CT STATE ENCON POLICE
EAST DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS
DECEMBER 2016

Deer Hunting Enforcement
On December 2, 2016, Officer Wojcik investigated a complaint of hunting on town-owned property in Enfield. He subsequently found a 38 year old male wandering the property carrying a firearm, who had taken a deer that was untagged. The male was cited for hunting land without consent and failure to tag deer.
On December 3rd Officers Landry and Pettus responded to the town of Union for an anonymous report of a male who had been allegedly drinking at local bars all night, and now possibly road hunting in Nipmuck State Forest. The suspect and vehicle were located at a residence adjacent to the forest, where it could not be ascertained that he had been involved in illegal hunting, but he had an active arrest warrant. The 30 year old was arrested and processed at the State Police barracks in Tolland on the warrant charges of larceny and failure to appear. He was released on a $5000 bond.
On December 10th Officer Arsenault responded to assist Ledyard Police with a complaint of a 64 year old male found hunting with a muzzleloader on property without permission. The male admitted to hunting at least 30 minutes past sunset; the officers stated they had encountered the male with a loaded firearm nearly 45 minutes after sunset. He also stated he’d asked for permission to hunt the property but the owner told him it was to be subdivided. He was cited for Hunting w/o Written Consent and Hunting Deer Past Sunset.
On December 12th Officers Pettus and Scatena-Kurtzenacker responded to the town of Somers for a complaint of an illegally taken deer hanging in a neighbor’s garage after hearing a shot. The male was questioned about the incident, and was cited for trespassing / hunting his neighbor’s land without consent. The deer was seized as evidence.
On December 12th, Officers Arsenault, Pettus and Scatena-Kurtzenacker were patrolling MDC water company property in the town of Glastonbury which is known for illegal hunting. A 55 year old Massachusetts male was found archery hunting from a tree stand with cracked corn bait in front of it, without a deer permit or wearing any fluorescent orange clothing. The subject admitted to knowing he should wear orange clothing, and had seen the ‘No Trespassing’ signs. He was arrested for the violations and Hunting w/o Landowner Consent.
On December 17th, Officer Ruggiero responded to Haddam Neck on a complaint of illegal deer hunting. Two males were found muzzleloader hunting on private land adjacent to Silvio Conte US Fish and Wildlife Service property; one 45 year old male had no hunting license or deer permit and admitted he did not want to buy them ‘just for a one day hunt.’ He was arrested for the violations.

Boating Accident Follow-up
On November 13, 2016, Officers Buonocore and Vroman had responded to Coventry Lake for a capsized kayak with a male and female in the water; both received hospital care for hypothermia. While investigating the incident, it was found that the wife had a valid court order of protection against her 59 year old husband. A warrant was ordered by Rockville Superior Court for the male subject, who was arrested on December 20th at the court for violation of a protective order. He was released on a $35,000 bond, and turned over to judicial marshals for a court appearance that day.
Motor Vehicle Enforcement Follow-up
On December 11 2016, Sgt. Dwyer observed a 40 year old Mansfield resident, known to have an active warrant from State Police and an indefinite license suspension, operating a motor vehicle in Chaplin near state property. The subject was stopped, arrested and processed accordingly. Officers Arsenault and Scatena-Kurtzenacker arrested him for the motor vehicle operation charge, as well as the warrant for Assault 3rd degree, Interfering, Disorderly Conduct and Failure to Appear. He was released on a cash bond to appear in Danielson Superior Court.
Search and Rescue
On December 14th EnCon Police were notified by State Police in Montville that a 13 year old female had run away from her mother in Hopeville Pond State Park, Griswold, sometime mid-afternoon and had not been seen since. Officers Tavares, Landry, K9 Officer Reilly and Sergeant Chemacki responded to the scene to begin a search; the female was found safe at her home several hours later.
Late on the night of December 26th EnCon Police were requested by State Police Troop in Danielson, to assist with a search for a missing 18 year old male from Sterling. The male had left his home on a small dirt bike with a backpack and minimal clothing earlier that afternoon and had not returned back at dark when expected. Officers Arsenault, Landry, Scatena-Kurtzenacker and Sergeant Dwyer initiated a search of DEEP state properties with ATVs overnight; the following day, Sergeant Kane, Captain Lundin and Colonel Overturf worked with CSP personnel to determine potential search areas and coverage. The search involved most Eastern District EnCon Police officers, a K9, and ATV support for the next four days at the request of State Police; also assisting were various DEEP Parks staff and equipment, and Rhode Island Environmental Police. The active search by EnCon Police ended late Friday, December 30th after State Police suspended their search; all DEEP properties and adjacent land were searched extensively with negative results.
Park and Forest / ATV Enforcement
On December 15th Sergeant Dwyer was patrolling Gay City State Park and saw a male in a parking lot with his pants down, relieving himself in direct public view. The 25 year old male was initially uncooperative, was evicted and cited for disorderly conduct.
On December 26th Officer Pettus received a complaint of two motor vehicles abandoned in Nipmuck State Forest, Union. Upon investigation, it was determined a 26 year old Massachusetts resident had gotten his Jeep Cherokee stuck in a brook; he went back with another pickup truck to retrieve the Jeep and got that stuck as well. He was cited for Trespassing / Unauthorized Use of Trails, and both vehicles were eventually removed at the owner’s expense.

CT STATE ENCON POLICE
MARINE DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS
DECEMBER 2016

Public Safety Assist
On December 1st Officer Curran was traveling eastbound on I-95 in the town of Old Lyme and stopped for what appeared to be a single motor vehicle accident. As Officer Curran approached the vehicle to check on the severity of the incident he quickly realized that he was the first Officer on scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident that had just occurred. The female operator of the vehicle had parked along the shoulder and over the fog line to tend to her three year old daughter who was in the back seat. The operator was standing on the roadside with the rear passenger door open when she was struck and killed by a tractor trailer who could not veer left to avoid her. The tractor trailer went airborne over the embankment and crashed into several trees. The tractor trailer operator, small child and the passenger in the car were unharmed. Officer Curran was able to block the travel lane of I-95 with his patrol vehicle and maintained control of the scene. He also attended to the small child and calming both, the passenger and truck driver, until State Police and EMS arrived on scene.
Shellfish Enforcement
On December 5th Sergeant Stone and Officer Hey were patrolling Long Island Sound accompanied by two FDA (Food & Drug Administration) officers checking for shellfish compliance. Eleven vessels were checked which resulted in one vessel captain receiving a written warning for not having the required license.
Waterfowl Enforcement
On December 5th Officer Nivolo received a complaint of after-hours waterfowl violations on the Farm River in East Haven. Officer Nivolo located the accused who confessed to shooting 15 rounds at ducks approximately 25 minutes after sunset. Officer Nivolo issued the accused an infraction for hunting waterfowl during closed hours.
Deer Hunting Enforcement
On December 11th Officer Tefft received a tip regarding an individual that the CT State Police had in custody pertaining to a report of illegal deer hunting on private property. State Police received information that two males were walking in a wooded area around several business in the area of Hatchett’s Hill Rd in Old Lyme in which one of them was in possession of a long gun. State Police arrived on scene and also detained a second suspect located within the area. The second individual was detained but was not in possession of the firearm. He did however have two live .243 rifle rounds on his person. State Police utilized a K-9 and conducted a track from where the second individual was picked up. The K-9 unit located a Sears and Roebuck Winchester .243 rifle of which there were four live rounds of .243 ammunition on the ground around it that were the same as those found on the second individual. A criminal history check on said individual determined that he was a convicted felon. An in-house records check showed two prior “jacklighting” arrests and that he had also been arrested for illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, the latest arrest was in 2010. The accused was subsequently arrested for Criminal Possession of a Firearm and Reckless Endangerment by State Police. Officer Tefft also charged the suspect with Negligent Hunting 3rd and Negligent Hunting 4th of which include the following: Sunday Hunting, Deer Hunting out of Season, Hunting w/o Florescent Orange, Hunting on Private Property w/o Permission, Hunting w/o a License and Hunting Deer w/o Proper Permits.
On December 12th Officer Blackwell received an anonymous complaint of illegal deer hunting on Becket Hill Rd in Lyme of which three gun shots were heard. Upon arrival Officer Blackwell saw a man in full camouflage clothing carrying a rifle within the wooded area. Upon seeing the Officer’s patrol vehicle he began running away through the woods. Officer Blackwell announced her presence and ordered the suspect to stop with negative results. Officer Blackwell checked the wooded area where she last saw the male and found a dead white tailed deer. At this time Officer Blackwell requested a K-9 unit response to track the male. Officer Logiodice and K-9 Ruger arrived on scene along with Sergeant Stone and began a track. The track went through the wooded area ending at a house nearby but no one was located. A foot patrol of the area by officers located a second dead white tailed deer. A neighborhood canvass identified a witness who had heard gunshots and saw a red Ford pick-up truck parked at a residence nearby. Said witness was able to photograph the vehicle but was unable to provide license plate information. Officer Blackwell circulated the photo to local police departments and on December 15th a Sergeant from the CT State Police recognized the vehicle from the picture at a popular deli in Lyme and in turn notified us. The trooper made contact with the truck’s operator and engaged him in conversation until Sergeant Stanko and Officer Bruno arrived. Sergeant Stanko began an investigation into the operator and a consent to search his vehicle resulted in locating one spent .22 mag rifle shell casing within the cab area. Sergeant Stanko obtained a full confession from said individual who confirmed he shot both deer. The individual was subsequently arrested with the following charges: Deer Hunting with a Rifle During the Closed Season, Deer Hunting on Private Land with a Rifle with Less than 10 Acres, Firearms Deer Hunting within 500’ of an Occupied Building, and Deer Hunting without Wearing the Required Minimum 400 Square Inches of Florescent Orange.
On December 23rd Captain Williams along with Officers Curran and Blackwell responded to Route 95 in Mystic between exits 90 and 91 for a report of two individuals that were dropped off along the highway wearing camouflage clothing, carrying long guns and running into the woods. A Stonington Police Officer and Stonington K-9 Officer also responded. Captain Williams located an unoccupied vehicle matching the description on Jerry Brown Road in Mystic. The area is close in proximity to where it was spotted on the highway. Captain Williams saw a black plastic gun case in plain view on the back seat within the vehicle. A short time later three individuals were located within the wooded area wearing the required 400 square inches of florescent orange. One individual however did not have the required deer permit or landowner consent to hunt the property. A second individual provided a Maryland driver’s license with an in-state CT hunting license. After questioning the individual, he admitted to Captain Williams that he was a resident of Maryland and used his father’s Stonington address to obtain the in-state hunting license. The first individual was charged with Deer Hunting without a Permit and Hunting on Private Land without Consent, the second individual was charged with Falsifying Information. The individuals stated that they did not have their florescent orange on when they exited the vehicle on the highway because they did not want the general public to think they were hunting.

CT STATE ENCON POLICE
WEST DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS
DECEMBER 2016

HUNTING ENFORCEMENT

On 12/3/16 Officers Yescott and Heath, after days of conducting surveillance on a property in the town of Cromwell, located 2 males, not wearing the required orange clothing, actively hunting from tree stands over a baited area. A check showed neither of the males had a firearms hunting license nor had purchased firearms deer hunting permits. One did not have written consent from the landowner, and the other’s consent form was incomplete. One male was hunting with a .223 caliber rifle which is not allowed for deer hunting and is under the minimum caliber size legal in CT. The accused were issued Misdemeanor Summonses for the following charges. First male charged with Illegally deer hunting without wearing orange; Negligent hunting in the 4th degree; Illegally deer hunting private land without written consent and Illegally deer hunting over bait. Second male was charged with Illegally deer hunting without wearing orange; Negligent hunting in the fourth degree; Illegally hunting deer without a deer permit and Illegally deer hunting over bait. Both are scheduled to appear at Middletown Superior Court.

On 12/20/16 Officer Johnston was investigating a suspicious vehicle on the side of Rt. 7 in the town of Ridgefield. Upon following foot tracks in the snow from the vehicle a suspect who was bow hunting was located on Norwalk River Flood Control Site #3 property where hunting is prohibited. The suspect was not wearing fluorescent orange which is required by bow hunters when out of a tree stand during the firearms season. The suspect was released on a promise to appear with a court date at GA-3 in Danbury for the violations of Failure to Wear 400 square inches of Fluorescent Orange and Failure to Carry Written Landowner Permission. The bow was seized in conjunction with the arrest.

On12/23/16 EnCon Dispatch received a call from an anonymous individual stating that there was a “tree stand baited with corn on neighbor’s property” in Morris. On 12/24/16 Officer Norton located four (4) tree stands. Of the four (4) tree stands, two (2) of them had fresh bait that was placed in the open, and could be clearly seen despite the snow on the ground. On the morning of 12/27/16, Sergeant Begley and Officer Norton returned to the area in an attempt to locate an individual actively hunting. While checking the tree stands located a few days prior, Sergeant Begley located the remanence of a mineral lick that was placed in the area of a 3rd tree stand. This was only able to be seen on this morning due to the fact that the majority of the snow in the area had melted. On 12/28/16 Officer Norton conducted a check of the property, and as he drove up the roadway he observed a red-colored Ford Excursion parked in the same spot where tire marks were observed a few days prior. He approached the area where the tree stand was located and saw there was a male individual, dressed in full camouflage, no fluorescent orange, stationed in the tree stand a few feet off the ground. It was determined the property where the individual was hunting belonged to his brother; therefore exempting the male individual from the written consent requirement. Officer Norton issued a Misdemeanor Summons for one count of Illegal Deer Hunt (bait), and one count of Failure to Wear Fluorescent Orange. He was given a court date for January of 2017.

On 12/28/16 Officer Norton, received information that an individual was seen in full camouflage and no fluorescent orange in the area of Cogswell Road in Cornwall, where an individual has been seen in the past on trail cameras off property, wearing the same and carrying a rifle. Officer Norton made contact with the original complainant who informed him that the individual was actively hunting, and was driving a black-colored Ford pickup truck. Officers Yescott and Norton arrived in the area where they observed a black-colored Ford pickup parked in the driveway. After confirming with the complainant that the vehicle parked in the driveway matched the description of the vehicle seen earlier, they proceeded off on foot in an attempt to locate the operator of the vehicle. They located a male individual dressed in full camouflage with no fluorescent orange inside of a camouflage hunting blind who stated that he was there to hunt for coyote. Officer Yescott proceeded to ask if the individual had any bait placed for coyote, if he had decoys, or had any type of calls or calling devices with him for coyote; all of which are common practice for individuals actively coyote hunting. The individual stated that he had none of those items in place or with him, and when asked what type of load he had for his shotgun, the individual stated he had “slugs.” Upon further investigation Officer Yescott located two (2) bottles of deer urine and three (3) plastic containers containing scent wicks. In the back seat of his vehicle officers located an unloaded muzzleloader. When asked why he was carrying his shotgun instead of his muzzleloader, the individual explained that he had no ammunition for the muzzleloader with him. The accused was issued a Misdemeanor Summons for Illegal Deer Hunt, and a written warning for Failure to Wear Fluorescent Orange.

BOATING ENFORCEMENT

On 12/24/2016, Officer Mihalyak was on patrol in the Quinnipiac River Marsh Wildlife Management Area, North Haven. He saw the accused operating a vessel and come in to the boat launch area. The vessel did not have the current registration decal or registration numbers displayed as required. The accused had a current boating certificate but did not have the current registration paperwork for the vessel. Officer Mihalyak confirmed that the vessel was registered to the accused based on the Hull Identification number (HIN). An infraction was issued for Failure to display vessel registration and a verbal warning for Failure to display registration decals, and Failure to carry vessel registration.
PUBLIC SAFETY
On 12/2/16 Officers Yescott and Heath assisted Simsbury PD, at the Nod Brook Dog Training Area, with locating a distraught suicidal young female who took an overdose of pills. After several hours of searching, the female was located in an unconscious state, and was transported by EMS to the hospital.
On 12/21/16 Officer O'Brien while on duty traveling on I-84 in the City of Waterbury overheard CSP Troop A broadcast a road rage incident where one driver had brandished a handgun. The two vehicles were traveling Eastbound approaching his location. Officer O'Brien and a State Trooper were able to catch up to the vehicles. The two conducted a felony stop on the suspect's vehicle and took the subject into custody without incident. A silver semi-automatic handgun was recovered from the center console of the car. The suspect was charged by state police for Threating in the 1st degree and Breach of Peace.

On 12/12/2016 at approximately 1032 hours, Officers from the Southwest were dispatched to Naugatuck State Forest in Beacon Falls to assist CSP and local police with the search for a bank robbery suspect that fled on foot after a police pursuit. The suspect fled from his vehicle on Rt. 8 South and crossed the Naugatuck River into Naugatuck State Forest. K-9 Teams from various departments including Officer Kiely and his K-9 partner Baloo were sent to the area to assist with the search. Officer Kiely and K-9 Baloo assisted CSP Troopers with locating the suspect and taking him into custody. K-9 Baloo alerted with a positive ID on the suspect. The suspect was turned over to Southington PD and transported to Waterbury Hospital.

NUISANCE WILDLIFE
On 12/28/16 Sergeant Begley and Officer Yescott assisted a homeowner in Goshen with evicting a black bear who was denning under his house. The large boar, approximately 600 lbs. was hazed and evicted from the property.

Evicted a 600# boar black bear denning under a Goshen house....Wow!....nice bear

Can't fix stupid...and that is one hell of a bear. What's Hazed?

Wow, busy month.