November highlights
Eastern District
Hunting arrests
While on duty in the Northeast Sector, Officer Arsenault received a complaint of trespassing in the town of Ashford regarding two people that supposedly had permission to hunt a 50 acre parcel but was straying off onto adjacent property. Officer Arsenault conducted a foot patrol of the area and found one of the hunting parties very close to the permitted property. He interviewed that subject and determined the other half of the party to be well onto the adjacent land. Officer Arsenault staked out an area where he believed the suspect would cross back onto the property he did have permission hunt. A short time later the suspect, a Massachusetts resident, approached Officer Arsenault’s location where he was arrested for archery hunting deer without written consent. The suspect admitted to Officer Arsenault that he knew the boundaries but took a chance. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court at a later date and released on a $500 non-surety bond.
On November 5, 2012 Officers Pettus and Scatena were working a hunting complaint in East Windsor. While patrolling the area they found an individual illegally hunting the area with a multitude of violations. After a thorough investigation the suspect was charged with multiple violations including illegal hunting, hunting without required fluorescent orange clothing, hunting turkey without valid permit, hunting turkey over bait, hunting deer without consent, hunting turkey without consent, and operation of an unregistered ATV. The accused was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On November 12, 2012 Officer Williams received a citizen complaint of shots being fired too close to his house in Thompson. Officer Williams investigated the complaint and determined that while the hunting party was hunting more than the legally required distance (500’) from the complainant’s house, they were hunting geese during the closed season. The group of five had taken forty three Canada Geese and one Snow Goose between them. All five were charged with illegal waterfowl hunting activity for their poaching activity and released.
On November 15, 2012 Officers Scatena and Arsenault were patrolling the Mansfield area due to recent complaints of jack-lighting. At approximately 8:00 PM they witnessed a vehicle pull into a field and shine the area. The suspect vehicle left the area with no lights illuminated. The officers affected a motor vehicle stop during which time they could see in plain view archery equipment, a shotgun, and a rifle within reach of the two occupants. Both suspects were taken into custody and transported to Coventry Police Department where they were processed. The Connecticut resident was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date and the Nevada resident was held on a $500 dollar cash bond for next day arraignment due to the fact that he was planning to leave the state soon. All hunting implements were seized.
On November 16, 2012 Officer Stanko was checking a deer stand in Ashford that he had previously found to be baited with corn. Upon nearing the stand he could see an individual wearing no orange clothing and hunting with a rifle over the freshly baited stand. The person got out of his stand and proceeded to hide the rifle under a nearby log. Upon contact with Officer Stanko the suspect initially told him he had not been hunting. The illegal hunter was a convicted felon. He was taken into custody by Officer Stanko and transported to the State Police Barracks for processing. He was released on a cash bond for numerous charges including possession of a firearm by a felon, interfering with police officer, hunting private land without landowner consent, hunting deer over bait, hunting without wearing required fluorescent orange clothing, and failure to carry hunting license while hunting. His rifle and other hunting equipment were seized as evidence.
On November 16, 2012 Officer Danielson was checking a deer stand that he had previously found to be heavily baited with corn. Upon entering the woods in Willington to check the stand he could see a person hunting from a tree with no orange clothing visible. He approached the suspect and had him exit the stand. The suspect admitted to placing the bait in front of the stand and to hunting without wearing the required orange clothing. Upon further investigation it was determined the poacher had not obtained his private land deer hunting permit. The suspect was arrested and released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.
On November 17, 2012 Officers Scatena and Pettus were checking a deer stand they had received a complaint on earlier in the week in the town of Pomfret. They approached the area and could see an individual hunting from a stand where they had found a salt lick and mineral block. Upon contact the suspect, a Warren, Massachusetts resident, admitted to the officers that he knew he was not allowed to hunt deer over bait or to hunt private land without written consent of the landowner. Further investigation revealed that the poacher had already killed an eight point buck earlier in the week, and that he had shot two more deer that morning (one more than legally allowed). The suspect was placed under arrest and processed. He was released on a $500 dollar cash bond and given a later court date.
On November 21, 2012 Officers Stanko and Danielson received a complaint of illegal deer hunting on a piece of Nature Conservancy property in Ashford. Upon arrival they checked some legal hunters on an adjacent property and then found a suspicious vehicle. They staked out the area and well after legal hunting hours found a hunter attempting to leave the area with a loaded rifle and wearing no orange clothing. The suspect was arrested and issued a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On November 24, 2012 Officers Danielson and Pettus were on routine patrol for deer hunting activity in the Town of Stafford. While driving past a residence they noticed three men in orange clothing with rifles standing at the edge of the woods. Upon turning around to check them for compliance, all three individuals took off running into the woods. After a short chase and search, the two officers had apprehended the three men. Further investigation revealed they had hidden two of the three rifles in the woods and thrown all their cartridges as well. The rifles were recovered by the officers and seized as evidence. None of the three suspects had permission to hunt the property in question and one of them was a convicted felon. Two suspects were arrested and released on a summons to appear in court at a later date and the convicted felon was taken into custody for processing at the State Police Barracks where he was later released on a $10000 non-surety bond.
On November 24, 2012 Officer Danielson received information that there were two individuals hunting a piece of land in Coventry where no hunting was allowed. Upon arrival to the area he entered the woods and soon found one of the men with a loaded rifle well after legal hunting hours with an untagged deer. The suspect was arrested and processed on scene and released on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On November 24, 2012, in the Town of Scotland, Officer Williams responded to a complaint of someone over harvesting deer at the Spignesi Wildlife Management Area. Upon arrival Officer Williams took a post in the area he believed the hunter would exit the woods. A short time later the suspect arrived well after legal hunting hours with a loaded rifle on his ATV. The suspect was initially uncooperative and did not have a properly completed consent forms for the current hunting season. The suspect was placed under arrest and processed on scene. He was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On November 26, 2012 Officer Arsenault received a complainant from an individual who observed a male hunting with a rifle and not wearing the required florescent orange clothing. The property was located off of route 49 in Voluntown. Officer Arsenault arrived and was given a description of the illegal hunter. Officer Arsenault conducted a foot patrol of the area and located a subject matching the description. The suspect was in full camouflage clothing, lying down next to a stone wall, covered with leaves. Upon contact the subject was non compliant and exhibited erratic behavior. The hunter was taken into custody and positively identified by the complainant. The illegal hunter had the smell of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. He was transported to the State Police Barracks and charged with hunting under the influence of alcohol and or drugs, interfering with an officer, criminal trespass, third degree and deer hunting private property without landowner consent.
On November 29, 2012 Officer Pettus received a complaint via D.E.E.P. Dispatch regarding a man hunting on land that nobody had permission to hunt. A search of the property came up empty so Officer Pettus waited by the suspect vehicle and later noticed the man approach his vehicle. She approached him and found him to be loaded less than 500’ from two houses. He was charged with hunting too close to a house and trespassing. He was released on scene with a summons to appear in court at a later date.
Park and Forest
On November 3, 2012 Officers Wojcik, Golet, and Crossman with K-9 Ellie Mae, and Sgt. Tomassone were called by Connecticut State Police to Bigelow Hollow State Park for a pair of overdue women that had been out hiking in the park. State Police had several troopers on scene with K-9 units and a helicopter en route to search the park. Upon arrival of Officers Wojcik and Golet, they determined what areas had been searched and decided to search an area that had yet to be checked. After a lengthy hike into a remote area of the park, Officer Wojcik could hear the two lost hikers. This information was forwarded out to Sgt. Tomassone who was able to cancel the helicopter before liftoff. Officer Wojcik hiked to the women and was able to walk them back to a paved area within the park where they were checked by EMS personnel.
On November 11, 2012 Officer Williams was on patrol at Wauregan Reservoir in Killingly. He was parked in the parking area when a Ford pickup truck entered at a high rate of speed and went into a ‘sliding 180’, spraying rocks and debris everywhere. Officer Williams stopped the accused for the action and determined the operator had misused marker plates from another vehicle, had no insurance, and had no license to operate a motor vehicle. Officer Williams arrested the suspect for numerous motor vehicle and park violations. The accused was given a court date and released on a promise to appear in court.
On November 24, 2012 Officer Williams arrested a Willimantic man on an outstanding warrant for an incident earlier in the year at the Diana’s Pool section of Natchaug State Forest. In August, a visitor of the forest came back to her vehicle to find it had been broken into while she was hiking and several items were missing. Officer Williams learned of the incident the next day and his investigation ensued. After a lengthy and in depth inquiry he was able to secure a warrant for the arrest of his suspect. Officer Williams transported the suspect to the State Police Barracks where he was processed and released on a $1000 dollar non-surety bond for the following charges; Conspiracy to commit burglary, larceny sixth degree, credit card theft, and illegal use of a credit card.
Marine District
Missing Person / Canine Searches
On November 8, 2012 Officer Reilly and canine Hunter responded to Wadsworth Falls State Park, Middlefield for a mother who had lost contact with her 17 year old son for over an hour in the late afternoon. Officer Reilly was able to quickly locate the individual and reunited the mother and son shortly after sunset.
On November 24, 2012 Officers O’Brien, Ruggiero, Logiodice with canine Ruger, and Sgt. Lundin responded to Chatfield Hollow State Park, Killingworth for a 51 year old female, her 12 year old son and their dog who became disoriented on park trails after dark. While canine Ruger was working the track, Killingworth fire and EMS personnel located the individuals upon a rock ledge by cell phone tracking. The missing parties were assisted down the ledges by EMS and EnCon Police to a waiting ambulance where they were evaluated, treated and released on site.
Hammonasset Beach State Park
Despite a minor snowstorm on November 7, 2012 and wet conditions, Fairfield University hosted a 25-college AAU cross country championship at Hammonasset on November 9th, successfully managed by EnCon Police officers while the power company staging area was in the breakdown process. And on Thanksgiving Day, the 34th annual Madison Jaycees 5-Mile Turkey Trot was held at Hammonasset with the assistance of Central Marine officers, hosting a record number of nearly 4,000 runners and many, many more spectators whose numbers easily equaled or surpassed attendance on a hot summer Sunday. This popular event continues to be successful thanks to the detailed organization of the Jaycees.
Western District
Deer hunting arrest
On November 10, 2012 EnCon Police Officer Tim Hill received a complaint from two hunters that while they were legally hunting in the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management area in Burlington, another hunter in the area pointed his bow and arrow directly at them. According to the complainant, the archery hunter claimed he thought they were deer and stated they shouldn’t be walking around because it might get them killed.
Officer Hill contacted Officer Erin Crossman who responded with canine Ellie-Mae to search for the individual. Officer Crossman and her canine partner located the subject in a tree stand on the Wildlife Management area property. The subject was issued an infraction for Creating a Public Disturbance and a warning for illegal acts in a Wildlife Management Area.
Violation of protective order
On November 23, 2012 EnCon Police Officers Paul Hilli and Tim Hill responded to a complaint of two illegal deer hunters on a block of private property in Torrington.
The officers located two vehicles fitting the descriptions provided by the complainant near a wooded area. One of the vehicles had a gun case that appeared empty in plain view on the back seat. Officer Hilli located two subjects on the property dragging a freshly killed deer. Both subjects were armed with firearms and neither was wearing the required fluorescent orange clothing. Officer Hilli contacted the property owner and determined that the two subjects had in fact received consent from the property owner last March. Despite the fact that the two subjects had written permission to be on the property and had the required deer tags, they were arrested for Failure to Wear Fluorescent Orange while Hunting Deer. Officer Hilli then determined that one of the hunters was subject to a protective order. Officer Hilli reviewed the protective order at court and ascertained that the subject was prohibited from possession a firearm or any other weapon under the order. Officer Hilli obtained an arrest warrant for the subject and arrested him for Criminal Possession of a Firearm and also for Carrying a Dangerous Weapon, a large knife in his possession at the time of his arrest.
Exotic snake arrest
On November 27, 2012 EnCon Police Sergeant Cynthia Schneider, Officer Holly Bernier and John Chickos investigated a report of an Anaconda being offered for sale on the internet. The officers determined that the snake was in a condo apartment in Waterbury. Anacondas are illegal to possess in Connecticut.
Sgt. Schneider made arrangements to meet the seller at their home under the guise of purchasing the snake. Sgt. Schneider, Officer Bernier and Officer Chickos went to the location in Waterbury where they confiscated a Green Anaconda (which can grow up to over 22 feet long) and a Reticulated Python (which can also grow up to 20 feet long) which is also a prohibited species in Connecticut. The owner was arrested for Illegal Possession of a reptile. The two snakes were transferred to Rainforest Reptiles, a Massachusetts educational and reptile rescue organization for legal placement in a zoo.
Hunting related accident investigation.
Untimely death
On November 27, 2012 EnCon Police Officers Keith Williams and Ed Yescott responded to a request from the State Police to assist in a search for an overdue hunter in Woodbury. A 69 year old waterfowl hunter had gone hunting in a marsh near his home and did not return at the end of the day. The EnCon officers searched the marsh by boat for 2 ½ hours when they located the body of the individual in the water. The body was retrieved by the Woodbury Fire Department and turned over to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The incident is under investigation.
Deer hunting incidents
During the month of November, EnCon Police officers in the Western District and West Marine Sector investigated 80 incidents involving deer hunting activity. Officer made 17 arrests and issued 12 written warnings for violations. One incident involved the arrest of an individual for possession of a loaded weapon in a motor vehicle.
Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police
Captain Raul Camejo raul.camejo@ct.gov
Eastern District
Hunting arrests
While on duty in the Northeast Sector, Officer Arsenault received a complaint of trespassing in the town of Ashford regarding two people that supposedly had permission to hunt a 50 acre parcel but was straying off onto adjacent property. Officer Arsenault conducted a foot patrol of the area and found one of the hunting parties very close to the permitted property. He interviewed that subject and determined the other half of the party to be well onto the adjacent land. Officer Arsenault staked out an area where he believed the suspect would cross back onto the property he did have permission hunt. A short time later the suspect, a Massachusetts resident, approached Officer Arsenault’s location where he was arrested for archery hunting deer without written consent. The suspect admitted to Officer Arsenault that he knew the boundaries but took a chance. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court at a later date and released on a $500 non-surety bond.
On November 5, 2012 Officers Pettus and Scatena were working a hunting complaint in East Windsor. While patrolling the area they found an individual illegally hunting the area with a multitude of violations. After a thorough investigation the suspect was charged with multiple violations including illegal hunting, hunting without required fluorescent orange clothing, hunting turkey without valid permit, hunting turkey over bait, hunting deer without consent, hunting turkey without consent, and operation of an unregistered ATV. The accused was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On November 12, 2012 Officer Williams received a citizen complaint of shots being fired too close to his house in Thompson. Officer Williams investigated the complaint and determined that while the hunting party was hunting more than the legally required distance (500’) from the complainant’s house, they were hunting geese during the closed season. The group of five had taken forty three Canada Geese and one Snow Goose between them. All five were charged with illegal waterfowl hunting activity for their poaching activity and released.
On November 15, 2012 Officers Scatena and Arsenault were patrolling the Mansfield area due to recent complaints of jack-lighting. At approximately 8:00 PM they witnessed a vehicle pull into a field and shine the area. The suspect vehicle left the area with no lights illuminated. The officers affected a motor vehicle stop during which time they could see in plain view archery equipment, a shotgun, and a rifle within reach of the two occupants. Both suspects were taken into custody and transported to Coventry Police Department where they were processed. The Connecticut resident was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date and the Nevada resident was held on a $500 dollar cash bond for next day arraignment due to the fact that he was planning to leave the state soon. All hunting implements were seized.
On November 16, 2012 Officer Stanko was checking a deer stand in Ashford that he had previously found to be baited with corn. Upon nearing the stand he could see an individual wearing no orange clothing and hunting with a rifle over the freshly baited stand. The person got out of his stand and proceeded to hide the rifle under a nearby log. Upon contact with Officer Stanko the suspect initially told him he had not been hunting. The illegal hunter was a convicted felon. He was taken into custody by Officer Stanko and transported to the State Police Barracks for processing. He was released on a cash bond for numerous charges including possession of a firearm by a felon, interfering with police officer, hunting private land without landowner consent, hunting deer over bait, hunting without wearing required fluorescent orange clothing, and failure to carry hunting license while hunting. His rifle and other hunting equipment were seized as evidence.
On November 16, 2012 Officer Danielson was checking a deer stand that he had previously found to be heavily baited with corn. Upon entering the woods in Willington to check the stand he could see a person hunting from a tree with no orange clothing visible. He approached the suspect and had him exit the stand. The suspect admitted to placing the bait in front of the stand and to hunting without wearing the required orange clothing. Upon further investigation it was determined the poacher had not obtained his private land deer hunting permit. The suspect was arrested and released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.
On November 17, 2012 Officers Scatena and Pettus were checking a deer stand they had received a complaint on earlier in the week in the town of Pomfret. They approached the area and could see an individual hunting from a stand where they had found a salt lick and mineral block. Upon contact the suspect, a Warren, Massachusetts resident, admitted to the officers that he knew he was not allowed to hunt deer over bait or to hunt private land without written consent of the landowner. Further investigation revealed that the poacher had already killed an eight point buck earlier in the week, and that he had shot two more deer that morning (one more than legally allowed). The suspect was placed under arrest and processed. He was released on a $500 dollar cash bond and given a later court date.
On November 21, 2012 Officers Stanko and Danielson received a complaint of illegal deer hunting on a piece of Nature Conservancy property in Ashford. Upon arrival they checked some legal hunters on an adjacent property and then found a suspicious vehicle. They staked out the area and well after legal hunting hours found a hunter attempting to leave the area with a loaded rifle and wearing no orange clothing. The suspect was arrested and issued a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On November 24, 2012 Officers Danielson and Pettus were on routine patrol for deer hunting activity in the Town of Stafford. While driving past a residence they noticed three men in orange clothing with rifles standing at the edge of the woods. Upon turning around to check them for compliance, all three individuals took off running into the woods. After a short chase and search, the two officers had apprehended the three men. Further investigation revealed they had hidden two of the three rifles in the woods and thrown all their cartridges as well. The rifles were recovered by the officers and seized as evidence. None of the three suspects had permission to hunt the property in question and one of them was a convicted felon. Two suspects were arrested and released on a summons to appear in court at a later date and the convicted felon was taken into custody for processing at the State Police Barracks where he was later released on a $10000 non-surety bond.
On November 24, 2012 Officer Danielson received information that there were two individuals hunting a piece of land in Coventry where no hunting was allowed. Upon arrival to the area he entered the woods and soon found one of the men with a loaded rifle well after legal hunting hours with an untagged deer. The suspect was arrested and processed on scene and released on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On November 24, 2012, in the Town of Scotland, Officer Williams responded to a complaint of someone over harvesting deer at the Spignesi Wildlife Management Area. Upon arrival Officer Williams took a post in the area he believed the hunter would exit the woods. A short time later the suspect arrived well after legal hunting hours with a loaded rifle on his ATV. The suspect was initially uncooperative and did not have a properly completed consent forms for the current hunting season. The suspect was placed under arrest and processed on scene. He was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On November 26, 2012 Officer Arsenault received a complainant from an individual who observed a male hunting with a rifle and not wearing the required florescent orange clothing. The property was located off of route 49 in Voluntown. Officer Arsenault arrived and was given a description of the illegal hunter. Officer Arsenault conducted a foot patrol of the area and located a subject matching the description. The suspect was in full camouflage clothing, lying down next to a stone wall, covered with leaves. Upon contact the subject was non compliant and exhibited erratic behavior. The hunter was taken into custody and positively identified by the complainant. The illegal hunter had the smell of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. He was transported to the State Police Barracks and charged with hunting under the influence of alcohol and or drugs, interfering with an officer, criminal trespass, third degree and deer hunting private property without landowner consent.
On November 29, 2012 Officer Pettus received a complaint via D.E.E.P. Dispatch regarding a man hunting on land that nobody had permission to hunt. A search of the property came up empty so Officer Pettus waited by the suspect vehicle and later noticed the man approach his vehicle. She approached him and found him to be loaded less than 500’ from two houses. He was charged with hunting too close to a house and trespassing. He was released on scene with a summons to appear in court at a later date.
Park and Forest
On November 3, 2012 Officers Wojcik, Golet, and Crossman with K-9 Ellie Mae, and Sgt. Tomassone were called by Connecticut State Police to Bigelow Hollow State Park for a pair of overdue women that had been out hiking in the park. State Police had several troopers on scene with K-9 units and a helicopter en route to search the park. Upon arrival of Officers Wojcik and Golet, they determined what areas had been searched and decided to search an area that had yet to be checked. After a lengthy hike into a remote area of the park, Officer Wojcik could hear the two lost hikers. This information was forwarded out to Sgt. Tomassone who was able to cancel the helicopter before liftoff. Officer Wojcik hiked to the women and was able to walk them back to a paved area within the park where they were checked by EMS personnel.
On November 11, 2012 Officer Williams was on patrol at Wauregan Reservoir in Killingly. He was parked in the parking area when a Ford pickup truck entered at a high rate of speed and went into a ‘sliding 180’, spraying rocks and debris everywhere. Officer Williams stopped the accused for the action and determined the operator had misused marker plates from another vehicle, had no insurance, and had no license to operate a motor vehicle. Officer Williams arrested the suspect for numerous motor vehicle and park violations. The accused was given a court date and released on a promise to appear in court.
On November 24, 2012 Officer Williams arrested a Willimantic man on an outstanding warrant for an incident earlier in the year at the Diana’s Pool section of Natchaug State Forest. In August, a visitor of the forest came back to her vehicle to find it had been broken into while she was hiking and several items were missing. Officer Williams learned of the incident the next day and his investigation ensued. After a lengthy and in depth inquiry he was able to secure a warrant for the arrest of his suspect. Officer Williams transported the suspect to the State Police Barracks where he was processed and released on a $1000 dollar non-surety bond for the following charges; Conspiracy to commit burglary, larceny sixth degree, credit card theft, and illegal use of a credit card.
Marine District
Missing Person / Canine Searches
On November 8, 2012 Officer Reilly and canine Hunter responded to Wadsworth Falls State Park, Middlefield for a mother who had lost contact with her 17 year old son for over an hour in the late afternoon. Officer Reilly was able to quickly locate the individual and reunited the mother and son shortly after sunset.
On November 24, 2012 Officers O’Brien, Ruggiero, Logiodice with canine Ruger, and Sgt. Lundin responded to Chatfield Hollow State Park, Killingworth for a 51 year old female, her 12 year old son and their dog who became disoriented on park trails after dark. While canine Ruger was working the track, Killingworth fire and EMS personnel located the individuals upon a rock ledge by cell phone tracking. The missing parties were assisted down the ledges by EMS and EnCon Police to a waiting ambulance where they were evaluated, treated and released on site.
Hammonasset Beach State Park
Despite a minor snowstorm on November 7, 2012 and wet conditions, Fairfield University hosted a 25-college AAU cross country championship at Hammonasset on November 9th, successfully managed by EnCon Police officers while the power company staging area was in the breakdown process. And on Thanksgiving Day, the 34th annual Madison Jaycees 5-Mile Turkey Trot was held at Hammonasset with the assistance of Central Marine officers, hosting a record number of nearly 4,000 runners and many, many more spectators whose numbers easily equaled or surpassed attendance on a hot summer Sunday. This popular event continues to be successful thanks to the detailed organization of the Jaycees.
Western District
Deer hunting arrest
On November 10, 2012 EnCon Police Officer Tim Hill received a complaint from two hunters that while they were legally hunting in the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management area in Burlington, another hunter in the area pointed his bow and arrow directly at them. According to the complainant, the archery hunter claimed he thought they were deer and stated they shouldn’t be walking around because it might get them killed.
Officer Hill contacted Officer Erin Crossman who responded with canine Ellie-Mae to search for the individual. Officer Crossman and her canine partner located the subject in a tree stand on the Wildlife Management area property. The subject was issued an infraction for Creating a Public Disturbance and a warning for illegal acts in a Wildlife Management Area.
Violation of protective order
On November 23, 2012 EnCon Police Officers Paul Hilli and Tim Hill responded to a complaint of two illegal deer hunters on a block of private property in Torrington.
The officers located two vehicles fitting the descriptions provided by the complainant near a wooded area. One of the vehicles had a gun case that appeared empty in plain view on the back seat. Officer Hilli located two subjects on the property dragging a freshly killed deer. Both subjects were armed with firearms and neither was wearing the required fluorescent orange clothing. Officer Hilli contacted the property owner and determined that the two subjects had in fact received consent from the property owner last March. Despite the fact that the two subjects had written permission to be on the property and had the required deer tags, they were arrested for Failure to Wear Fluorescent Orange while Hunting Deer. Officer Hilli then determined that one of the hunters was subject to a protective order. Officer Hilli reviewed the protective order at court and ascertained that the subject was prohibited from possession a firearm or any other weapon under the order. Officer Hilli obtained an arrest warrant for the subject and arrested him for Criminal Possession of a Firearm and also for Carrying a Dangerous Weapon, a large knife in his possession at the time of his arrest.
Exotic snake arrest
On November 27, 2012 EnCon Police Sergeant Cynthia Schneider, Officer Holly Bernier and John Chickos investigated a report of an Anaconda being offered for sale on the internet. The officers determined that the snake was in a condo apartment in Waterbury. Anacondas are illegal to possess in Connecticut.
Sgt. Schneider made arrangements to meet the seller at their home under the guise of purchasing the snake. Sgt. Schneider, Officer Bernier and Officer Chickos went to the location in Waterbury where they confiscated a Green Anaconda (which can grow up to over 22 feet long) and a Reticulated Python (which can also grow up to 20 feet long) which is also a prohibited species in Connecticut. The owner was arrested for Illegal Possession of a reptile. The two snakes were transferred to Rainforest Reptiles, a Massachusetts educational and reptile rescue organization for legal placement in a zoo.
Hunting related accident investigation.
Untimely death
On November 27, 2012 EnCon Police Officers Keith Williams and Ed Yescott responded to a request from the State Police to assist in a search for an overdue hunter in Woodbury. A 69 year old waterfowl hunter had gone hunting in a marsh near his home and did not return at the end of the day. The EnCon officers searched the marsh by boat for 2 ½ hours when they located the body of the individual in the water. The body was retrieved by the Woodbury Fire Department and turned over to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The incident is under investigation.
Deer hunting incidents
During the month of November, EnCon Police officers in the Western District and West Marine Sector investigated 80 incidents involving deer hunting activity. Officer made 17 arrests and issued 12 written warnings for violations. One incident involved the arrest of an individual for possession of a loaded weapon in a motor vehicle.
Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police
Captain Raul Camejo raul.camejo@ct.gov