CT EnCon Police
Eastern District Highlights
September 2016

Hunter Harrassment Incident
On the opening day of the resident Canada goose season, September 1st, Officer Jason Williams received a complaint of waterfowl hunters being harassed by a male while hunting in the Connecticut River, Deep River. Upon investigation, the 64 year old suspect went from a local marina, approached the two waterfowlers by another vessel while retrieving their birds, and told them to ‘leave the birds alone’ and verbally threatened them with physical harm. A statement was secured from the hunters, who were found to have no hunting violations; the suspect was interviewed, admitted to his statements, realized the hunters were hunting legally, and regretted his actions. He was cited for Creating a Public Disturbance with a court date to follow.
Fishing Enforcement
On September 22nd, Officers J. Williams and Tefft responded to a report of numerous people taking short striped bass on the Thames River in Montville. Upon arrival and further investigation, seven (7) individuals received citations for undersized/over creel striped bass and bluefish, fishing without licenses, trespass and failure to standby, totaling $1,387 in fines. Six (6) short striped bass and 133 snapper bluefish were seized and donated to a raptor rehab facility in Killingworth.
Park and Forest Enforcement
On Saturday 9/10/16, Officer Ruggiero and State Police responded to Chatfield Hollow State Park, Killingworth, for an attempted larceny. Upon arrival, he found a retired New Haven police officer and companion had returned to his vehicle to find a male breaking the front door window. The former officer yelled “stop, police” several times as the male entered a waiting black Chrysler driven by a female, who nearly struck the former officer as she drove quickly away. State police stopped the vehicle not long afterwards in another part of Killingworth. After getting information from the complainants, Officer Ruggiero responded to the stopped vehicle’s location and recognized the 29 year old male and 32 year old female, as he had arrested both in 2011 for a similar larceny from a vehicle at Chatfield. Also in the vehicle were the couple’s 19 month old twins in the back seat, as well as burglary tools. The female readily confessed her and her husband’s involvement in breaking into the vehicle, and nearly hitting the complainant. The two were arrested on similar charges of attempt to commit larceny, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, conspiracy, and risk of injury to children. The female was released on a $10,000 bond with a court date to appear in Middletown superior court; the male was held on a $10,000 cash bond which he could not make, and was held over the weekend in Hartford corrections for a next-day court arraignment.
On September 20th, Officer Pettus found an abandoned pickup truck in Nye Holman State Forest, Ellington, being pulled out by someone hired for the job with his tractor. Her investigation revealed the suspect’s roommate had gotten the vehicle stuck in June 2016, and both had made attempts to retrieve the vehicle in the interim. The suspect was cited for abandoning the vehicle and trespass with the vehicle in the forest.
Officers Ulkus and Landry received a complaint of a bonfire in Nathan Hale State Forest, Andover, on 09/24/16. Finding two males with a small fire, one 25 year old male hesitated when asked if he had any weapons on him; subsequent investigation found him in possession of some marijuana and smoking paraphernalia, as well as being on probation for prior court appearances. The subject was cited for these violations and the ground fire, and both parties were evicted.
Assist to Another Agency
On Sunday evening, 09/04/2016, Officer Ulkus overheard a State Police report of an East Hampton police officer being struck by a motor vehicle, with severe injuries, on Route 66 near the center of the town. He responded to the scene, along with Sergeants Dwyer and Stanko. Officer Ulkus was detailed to maintain contact with the striking vehicle’s operator, while all EnCon officers assisted with accident scene management, traffic control, and initial investigation until they were relieved by State Police accident reconstruction investigators and other East Hampton officers.
Illegal Sale of Wildlife Complaint
On September 9, 2016, Officer Scatena-Kurtzenacker received information of a party selling baby snapping turtles on the internet. With little information to go on, she explored several avenues, and working with Officer Bouthillier through Facebook she was able to identify and locate the 28 year old female offering the turtles at her home in Enfield. The subject was issued a written warning for illegal possession of eleven (11) snapping turtles; they were found to be in good health, able to be on their own, and were released into the wild.
Public Outreach
Eastern District officers participated in several outreach events during September 2016, including working out of the TIP trailer at the Woodstock Fair September 2nd through 5th. Officer Wojcik (with a rehabilitated raptor), Officer Logiodice and K9 Ruger, and SCO Godart joined forces with Wildlife and Fisheries personnel at the inaugural Hunting and Fishing Appreciation Day held at Franklin WMA on September 10th, which was very well received by attendees.
MARINE DISTRICT SEPTEMBER 2016 MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS


FISHING ENFORCEMENT:

On September 1, 2016 while on a proactive patrol at the CT River, Officer Blackwell observed a male actively using a cast net to take fish from the river. In speaking with and inspecting the fish in his possession it was determined that he had several dozen bunker, 5 Striped Bass and 1 Summer Flounder (Fluke) less then minimum length. It was also determined that the method he used to take all the fish in his possession was by cast net. The male was arrested and charged with Possession of Striped Bass Less than Minimum Length- 5 counts, Possession of Striped Bass Over the Daily Creel Limit- 4 counts, Possession of Fluke Less than Minimum Length- 1 count, and Illegal Method of Take Striped Bass- 5 counts. He was issued a court date with GA 9.

On September 4, 2016 while on a proactive patrol at the Thames River, Officer Blackwell observed a vehicle parked approximately (50) yards from the nearest road on the side of a set of active railroad tracks. Four individuals were located across the tracks on private property actively fishing. Weeks before Officer Blackwell had verified with the land owner that no one should be on the property and no one had permission to be there for any reason. Officer Blackwell had also verified with the railroad that no one should be walking or driving on or next to the railroad tracks. Contact was made and resulted in Accused #1 not have a fishing license and had the following violations: 14 Scup Less than Minimum Length, 1 Tautog Less than Minimum Length & Out of Season, Possession of Bluefish without a Fishing License, Simple Trespass, and Trespass on Railroad Tracks. Accused #2, #3, and #4 Collectively possessed 22 legal sized Scup, 1 legal Northern King Fish, and 32 Scup Less than Minimum Length. Accused #2, #3, and #4 were charged with the possession of 32 Scup Less than Minimum Length, Simple Trespass, and Trespass on Railroad Tracks.

September 26, 2016 while on a proactive patrol at Rocky Neck State Park, Officer Blackwell observed four individuals walking from a rocky area near the water carrying bags, tackle boxes, fishing poles, and other assorted fishing gear. Contact was made with the individuals, three of the four advised they were fishing. In speaking with them they stated that they were fishing for Bluefish and had several in their possession. They also stated that they had all equally contributed to the total amount of Bluefish in their possession. Accused #1 was found to have no fishing license. An inspection of the Bluefish revealed them to be “snapper blues” and there was a total of 65, the accused were 45 fish over the daily creel limit. Accused #1 was charged with Fishing without a License and Possession of Bluefish Over the Daily Creel Limit- 15 counts. Accused #2 was charged with Possession of Bluefish Over the Daily Creel Limit- 15 counts. Accused #2 was charged with Possession of Bluefish Over the Daily Creel Limit- 15 counts.




MARINE DISTRICT SEPTEMBER 2016 MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS


MOTOR VEHICLE / DUI ENFORCEMENT:

On September 16, 2016 Officer Blackwell was dispatched to Rocky Neck State Park for a motor vehicle crash with damage to State Park property. As a result of the investigation the driver from Massachusetts was arrested and charged with DUI, Hours of Operation State Park, and Failure to Maintain Lane. The driver was issued a court date with GA 10.


FRAUD INVESTIGATION:

On 11/5/2015 Officer Torres received information from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) regarding an insurance fraud involving a vessel that had run aground into submerged rocks off the Branford coast. Involved agencies included the US Coast Guard, Branford Police, Branford Fire, NICB and Sea Tow. A passenger of the vessel contacted the Coast Guard at approximately 6:30 AM to report the grounding. Coast Guard notified Sea Tow to respond. Sea Tow arrived on scene at 7:52 AM but was waived off by the owner because he had no insurance on the vessel. Branford Police was also notified of the incident at approximately 8:21 AM and sent Branford Fire to the scene who took five people off of the vessel to shore. Branford FD cleared the scene at 10:10 AM. Officer Torres obtained reports from the aforementioned agencies which outlined a valuable timeline of events. NCIB related to Officer Torres that an insurance company had contacted them regarding the incident and had flagged the owner on suspicious activity after purchasing insurance on the vessel the same day as the incident. Tow Boats US ultimately recovered the vessel and charged the insurance company $11,000. Officer Torres met with the owner of the vessel and was able to obtain a voluntary sworn written statement of which the owner admitted to purchasing a marine insurance policy after the incident occurred. The owner confessed to lying to the insurance company when asked if the vessel had any prior damaged stating it had none and that he was putting in the water. Officer Torres applied for and was granted an arrest warrant for the owner of the vessel for a felony charge of insurance fraud. The owner met with Officer Torres on 9/24/2016 at Troop where he was arrested.

Western District Highlights
HUNTING ENFORCEMENT:

On 9/15/2016, an officer received a report of a pile of corn and apples on a private piece of property in Burlington with a ground blind and tree stand facing the bait piles. Upon receiving the complaint and arriving on scene, an adult male and a juvenile male were found actively engaged in hunting deer over the bait. The adult male was issued a misdemeanor summons for the violation.

On 9/18/16, an officer was dispatched to a report that someone had killed a fawn in the Waterbury area. DEEP Emergency dispatch had received dozens of calls about someone that posted a picture on a popular CT hunting Facebook page of a dead doe and fawn in the back of a pick-up truck. The suspect was identified, and the officer responded to his residence in Naugatuck. The suspect admitted that he shot the fawn earlier in the morning in Southbury. He was issued a misdemeanor summons for the killing of the fawns. The fawn was seized and donated to a local Hunt to Feed charity organization.


FISHING ENFORCEMENT:

On 09/13/16 DEEP Dispatch contacted Officer Flockhart for a complaint of illegal fishing at Bristol Reservoir #7 in the town of Plymouth. Upon arriving to the scene, Officer Flockhart located a vehicle that was parked nearby the entrance to the reservoir. At this time Officer Flockhart utilized her K9 partner, Ellie, to track off the vehicle in an attempt to locate the operator. Ellie tracked off the vehicle and into the woods off a trail to the reservoir where 2 individuals were illegally fishing. The two individuals were subsequently issued infractions for Fishing in a Reservoir. In addition, one of the suspects had a warrant for his arrest and was turned over to the custody of Plymouth Police for his outstanding warrant.

PARK & FOREST:

On 9/24/2016 officers responded to a call in Peoples State Forest of vehicle that had crashed into a tree on Greenwoods Road. Upon arrival there was no occupants in the vehicle and the vehicle appeared to have been there for a while. After locating the registered owners address officers went to the house and found that the son had crashed the vehicle the night before and was currently at work. The operator was then located at his place of employment, and subsequently issued a misdemeanor summons for Evading Responsibility and infractions for Restricted Turn and Hours of Operation.

BOATING ENFORCEMENT:

On 9/6/16 a vessel, from a vessel fire on Candlewood Lake on 8/30/16, was recovered and brought to shore by the State EnCon Police. Officers and the Brookfield Fire Marshal's Office were able to determine that the fire started in the stern of the vessel from an unknown cause. Officers were originally dispatched on 8/30/16 to investigate a boat fire that occurred the night prior on Candlewood Lake in the town of Brookfield. The vessel was floating at a dock unattended when it caught fire. The fire burned through the dock lines and the vessel floated to the middle of Echo Bay where it sank. On 9/1/16 EnCon officers located the vessel underwater through the use of vessel mounted side-scan sonar. On 9/2/16 the location of the vessel was confirmed by the Brookfield Police Department's Dive Team and was marked.

NARCOTIC ENFORCEMENT:

Officers from the Northwest and Burlington Police Department teamed up after receiving complaints off illegal trespassing and possible poaching and marijuana cultivation activities from several private landowners. After locating a possible marijuana grow which included several marijuana plants hidden in plain sight, generators, water tanks and an irrigation system Officers from Burlington Police emplaced a surveillance camera over the weekend and found that the same individual was tending to the crops in the early afternoon. On 9/26/16, moments after checking the surveillance camera an individual was heard riding an ATV in the vicinity. The Burlington Police Officer maintained a position of vantage on the ATV operator, while the EnCon Officer sat within the marijuana plants to observe if the individual was arriving to tend to the plants. The operator drove directly to the marijuana grow site and immediately walked past the EnCon officer, concealed within the brush, and began tending and pruning one marijuana plant. The Encon Officer was able to determine that the induvial was the same as seen on surveillance photos from the previous two days. The individual then walked over to a second marijuana located 10 feet away from the EnCon Officer and began pruning and tending to that plant. The individual was then taken into custody by the EnCon Officer and turned over to the Burlington Police Department without incident. EnCon Officers continued to assist Burlington Police by using 4WD patrol vehicles to seize and transport all evidence from the remote cultivation location. The individual was charged by the Burlington Police Department with several counts of Illegal Cultivation of Marijuana, Criminal Trespass and Illegal Operation of an Unregistered ATV. It was also determined that the individual was the suspect in another illegal marijuana grow operation.

EXOTIC WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT:

On 9/15/16, Weston Police requested assistance at a residence, where they had discovered hundreds of animals, and possibly a Black Mamba and other venomous snakes. Weston Police entered the home for a welfare check after receiving reports of a horrific putrid smell emanating from the house. Upon arrival of an EnCon supervisor and officers, it was determined that the one snake in question was not a Black Mamba. Hundreds of birds and reptiles, both dead and alive, were found in the home. DEEP Hazmat was called to the scene to assist with the hazardous conditions, and Rainforest Reptiles responded to the scene to assist with the removal of the animals. Over the course of hours EnCon personnel processed the scene, identified and removed each animal. Over one hundred animals, alive but in very poor health were removed. None of the species found in the residence or the large barn on the property were illegal to possess therefore, Weston Police assumed the criminal investigation for Cruelty to Animals.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
Eight District officers participated in seven public outreach events, including ride-a-longs, Hunter Safety Classes, a youth group event, and DEEP events.

Wow!.... lotsss of deviant behavior in this report.

There are King Fish in CT waters?:
Sept 4, 2016 - "Thames River.....1 legal Northern King Fish"....???

Ohhhh....these ling cod type looking things...have seen them:

WTG Encon!!!

OCT will be interesting read with the hunting season. Any bets on the amount of arrests over baited areas?

Page 26 of the Hunting Guide...
Deer Hunting Prohibited Activities...
Taking of spotted fawns.

Thanks. .. i never knew. ...i will go read now.