CT State EnCon Police
Marine District Highlights
October 2017

Fishing Enforcement
On 10/1/2017 Officer Logiodice was on patrol with K-9 Ruger at Hammonassett State Park and noticed an individual fishing from the rocks. Officer Logiodice conducted a fishing compliance check of the individual and found him to be in possession of two short striped bass measuring 13 and 17 inches. It was also determined the individual did not have a fishing license. The individual was issued a Misdemeanor Summons for possession of undersized striped bass, fishing w/o a license and over the daily creel limit of striped bass.
On 10/4/2017 Officer Blackwell was on Patrol of the Thames River in Waterford and saw four individuals fishing from shore. Of the four, one had in his possession four scup below the minimum length limit of 10 inches. An in-house history check on said individual revealed a lengthy history including illegal possession of river herring in 2014, 2015, 2016 as well as possession of short scup in 2016 on several occasions. Said individual’s fishing license was also suspended in 2015. Officer Blackwell issued the repeat offender an infraction for possession of short scup and seized his catch.
On 10/7/17 Officers Bruno and Tefft were patrolling Quanaduck Cove in Stonington and noticed three individuals fishing from shore. Officer Tefft began checking the individuals for compliance and found a bucket containing several scup of which were undersized. Officer Tefft explained to the individual that Scup needed to be at least 10 inches. Officer Tefft then saw a plastic bag next to said individual of which contained several more scup the largest being 7 inches. All three individuals admitted to catching the scup and were each issued infractions for possession less than minimum length of scup.
On 10/10/17 Officer Curran was patrolling Long Island Sound in East Lyme at McCook Park and saw an individual catch a summer flounder (Fluke) and put it in a cooler. Fluke season closed Sept. 21, 2017. Upon checking the individual, Officer Curran also located several scup next to said individual of which were undersized. Officer Curran also observed another undersized fluke next to the one in the cooler. The individual also had no fishing license and was arrested in 2016 for possession of an undersized striped bass. The individual was issued an infraction for undersized scup and illegal possession of fluke during the closed season.
On 10/22/17 Sergeant Chemacki was checking fishermen at the boat launch in New Haven Harbor and encountered 4 individuals in violation of fishing regulations. One individual was cited for possession of fluke out of season and less than minimum length as well as no fishing license and two undersized black sea bass. Three other individuals were also cited for possession of undersized black sea bass.
On 10/21/17 Officer Tefft was patrolling Long Island Sound in Old Lyme and an observed a buoy in the water approximately 400 yards west of Hatchett Reef. The buoy did not have a license number on it and was subsequently pulled revealing a lobster pot of which had no license number on it as well and the escape vent was attached with plastic zip ties. It is required that the panel be installed with biodegradable material. The pot had a personal use lobster pot tag and number. The number was referenced and the owner contacted. The owner of said lobster pot was cited for failure to brand (properly mark) his buoy and pot and failure to have biodegradable material on the escape vent.

Park & Forest
On 10/10/17 Officer Blackwell was patrolling Harkness Memorial State Park at approximately 8:30 PM and observed 3 vehicle parked outside the main gate in the fishermen’s parking area. Upon checking several fishermen in the area, Officer Blackwell was advised by said fishermen that there were several Individuals inside the park the appeared to be up to no good. Over the last several months several buildings within the park have been vandalized. State Parks are closed at sunset of which on this day was at 6:18 PM. A short while late Officer Blackwell saw three females walking out of the park to the fishermen’s parking area. Officer Blackwell engaged in conversation with the individuals and immediately detected the strong odor of marijuana coming from all of them. Officer Blackwell advised the individuals she could smell marijuana on them and advised them to hand over any and all narcotics and paraphernalia they had. Initially 1.8 grams of marijuana was turned over. When the door of the vehicle the three females arrived in was opened, Officer Blackwell detected another strong odor of marijuana and once again asked if there were more drugs in the vehicle. Nothing else was voluntarily turned over. Officer Blackwell conducted a search of the vehicle and found another 10.3 grams of marijuana and paraphernalia along with a bottle which contained 1 Xanax pill that was not prescribed to her. The three females were charged with illegal possession of marijuana and violating hours of operation in a state park.
Public Outreach
On 10//17 Officer Nivolo participated in a USCG training exercise at Coast Guard Station New Haven in which expert kayakers demonstrated to Coast Guard Crewmen what it was like to have a 45’ Coast Guard vessel approach them for a safety inspection. Officers were put into kayaks in the water and were able to see firsthand the stress of trying to stay upright and in control when a vessel that size is upon them. It gave the crewmen a better understanding about boarding procedures and safety on Long Island Sound when conducting compliance checks to those in kayaks or other manually propelled vessels.
Sergeant Stanko taught our Hunting Law curriculum to a number of Officers around the southeast portion of the state at Montville PD for their recertification. This is a great opportunity to interact with local Police Departments and an opportunity to educate them on how they can assist us and what we are looking for should they get called for a hunting related crime.

CT State EnCon Police
East District Highlights
October 2017

Public Safety Incidents
On 10/14/17, Officer Reilly was investigating potential illegal deer hunting on private property adjacent to Pickerel Lake, Colchester, when she heard trees and branches being hit by bullets very close to her, causing her to take cover. While Officers Landry, Wojcik and Sergeant Dwyer responded to the incident, Officer Reilly determined a 48 year old male and 49 year old female were target shooting with a .22 long rifle from their house toward a target in their backyard, attached to a swing set, which had no backstop and went indiscriminately into the adjacent, private land Officer Reilly had been checking. Both husband and wife admitted their target shooting set-up was unsafe, and both were arrested for Unlawful Discharge of a Weapon and Reckless Endangerment. They were released on bonds with court appearances, and the weapon was seized.
On October 6th, CT State Police Troop C eventually notified EnCon Police of a suicidal female they were searching for, who left Johnson Memorial Hospital in Somers that morning and ran across the street into Shenipsit State Forest property. Officers Danielson, Landry and Pettus responded to assist in locating the individual, who was found safe by local police some distance away several hours later.
Officers Danielson and Vroman responded on October 13th to Mansfield Hollow State Park on a report from a patron of a suspicious male on a trail. Officers and State Police checked the area and found a somewhat confused 33 year old local male, who was eventually taken to Windham Hospital for evaluation; family responded and advised the subject was known to wander from his home but was of no danger to himself or others.

Park / Forest / WMA Enforcement
On 10/13/17, Officer Landry was on patrol around sunset at Soapstone Mountain, Shenipsit State Forest, Somers when she found a 27 year old Massachusetts man standing on top of the observation tower which has been closed for a couple of years due to its unsafe condition. Further, the area is well posted as closed and the two lower staircases have been removed to prevent access. The subject safely returned to the ground, where he was cited for trespassing and evicted.
Littering / Dumping Incidents
About 9/16/17, Officer Vroman received a complaint of dumping on Wyndham Land Trust property in Pomfret. Initially finding extensive construction debris and an old metal shed, he found another twenty-eight (28) bags of trash on the pile on 9/26/17. Officer Vroman tracked the shed and construction debris to a woman in Massachusetts, who stated she hired a man from Putnam to remove the debris. The 22 year old male subject was located, admitted to dumping at least two loads of debris and the shed, and was cited on 10/2/17 for two counts of dumping, over $400 in fines. Also on 10/2/17, Officer Vroman located a 38 year old male from Putnam who admitted to dumping the other trash bags; he was cited for littering with a $219 fine. All debris was removed by Pomfret public works.
On October 4th, Officer Vroman found brush, stone, trash and cardboard in a parking area of Yale Forest, Ashford; he located the 56 year old male from Ware, Massachusetts who admitted to dumping the garbage and cited him for a $219 littering fine. The subject also cleaned up the trash.

Public Outreach Events
On October 14th, Eastern District Officers Vroman and Lundin attended the CT Trappers Association 50th Anniversary Fall Convention in Chaplin with a display and exchanged much information with over 100 participants.
Officer Wojcik attended Middlesex Community College on October 30th for a class on ‘Exploring Environmental Careers,’ where he reviewed the work of an EnCon Police Officer, and brought along a rehabilitated raptor.






CT State EnCon Police
West District Highlights
August 2017

BOATING ENFORCEMENT:

On 10/16/2017 a male from Newtown was arrested by Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police Officers. The arrest was a result of an arrest warrant issued in connection with the July 11, 2017 two vessel fatal boating collision on Lake Zoar in Southbury. The accused was charged for violation of Rules for preventing collisions, failure to keep proper lookout and reckless boating first degree. He was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond and is due to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on 10/31/2017.
HUNTING ENFORCEMENT:

On 10/6/2017 while on patrol of Valley Service Road in North Haven a Southwest officer noticed a white colored Chevy Silverado parked adjacent to private property. The property belonged to a property management firm out of New York City and Officer Kiely suspected the operator of the vehicle to be illegally hunting the property. Prior to the date of this incident the officer had located several tree stands on the property. After entering the woods he located a white male wearing full camouflage walking along an unmarked trail carrying a crossbow. The crossbow was cocked and drawn back with three bolts in the quiver. The suspect stated he was hunting deer from his tree stand and thought the property belonged to the State. Quinnipiac River State Park is in close proximity to where the hunter was stopped however, the State parcel was across the Quinnipiac River and the hunter did not appear wet. The accused escorted Officer Kiely to his homemade tree stand consisting of cut branches, rope, and resting pad. The location of the tree stand was on private property and confirmed not to be on State land. The accused who possessed a valid 2017 Archery deer license stated he did not have written consent to hunt the private property and did not know the property owner. Based on the loaded condition of the crossbow with the bolts easily accessible in the quiver, while walking along the unmarked trail on private land- in a place where a reasonable person would believe the objective was to take wildlife, and the verbal admission that he had been illegally hunting from the tree stand, the accused was issued a misdemeanor summons for the following violations; Criminal Trespass 3rd, and Archery Hunting on Private Land Without Written Consent. The accused was released on a $200.00 cash bond with a court date of 10/17/2017 at G.A. 7 Meriden.

On 10/07/17, officers from the Northwest sector were checking a private parcel of land in the town of Harwinton due to a recent complaint of hunters illegally hunting on said property and also hunting over bait. Upon arriving at the property, an officer located a male sitting in a tree stand dressed in full camouflage and holding a compound bow. Upon further investigation the male was also found to be hunting over multiple types of bait. As a result, the male was issued a Misdemeanor Summons for hunting over bait, Criminal Trespass 3rd, Negligent Hunting 4th and Hunting without consent. The hunting gear used by the male was also seized as evidence. The accused is scheduled to appear at the Torrington Superior court later this month.

On 10/7/17, a Northwest officer was patrolling a private property located in Windsor in response to complaints of suspected illegal hunting activity. As the officer was out on foot he located an individual dressed in camouflage carrying a bow and a backpack. As the officer began to approach the individual’s location he could see the male walk quickly to his vehicle and remove his camouflage clothing. As the male walked around his vehicle he was no longer wearing camouflage or carrying a bow. The individual began to get into his vehicle as to drive away when the officer instructed him to stop and exit the vehicle. The individual stated that he was out "looking for deer" and showed the officer his trail camera. A camouflage headpiece was observed on the dashboard and a grunt tube on the driver seat where the man was just sitting. The officer walked to where he last saw the man wearing camouflage and located his hunting jacket partially hidden under items in the bed of his truck. Located under the jacket was his bow with attached quiver and arrows, wrist release and range finder. Also located next to the box was a backpack containing several flashlights, some of which with attachments for a bow as well as two pouches containing batteries. The man was also found to not have a hunting license or a valid Archery Permit. Subsequently the individual was charged with two counts of Negligent Hunting in the 4th Degree and Illegal Deer Hunting without Landowner Consent. He was released on a $500 cash bond and will be arraigned in Enfield Superior Court.

On 10/22/17 a Southwest officer was dispatched to Paugussett State Forest in the Town of Newtown for a report of a male dressed in camouflage walking into the forest. Upon arrival he located a New York state resident who was in possession of a bow and arrows with broad heads attached. He also admitted that he was hunting in the forest. The suspect was issued a summons for violation of CGS 26-73 Hunting on Sunday with a court date of 11/6/17 at GA-3 in Danbury.

On 10/28/2017 a Southwest officer noticed a black colored Ford F250 bearing Massachusetts registration parked on New England Drive in Wallingford. The registered owner was a suspect in a lengthy investigation stemming from information provided by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in 2016 of a Massachusetts resident who was allegedly baiting deer on Wallingford Open Space Property (Tyler Mill Preserve). In 2016 an illegal tree stand and bait pile were located and checked routinely, however, the suspect was never caught actively hunting the property. On 10/21/2017 the officer found a fresh bait pile consisting of whole kernel corn which was placed in closed proximity to the tree stand. Deer Harvest records indicated the suspect had already harvested an antlered buck from Wallingford at the beginning of October. On 10/28/2017 after seeing the same vehicle in close proximity to the illegal stand the officer entered Open Space property and located the accused with a notched arrow hunting over a freshly placed pile of bait consisting of sweet mash/ whole kernel corn. The accused, who possessed a valid non-resident archery license, stated he had permission to hunt private property on New England Drive however, stated there wasn’t a good place to put his tree stand. The accused verbally admitted to knowing he was on Open Space Property and thought it was legal to bait deer in Wallingford (Zone 7).
The accused was issued a Misdemeanor Summons for violations of Illegal use of bait, and Archery hunting on private land without written consent. The accused was released on a $500.00 non-surety bond with a court date of 11/9/17 at G.A. 7 Meriden.

On 10/28/2017 an officer from the Northwest sector was investigating a report of possible illegal hunting taking place on a piece of private property located in the town of Plymouth. Upon arriving to the property, this officer noticed a pickup truck parked in the grass with items visible on the back seat conducive to an individual who would be hunting. Upon further investigation this officer located a male party wearing all camouflage clothing holding a cross bow sitting in an elevated tree stand. Further investigation found that the accused did not possess a valid consent form for the private property he was hunting on. The accused was ultimately issued a Misdemeanor Summons for "Bow hunting on private property without written consent". The accused's hunting equipment was seized as evidence and the accused is due to appear at Bristol Superior court on a later date to answer these charges.

FISHING ENFORCEMENT:

On 10/29/17, Northwest officers were dispatched to West Hartford for a report of an individual selling undersized striped bass in front of a laundromat. Upon arrival officers located the suspect and found that he was attempting to sell 31 undersize Striped Bass, 1 Scup and 1 Bluefish. The suspect freely admitted to selling the fish and stated to officers that he sold 3 Striped Bass prior to their arrival. The suspect informed Officers that he personally caught all the fish this morning in Waterford. Officers immediately recognized this suspect as he has been arrested numerous times for various fishing violations. A check with dispatch showed that the suspect’s fishing privileges were indefinitely suspended and he had two active warrants for his arrest, one of which was a Failure to Appear for a previous fishing violation. The suspect was taken into custody and charged with 31 counts of Possession of Striped Bass Less Than Legal Length, 31 Counts of Possession of Striped Bass In Excess of Daily Creel, Sale of Striped Bass, Commercial Fishing without a License, Fishing with a Suspended License and Possession of Marijuana. The suspect was also processed on his two outstanding warrants which included Failure to Pay or Plea and Violation of Probation. The suspect was held on a $40,500 cash/surety bond and transferred to Hartford Correctional Center pending his arraignment.

NWCO/TRAPPING ENFORCEMENT:

On 09/14/17 Southwest officers were informed by a DEEP Wildlife Biologist of a trapping violation at 20 Round Table Road in New Milford, involving a Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator (NWCO). The officer met with the complainant who provided information and pictures of several bird traps that were installed on the house by the NWCO. The homeowner was contacted and stated that the accused NWCO was hired to trap woodpeckers that were creating holes in the house’s wood siding. A woodpecker depredation permit is required by the state to trap and relocate woodpeckers. The accused did possess a valid NWCO license but did not have or apply for the woodpecker depredation permit. On 10/21/17 the officer met with the accused who admitted that he was hired to trap woodpeckers by the homeowner and did not have the required permit. He was issued an infraction for Trapping Non-Game Birds.

Never a dull moment. Thank you.

Total BS that the fines for littering and dumping are so low and then the town has to pay to clean the stuff up and haul it away.