December highlights
East District
Officer Vroman encountered an individual in Bear Hill Wildlife Management Area in Bozrah on December 15th who was found to be illegally hunting a baited area for deer. In addition to being charged with hunting over bait he was also charged with destruction of State property for cutting numerous trees for shooting lanes.
On Sunday, December 2nd, 2012 Officer Pettus and Sgt. Tomassone responded to East Windsor for a complaint from the East Windsor Police department of a man walking down the road with a loaded .308 rifle. Upon arrival it was determined that East Windsor had already placed the subject under arrest for Hunting on Sunday. After conferring with on scene officers, the charge of Hunting from a Road was added and the subject was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date. His firearm and all hunting gear were confiscated at the scene.
On Monday, December 3rd, 2012 Officer Danielson received a complaint that a person had entered private land in Chaplin carrying a rifle and it was believed the person did not have permission to hunt said property. Upon arrival to the area Officer Danielson spoke with a bank agent for the property in question and determined that nobody had consent to hunt the land. After a short foot patrol of the woods he found one person hunting without consent. He continued his search and found a second person hunting the area without wearing the required fluorescent orange. Both men were walked out to the patrol vehicle where they were arrested and processed for their specific charges. They were both released on summons’ to appear in court at a later date.
Also on Monday, December 3rd, Officer Williams responded to a complaint that someone was hunting from their vehicle in Plainfield within 500 feet of a house and adjacent to a playground. Officer Williams approached the area and found the suspect in his truck with a loaded .338 caliber rifle waiting for a deer to enter the field. The suspect was warned for hunting within 500 feet of a house and arrested for having a loaded gun in a motor vehicle. He was released on a summons to appear in court.
On Friday, December 7th, 2012 at approximately 1130 PM D.E.E.P. Dispatch received a complaint in Union of a shot fired and ‘activity’ in the area. Officer Danielson was called out to investigate and upon arrival to the scene found that a deer had been shot earlier in the day but had not been tagged or checked in with D.E.E.P. He arrested the suspect for the failure to tag the deer and released him on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On Saturday, December 29th, 2012 Officer Danielson received information regarding an illegal hunter on a piece of property that he was en route to check. He arrived at the property a short time later to find the suspect attempting to leave the area he had been hunting. The suspect advised Officer Danielson he had not been hunting, however, after a short interview and search, Officer Danielson found the muzzleloader the suspect had been hunting with still loaded. He placed the suspect under arrest and processed him at his patrol truck. The poacher was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
Marine District
Shellfish Enforcement
During the month of December officers Tavares, Logiodice, Bouthillier and Sergeant Kane were busy conducting shellfish enforcement in the Niantic River area. The area was busy with shellfishing activity due to an abundance of scallops. On four separate occasions, officers arrested individuals taking over their daily limit of scallops. During one such instance, officers were given information of a secret compartment in a vessel and arrested the suspect and seized the scallops. In another investigation, Officer Logiodice arrested a suspect with the assistance of the town shellfish warden for taking over his daily limit on multiple trips.
In all four cases the scallops were seized and release back into the River, the suspects were given a court appearance date or allowed to forfeit a $200.00 bond in New London Superior Court.
Seafood Dealer Inspections
During the last week of December officers began to conduct the annual Seafood Dealer inspections along the shoreline. Officers check for license compliance and enforce state lobster and shellfish regulations during these inspections. These inspections will continue for a couple of weeks into the New Year. So far, several Dealers have been issued written warnings for possessing lobsters less than the legal carapace size.
Exotic Animal Investigation
On December 18, 2012 Sergeant Cynthia Schneider received information from Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island about a Serval cat possibly located in Connecticut and needing care. The unidentified male caller requested information from the zoo about veterinary care for the large exotic cat. The case is currently under investigation.
Western District
Arrest for illegal trapping with snares
On December 2, 2012, EnCon Police Officer Ralph Concepcion received a complaint that two beavers and a blue heron were found dead in the Hop Brook in Middlebury. All of the animals had been caught in illegal snare traps and died. A trail camera was installed at the location to determine if the actions were ongoing. The trail camera successfully provided photographic evidence that a suspect was returning to the area after dusk to check the traps. On December 7th, Officer Concepcion conducted surveillance of the area involved and apprehended the subject who had been observed on the trail camera. The subject, whose home is on the property adjacent to where the snares were set, stated to the Officer Concepcion that he had set the snares in an effort to trap beaver that had been damaging trees on his property. The subject admitted to setting 5 snares along the brook.
In addition to not having a Connecticut trapping license, the subject did not have permission to trap on the private property and was using snares which are illegal in Connecticut. Officer Concepcion arrested the subject for Illegal trapping with a snare, Trapping on private property without permission and Trapping without a license.
Fatal Boating Accident
On December 7, 2012, EnCon Police received a report of a boating accident on the Housatonic River in Shelton near the Sunny Side boat launch. EnCon Police Officers Keith Williams, Jeff Bruno, Ralph Concepcion and Mike Curran responded to the accident. A male passenger on a boat being operated on the river was ejected when the boat struck a wooden pile alongside the riverbank. The victim was not wearing a personal floatation device when he was ejected from the boat. The victim was recovered from the water by the Shelton Fire Department and transported to Griffin Hospital. The victim was then transferred to Yale New Haven Hospital where he died several hours later. The accident is currently under investigation by the Boating Accident Reconstruction Unit.
Sandy Hook School Shooting
On December 14, 2012 Newtown Police responded to a report of shots being fired at Sandy Hook Elementary School. A request for assistance was broadcast to all area law enforcement agencies. EnCon Police Captain Raul Camejo, Sergeant Keith Schneider, Sergeant Chris Dwyer and Officers Paul Hilli, Keith Williams, Jeff Bruno, Holly Bernier, Matt Stone, Tate Begley, John Hey and Sean Buckley responded. Officers Hilli and Williams arrived minutes after the initial call and evacuated hundreds of students from the building. At the time there were reports that there may have been two or three shooters involved and police assets were actively searching the school. As remaining EnCon Police officers arrived they deployed to lock down the perimeter of the building while a tactical team conducted a search of the entire building for additional suspects and victims. While the interior search was still active Officer Begley was on a wooded hill immediately adjacent to and overlooking the school. Officer Begley heard movement behind him and observed two individuals who appeared to be surreptitiously attempting to approach the school. Out of concern that the two individuals might have been part of a coordinated attack on the school, Officer Begley apprehended both at gunpoint and took them into custody. State Police units responded to back up Officer Begley and it was determined that the two individuals were reporters from two major New York newspapers trying to get a story. The EnCon Police maintained the perimeter of the scene until it was declared secured four hours after the shooting.
EnCon Police K-9 helps locate suicidal person
On December 22, 2012, the Torrington Police received a report of a suicidal person in the vicinity of Exit 44 on RT 8. EnCon Police Officer Erin Crossman with EnCon Police K9 Ellie responded to assist. EnCon K9 Ellie tracked to a residence where the Torrington Police located the subject in the crawl space under the residence. The subject had sustained self-inflicted wounds and was taken into protective custody by Torrington Police then transported for medical treatment.
Motor vehicle accident in state forest leads to criminal charges
On December 29, 2012 at 3:25AM, EnCon Police received a report from State Police Troop L of a motor vehicle accident on one of the roads inside Tunxis State Forest in Hartland. EnCon Police Officers Keith Williams, Tate Begley and Jeff Bruno responded and found a vehicle with five individuals in the forest. Upon obtaining the identity of all the individuals, the EnCon officers determined that there was an active arrest warrant for one subject who was wanted by the Bloomfield Police. That subject was taken into custody. Two other subjects were in violation of protective orders and also taken into custody. One of the subject resisted arrest and was charged with interfering with an officer. All five of the subjects were also arrested on various DEEP regulation violations for being in the forest after sunset.
East District
Officer Vroman encountered an individual in Bear Hill Wildlife Management Area in Bozrah on December 15th who was found to be illegally hunting a baited area for deer. In addition to being charged with hunting over bait he was also charged with destruction of State property for cutting numerous trees for shooting lanes.
On Sunday, December 2nd, 2012 Officer Pettus and Sgt. Tomassone responded to East Windsor for a complaint from the East Windsor Police department of a man walking down the road with a loaded .308 rifle. Upon arrival it was determined that East Windsor had already placed the subject under arrest for Hunting on Sunday. After conferring with on scene officers, the charge of Hunting from a Road was added and the subject was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date. His firearm and all hunting gear were confiscated at the scene.
On Monday, December 3rd, 2012 Officer Danielson received a complaint that a person had entered private land in Chaplin carrying a rifle and it was believed the person did not have permission to hunt said property. Upon arrival to the area Officer Danielson spoke with a bank agent for the property in question and determined that nobody had consent to hunt the land. After a short foot patrol of the woods he found one person hunting without consent. He continued his search and found a second person hunting the area without wearing the required fluorescent orange. Both men were walked out to the patrol vehicle where they were arrested and processed for their specific charges. They were both released on summons’ to appear in court at a later date.
Also on Monday, December 3rd, Officer Williams responded to a complaint that someone was hunting from their vehicle in Plainfield within 500 feet of a house and adjacent to a playground. Officer Williams approached the area and found the suspect in his truck with a loaded .338 caliber rifle waiting for a deer to enter the field. The suspect was warned for hunting within 500 feet of a house and arrested for having a loaded gun in a motor vehicle. He was released on a summons to appear in court.
On Friday, December 7th, 2012 at approximately 1130 PM D.E.E.P. Dispatch received a complaint in Union of a shot fired and ‘activity’ in the area. Officer Danielson was called out to investigate and upon arrival to the scene found that a deer had been shot earlier in the day but had not been tagged or checked in with D.E.E.P. He arrested the suspect for the failure to tag the deer and released him on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
On Saturday, December 29th, 2012 Officer Danielson received information regarding an illegal hunter on a piece of property that he was en route to check. He arrived at the property a short time later to find the suspect attempting to leave the area he had been hunting. The suspect advised Officer Danielson he had not been hunting, however, after a short interview and search, Officer Danielson found the muzzleloader the suspect had been hunting with still loaded. He placed the suspect under arrest and processed him at his patrol truck. The poacher was released on a summons to appear in court at a later date.
Marine District
Shellfish Enforcement
During the month of December officers Tavares, Logiodice, Bouthillier and Sergeant Kane were busy conducting shellfish enforcement in the Niantic River area. The area was busy with shellfishing activity due to an abundance of scallops. On four separate occasions, officers arrested individuals taking over their daily limit of scallops. During one such instance, officers were given information of a secret compartment in a vessel and arrested the suspect and seized the scallops. In another investigation, Officer Logiodice arrested a suspect with the assistance of the town shellfish warden for taking over his daily limit on multiple trips.
In all four cases the scallops were seized and release back into the River, the suspects were given a court appearance date or allowed to forfeit a $200.00 bond in New London Superior Court.
Seafood Dealer Inspections
During the last week of December officers began to conduct the annual Seafood Dealer inspections along the shoreline. Officers check for license compliance and enforce state lobster and shellfish regulations during these inspections. These inspections will continue for a couple of weeks into the New Year. So far, several Dealers have been issued written warnings for possessing lobsters less than the legal carapace size.
Exotic Animal Investigation
On December 18, 2012 Sergeant Cynthia Schneider received information from Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island about a Serval cat possibly located in Connecticut and needing care. The unidentified male caller requested information from the zoo about veterinary care for the large exotic cat. The case is currently under investigation.
Western District
Arrest for illegal trapping with snares
On December 2, 2012, EnCon Police Officer Ralph Concepcion received a complaint that two beavers and a blue heron were found dead in the Hop Brook in Middlebury. All of the animals had been caught in illegal snare traps and died. A trail camera was installed at the location to determine if the actions were ongoing. The trail camera successfully provided photographic evidence that a suspect was returning to the area after dusk to check the traps. On December 7th, Officer Concepcion conducted surveillance of the area involved and apprehended the subject who had been observed on the trail camera. The subject, whose home is on the property adjacent to where the snares were set, stated to the Officer Concepcion that he had set the snares in an effort to trap beaver that had been damaging trees on his property. The subject admitted to setting 5 snares along the brook.
In addition to not having a Connecticut trapping license, the subject did not have permission to trap on the private property and was using snares which are illegal in Connecticut. Officer Concepcion arrested the subject for Illegal trapping with a snare, Trapping on private property without permission and Trapping without a license.
Fatal Boating Accident
On December 7, 2012, EnCon Police received a report of a boating accident on the Housatonic River in Shelton near the Sunny Side boat launch. EnCon Police Officers Keith Williams, Jeff Bruno, Ralph Concepcion and Mike Curran responded to the accident. A male passenger on a boat being operated on the river was ejected when the boat struck a wooden pile alongside the riverbank. The victim was not wearing a personal floatation device when he was ejected from the boat. The victim was recovered from the water by the Shelton Fire Department and transported to Griffin Hospital. The victim was then transferred to Yale New Haven Hospital where he died several hours later. The accident is currently under investigation by the Boating Accident Reconstruction Unit.
Sandy Hook School Shooting
On December 14, 2012 Newtown Police responded to a report of shots being fired at Sandy Hook Elementary School. A request for assistance was broadcast to all area law enforcement agencies. EnCon Police Captain Raul Camejo, Sergeant Keith Schneider, Sergeant Chris Dwyer and Officers Paul Hilli, Keith Williams, Jeff Bruno, Holly Bernier, Matt Stone, Tate Begley, John Hey and Sean Buckley responded. Officers Hilli and Williams arrived minutes after the initial call and evacuated hundreds of students from the building. At the time there were reports that there may have been two or three shooters involved and police assets were actively searching the school. As remaining EnCon Police officers arrived they deployed to lock down the perimeter of the building while a tactical team conducted a search of the entire building for additional suspects and victims. While the interior search was still active Officer Begley was on a wooded hill immediately adjacent to and overlooking the school. Officer Begley heard movement behind him and observed two individuals who appeared to be surreptitiously attempting to approach the school. Out of concern that the two individuals might have been part of a coordinated attack on the school, Officer Begley apprehended both at gunpoint and took them into custody. State Police units responded to back up Officer Begley and it was determined that the two individuals were reporters from two major New York newspapers trying to get a story. The EnCon Police maintained the perimeter of the scene until it was declared secured four hours after the shooting.
EnCon Police K-9 helps locate suicidal person
On December 22, 2012, the Torrington Police received a report of a suicidal person in the vicinity of Exit 44 on RT 8. EnCon Police Officer Erin Crossman with EnCon Police K9 Ellie responded to assist. EnCon K9 Ellie tracked to a residence where the Torrington Police located the subject in the crawl space under the residence. The subject had sustained self-inflicted wounds and was taken into protective custody by Torrington Police then transported for medical treatment.
Motor vehicle accident in state forest leads to criminal charges
On December 29, 2012 at 3:25AM, EnCon Police received a report from State Police Troop L of a motor vehicle accident on one of the roads inside Tunxis State Forest in Hartland. EnCon Police Officers Keith Williams, Tate Begley and Jeff Bruno responded and found a vehicle with five individuals in the forest. Upon obtaining the identity of all the individuals, the EnCon officers determined that there was an active arrest warrant for one subject who was wanted by the Bloomfield Police. That subject was taken into custody. Two other subjects were in violation of protective orders and also taken into custody. One of the subject resisted arrest and was charged with interfering with an officer. All five of the subjects were also arrested on various DEEP regulation violations for being in the forest after sunset.