smoking marijuana at an unoccupied site in the campground. Officer Savage and Butler responded to the area and encountered three youths matching the description given by the off-duty officer. When the officers approached the youths, all three began to run, one of them discarding a bag of suspected marijuana. Officer Chickos responded and soon apprehended one of the youths. That subject gave the location of the other two suspects and they were apprehended a short time later in the campground. One youth was charged with interfering with an officer and possession of marijuana and the other two youths were charged with interfering with an officer. All three were processed and released to relatives.
EASTERN DISTRICT
Parks and Forest Activity
Eastern District EnCon Police Officers responded to more than forty incidents at the Pachaug State Forest unit in the Voluntown area in the month of July. Those responses resulted in more than thirty arrests for charges ranging from motor vehicle and parking issues to disorderly conduct/alcohol violations The busiest areas were the three campgrounds; Mount Misery, Hopeville Pond and Green Falls. Officers Arseneault, Rose, Graves and Thompson handled the brunt of the complaints.
Rattlesnake Bite
On 7/5/09, an individual attending a party in Marlborough was bitten by a rattlesnake, after he attempted to relocate the reptile by hand. EnCon Police Officer Dwyer handled the complaint and took possession of the 54” snake after it was decapitated with a shovel by another individual at the party. The snake was a subject of scientific study and was equipped with a computer chip to be turned over to researchers for analysis.
Bear Euthanized
On 7/8/09, a small black bear that had been the subject of several complaints in Enfield was euthanized by Enfield Police after it was treed in a heavily residential area. The bear had been struck by a motor vehicle earlier in the day.
Water Rescues
On 7/3/09, EnCon Police Officer Williams responded to a missing tuber on the Little River in Canterbury who was eventually located as he arrived on scene. On 7/24/09, Officer Johnson responded to an overdue/ missing kayaker on the Quinnebaug River in Thompson who was also found to be safe. On 7/25/09, Officer Ruggiero and Officer Willard responded to 3 tubers that were rescued by the Colchester Fire Department after one of them capsized in the swollen waters of the Salmon River in Salmon River State Forest.
Attempted Assault on Officer
On 7/5/09, EnCon Police Officer Dwyer attempted to stop several ATV’s on the railroad tracks in Windham. They evaded Officer Dwyer, nearly striking him in the process and he pursued them to a nearby property where over 30 individuals had assembled to have an ATV party on property where they had no permission. At the scene of the party, Officer Dwyer was nearly struck when two pickups fled the party site. One of the subjects drove directly at Officer Dwyer to affect his escape. Officer Dwyer called for assistance and Officer Vroman and numerous Troopers from Troop D responded to the scene where they arrested over thirty individuals who had arrived in several rental trucks and private vehicles. Due to Officer Dwyer’s quick response in broadcasting the offender’s license plates, Troopers from Troop K stopped the offending pickup a short time later and arrested him for numerous charges including Attempted Assault on an Officer and Interfering with an Officer as well as trespass and ATV offenses. The individual admitted to attempting to take an irregular route back to New Britain via Massachusetts to evade capture by authorities.
Narcotics Arrests
On 7/7/09, EnCon Police Officer Enright assisted a Dudley, Massachusetts police officer near West Thompson Dam when he saw the officer struggling with an assailant. The individual had evaded Massachusetts authorities but had driven off the road in Connecticut. The individual was taken in to custody after a brief struggle and was found to be in possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.
On 7/11/09, EnCon Police Officer Ruggiero received a complaint of two people fishing in Mount Higby Reservoir in Middlefield. He was assisted by Constable Halligan of Middlefield where they arrested one of the two individuals for possession of Methadone and Cocaine. The two were also charged with criminal trespass, fishing in a reservoir and fishing without a license.
WESTERN DISTRICT
Caiman turned over to DEP
Upon learning of the DEP Exotic Animal Amnesty Day to be held on 7/25/09, a Naugatuck resident contacted the EnCon Police and volunteered to turn in a 5 foot long Caiman (crocodilian family) that he has had for the past 20 years. The resident had no means of transporting the Caiman to the Amnesty Day event in Bridgeport. In the interest of public safety, as Caimans are very aggressive, EnCon Police officers contacted a reptile rescue specialist who assisted the EnCon officers in retrieving the Caiman on 7/14 in Naugatuck. The Caiman was brought to a veterinarian for a medical examination and will then be placed in a zoo or other wildlife educational facility. No enforcement action was taken against the Naugatuck resident as he turned in the Caiman as part of the Amnesty Day event.
Suicide in State Forest
On 7/15/09, EnCon Police Sergeant Schneider, Officers Hill, Crossman and Scatena, along with members of the Connecticut State Police and Cornwall Fire Department responded to a report of an untimely death in Housatonic State Forest in Sharon. The officers determined that a male victim found in a vehicle had died from asphyxiation in the parking lot for the Pine Knob Loop trail off of Rt 7. The investigation determined that there was no foul play involved and that the victim had committed suicide.
Boating Accident/BUI
On 7/18/09 at 11:40pm, EnCon Police Officers Hill and Bernier responded to a report of a boat accident on the Connecticut River in Cromwell. The officers determined that two vessels had been involved and that the person responsible for the accident had been operating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The Cromwell Police Department assisted with making the Boating under the Influence arrest while the EnCon Police officers conducted the boating accident investigation.
Serious Boating Accident on Candlewood Lake
On 7/19/09 at approximately 3am, EnCon Police Sergeant Schneider and Officers Hill, Ramos, Crossman and Bernier responded to a report of a serious one boat accident in New Milford on Candlewood Lake at Vaughn’s Neck. A 24’ powerboat with the operator and two occupants had grounded at speed against rocks on the shoreline of Vaughn’s Neck. The damage was severe enough that the New Milford Fire Department had to extricate one of the passengers from within the damaged hull of the vessel. All of the vessel’s occupants suffered severe injuries. The operator of the vessel was flown by Life Star Helicopter to Danbury Hospital. One of the passengers was flown to St Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury by Life Star and the second passenger was transported to Danbury Hospital by the New Milford Ambulance. The EnCon Police Boating Accident Reconstruction Unit was dispatched to the scene and is conducting an ongoing reconstruction of the accident.
__________________
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police
Captain Raul Camejo raul.camejo@ct.gov
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MARINE DISTRICT
Jumps off Bridge
On 7/9/09, Special Conservation Officer (SCO) Rebelowski was just completing a shift of boating patrol on the Niantic River when he was alerted by citizens that there was a male down on the ground under the Rt. 156 highway bridge. Officer Rebelowski rushed to the subject and saw the subject had suffered severe trauma. Witnesses told him that the subject had jumped from the highway bridge onto the pavement below. Officer Rebelowski checked the subject and determined that he had no pulse and was not breathing. Officer Rebelowski made sure witnesses had called 911 to request help and started CPR. Officer Rebelowski continued CPR until medical aid arrived and took over for him. The subject did not survive.
Interfering with Officer
On 7/4/09, EnCon Police Officer Persico was leaving Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme and travelling on the Rocky Neck Connector when he saw two vehicles in the travel portion of the road with numerous people standing around them. Officer Perscio stopped his vehicle and noticed that several males in the group were involved in a verbal dispute. As Officer Persico approached the group, one of the males yelled at him to stay away from him and began to walk into the travel portion of the highway, which had a high volume of traffic. Officer Persico told the subject, who appeared to be intoxicated, to stay where he was and male swore at him and tried to push the officer out of the way. Officer Persico had to wrestle the subject to the ground and place him in handcuffs. Officer Persico called for assistance and Officer Tavares and Troopers from Troop E responded. The subject was transported to Troop E in Montville and charged with Breach of Peace and Interfering with an Officer. He was released on a non-surety bond.
Hammonasset Beach State Park
On 07/03/09, EnCon Police Officer Reilly and SCO Savage were the first to arrive at a reported chest pain / heart attack medical call at the campground of Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. Upon arrival, both Officers Reilly and Savage determined the subject had no pulse or breathing, and began administering Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for over five minutes while waiting advanced medical intervention by Madison Ambulance / EMS and a paramedic. Although the male victim was later pronounced dead, Officers Reilly and Savage immediately recognized the severity of the incident and instituted and continued CPR until advanced care arrived.
On 7/11/09, SCO Schreiner was patrolling Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison when he observed a vehicle he believed belonged to a subject that Officer Reilly had an arrest warrant for. A DMV records check confirmed the vehicle belonged to the wanted subject and Officer Schreiner, SCO Butler and Officer Reilly began watching the vehicle waiting for the subject to return. The subject was wanted on a warrant for Disorderly Conduct which was the result of a lengthy investigation by Officer Reilly based on a citizen complaint. The female complainant made statements that the subject of the warrant was stalking and harassing her and her daughter at the park. Officer Reilly applied for an arrest warrant which was issued in May of 2009. When the subject returned to his vehicle, he was taken into custody without incident and transported to Troop F for processing. He was held on a court set $5000.00 cash bond. When the subject was arraigned in New Haven Superior Court on 7/13/09, the charges were increased to Stalking in the second degree.
On 7/25/09, EnCon Police Officer DeFelice was patrolling Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. At approximately 10:30 p.m., he observed three individuals walking along the main beach road. This area is closed at sunset. Officer DeFelice identified himself as a police officer and the three individuals took off running, throwing beer cans and bottles as they ran. Officer DeFelice caught one of the subjects after a brief foot chase in a wooded area but the subject began to resist arrest, swinging his arms at Officer DeFelice. Officer DeFelice had to take the subject to the ground to get him under control and handcuff him. During a search of the subject, Officer DeFelice found a small amount of marijuana on the subject. The subject was transported to Troop F in Westbrook where he was released on a $5000.00 non-surety bond.
On 7/27/09, SCO’s Savage and Butler were on patrol of Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison. While on patrol of the campground, an off-duty police officer that was camping at the park gave the officers a complaint that he believed several youths were smoking marijuana at an unoccupied site in the campground. Officer Savage and Butler responded to the area and encountered three youths matching the description given by the off-duty officer. When the officers approached the youths, all three began to run, one of them discarding a bag of suspected marijuana. Officer Chickos responded and soon apprehended one of the youths. That subject gave the location of the other two suspects and they were apprehended a short time later in the campground. One youth was charged with interfering with an officer and possession of marijuana and the other two youths were charged with interfering with an officer. All three were processed and released to relatives.
EASTERN DISTRICT
Parks and Forest Activity
Eastern District EnCon Police Officers responded to more than forty incidents at the Pachaug State Forest unit in the Voluntown area in the month of July. Those responses resulted in more than thirty arrests for charges ranging from motor vehicle and parking issues to disorderly conduct/alcohol violations The busiest areas were the three campgrounds; Mount Misery, Hopeville Pond and Green Falls. Officers Arseneault, Rose, Graves and Thompson handled the brunt of the complaints.
Rattlesnake Bite
On 7/5/09, an individual attending a party in Marlborough was bitten by a rattlesnake, after he attempted to relocate the reptile by hand. EnCon Police Officer Dwyer handled the complaint and took possession of the 54” snake after it was decapitated with a shovel by another individual at the party. The snake was a subject of scientific study and was equipped with a computer chip to be turned over to researchers for analysis.
Bear Euthanized
On 7/8/09, a small black bear that had been the subject of several complaints in Enfield was euthanized by Enfield Police after it was treed in a heavily residential area. The bear had been struck by a motor vehicle earlier in the day.
Water Rescues
On 7/3/09, EnCon Police Officer Williams responded to a missing tuber on the Little River in Canterbury who was eventually located as he arrived on scene. On 7/24/09, Officer Johnson responded to an overdue/ missing kayaker on the Quinnebaug River in Thompson who was also found to be safe. On 7/25/09, Officer Ruggiero and Officer Willard responded to 3 tubers that were rescued by the Colchester Fire Department after one of them capsized in the swollen waters of the Salmon River in Salmon River State Forest.
Attempted Assault on Officer
On 7/5/09, EnCon Police Officer Dwyer attempted to stop several ATV’s on the railroad tracks in Windham. They evaded Officer Dwyer, nearly striking him in the process and he pursued them to a nearby property where over 30 individuals had assembled to have an ATV party on property where they had no permission. At the scene of the party, Officer Dwyer was nearly struck when two pickups fled the party site. One of the subjects drove directly at Officer Dwyer to affect his escape. Officer Dwyer called for assistance and Officer Vroman and numerous Troopers from Troop D responded to the scene where they arrested over thirty individuals who had arrived in several rental trucks and private vehicles. Due to Officer Dwyer’s quick response in broadcasting the offender’s license plates, Troopers from Troop K stopped the offending pickup a short time later and arrested him for numerous charges including Attempted Assault on an Officer and Interfering with an Officer as well as trespass and ATV offenses. The individual admitted to attempting to take an irregular route back to New Britain via Massachusetts to evade capture by authorities.
Narcotics Arrests
On 7/7/09, EnCon Police Officer Enright assisted a Dudley, Massachusetts police officer near West Thompson Dam when he saw the officer struggling with an assailant. The individual had evaded Massachusetts authorities but had driven off the road in Connecticut. The individual was taken in to custody after a brief struggle and was found to be in possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.
On 7/11/09, EnCon Police Officer Ruggiero received a complaint of two people fishing in Mount Higby Reservoir in Middlefield. He was assisted by Constable Halligan of Middlefield where they arrested one of the two individuals for possession of Methadone and Cocaine. The two were also charged with criminal trespass, fishing in a reservoir and fishing without a license.
WESTERN DISTRICT
Caiman turned over to DEP
Upon learning of the DEP Exotic Animal Amnesty Day to be held on 7/25/09, a Naugatuck resident contacted the EnCon Police and volunteered to turn in a 5 foot long Caiman (crocodilian family) that he has had for the past 20 years. The resident had no means of transporting the Caiman to the Amnesty Day event in Bridgeport. In the interest of public safety, as Caimans are very aggressive, EnCon Police officers contacted a reptile rescue specialist who assisted the EnCon officers in retrieving the Caiman on 7/14 in Naugatuck. The Caiman was brought to a veterinarian for a medical examination and will then be placed in a zoo or other wildlife educational facility. No enforcement action was taken against the Naugatuck resident as he turned in the Caiman as part of the Amnesty Day event.
Suicide in State Forest
On 7/15/09, EnCon Police Sergeant Schneider, Officers Hill, Crossman and Scatena, along with members of the Connecticut State Police and Cornwall Fire Department responded to a report of an untimely death in Housatonic State Forest in Sharon. The officers determined that a male victim found in a vehicle had died from asphyxiation in the parking lot for the Pine Knob Loop trail off of Rt 7. The investigation determined that there was no foul play involved and that the victim had committed suicide.
Boating Accident/BUI
On 7/18/09 at 11:40pm, EnCon Police Officers Hill and Bernier responded to a report of a boat accident on the Connecticut River in Cromwell. The officers determined that two vessels had been involved and that the person responsible for the accident had been operating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The Cromwell Police Department assisted with making the Boating under the Influence arrest while the EnCon Police officers conducted the boating accident investigation.
Serious Boating Accident on Candlewood Lake
On 7/19/09 at approximately 3am, EnCon Police Sergeant Schneider and Officers Hill, Ramos, Crossman and Bernier responded to a report of a serious one boat accident in New Milford on Candlewood Lake at Vaughn’s Neck. A 24’ powerboat with the operator and two occupants had grounded at speed against rocks on the shoreline of Vaughn’s Neck. The damage was severe enough that the New Milford Fire Department had to extricate one of the passengers from within the damaged hull of the vessel. All of the vessel’s occupants suffered severe injuries. The operator of the vessel was flown by Life Star Helicopter to Danbury Hospital. One of the passengers was flown to St Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury by Life Star and the second passenger was transported to Danbury Hospital by the New Milford Ambulance. The EnCon Police Boating Accident Reconstruction Unit was dispatched to the scene and is conducting an ongoing reconstruction of the accident.
__________________
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police
Captain Raul Camejo raul.camejo@ct.gov