Eastern District

Hunting Incidents

On November 1, 2011 Officer Danielson responded to a Hunting Related Shooting Incident in a case where hunters shot at a pheasant and several pellets from the shot hit a nearby house. The shooters were cooperative during the investigation and arrested on scene for shooting toward a dwelling when within range as well as Hunting within 500’ of an occupied dwelling. Both men had been arrested prior for over-bagging pheasants. They were each released on a summons to appear in court.

On November 4, 2011 Officer Jason Williams received a complaint at his house from a local hunter explaining that there was a deer hunter trespassing on the property he had permission to hunt. Officer Williams was off-duty at the time but called on-duty Officer Arsenault who was able to find the poacher and arrest him for multiple charges including hunting deer without permits, hunting deer on private land without written consent, hunting deer with rifle during closed season, and hunting deer without wearing required fluorescent orange clothing. The poacher had his firearm and knife confiscated and was released with a summons to appear in court at a later date.

On November 11, 2011 Officer Stone and Sgt. Tomassone received a call via dispatch regarding a rifle round that had traveled through a screen of a double paned window, entered the living area of a home. The bullet ricocheted off a wall, finally stopping after hitting a stud. The 7.62 x 39 caliber bullet fell to the floor inside the wall. Initially the call came in as a hunting related shooting incident, however, upon further investigation it was determined by the investigating officers that it was a target shooting incident. A local land owner in Putnam allowed some friends to target shoot on his land and what initially appeared to be a safe back-drop was determined to be unsafe. The shooters were located and cooperated fully with the officers. The investigation is ongoing.

On November 12, 2011 Officer Stone and Sgt. Tomassone were following up on a complaint of a home being shot in Pomfret and overheard dispatchers sending Officer J. Williams to a complaint of illegal deer hunting in Eastford. During the investigation it was determined there were two men hunting a piece of private land with rifles during the closed season. One of the hunters had received written permission to hunt the land but the other hunter did not get consent from the landowner. Neither had landowner permits and one of the men had been arrested and convicted of trespassing in 2009 by EnCon officers. Both were arrested for Illegal Deer Hunting and released on a summons to appear in court and both rifles were confiscated.

On November 16, 2011 Officer Pyznar was following up on a case he had heard about in Brooklyn when he found a poacher in a tree hunting deer over a heavily baited area. Officer Pyznar obtained information from the poacher who admitted to shooting a deer on the Monday before the season opened. Officer Pyznar confiscated the illegally possessed deer, which had already been cut and packaged, as well as a hunting knife and the rifle. The man was released with a summons to appear in court for several charges of illegal deer hunting, hunting over bait, and hunting without wearing required fluorescent orange clothing.
On November 19, 2011 Officers DeFelice and Stone received a complaint of illegal deer hunting on property in Chaplin. Upon arrival they found two deer hunters hunting a piece of property owned by an educational institution for autistic children. One of the men was arrested for hunting deer without consent of the landowner and the other, a convicted felon, was arrested for criminal possession of a firearm and hunting within five hundred feet of an occupied building. The first suspect was released on a summons to appear in court and the second suspect was transported to the State Police barracks for felony related charges.
On November 26, 2011 Officer DeFelice and Sgt. Tomassone were patrolling in the Town of Brooklyn and noticed a couple of trucks parked in a cemetery. Upon further investigation it was determined the men were there to search for a deer that had been shot on an adjacent property. They had not obtained permission to be on the property and after a short conversation one of them admitted to having a loaded gun in his truck. The rifle and an additional shotgun were removed from the truck, made safe, and then checked for stolen items. While checking the firearms and criminal history, it was determined that the owner was a convicted felon. He was taken into custody and transported to the State Police barracks for processing and released after posting bond.

Search and Rescue
On November 12, 2011 Officer Pyznar received a call about a group of lost hikers in Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union. Upon arrival he found several State Troopers from Troop C looking for the group. EnCon Officer Arsenault and Sgt. Tomassone also responded to the scene. Upon arrival of Sgt. Tomassone at approximately 7:30 p.m., the lost party had still not been located. Sgt. Tomassone entered the woods and approximately 45 minutes later was able to locate the scared party of four UCONN students, all from China. The group was led out of the woods where they were checked by medical personnel and given rides back to their vehicle. The group had become lost around dark due to the large number of blow-downs from recent storms blocking the marked trails.



Western District


Search & Rescue

On November 11, 2011 EnCon Police received a call from Hamden PD reporting that a Quinnipiac University student who was emotionally disturbed got lost in Sleeping Giant State Park. After a three hour search by EnCon Police officers the female student was located on a hiking trail. Due to the fact that she was apparently suffering from hypothermia, she was transported by Hamden Ambulance to Yale New Haven hospital for treatment.


Deer Hunting Arrests

On November 16, 2011 EnCon Police Officers Nick Miofsky and Tate Begley along with Sgt. Keith Schneider arrested five suspects on charges alleging that they were illegally hunting for deer on private land in Cornwall. EnCon officers conducted a foot patrol of the area on the opening day of firearms deer season. They located five suspects on private property deer hunting. Officers determined that none of the suspects had valid Connecticut hunting licenses or deer harvest permits.
When apprehended, one subject was in possession of an AR-15 style rifle in a caliber that is not permitted for deer hunting in Connecticut. Also found in the hunting cabin where the five were staying was a .22 caliber rifle with a homemade silencer attached. All five were charged with Deer hunting without written consent of the property owner and Failure to wear fluorescent orange clothing. Two of the subjects were also charged with Illegal deer hunting. EnCon Police seized six rifles of various calibers including the .22 with the silencer and the AR-15 style rifle.

On November 17, 2011 EnCon Police officer Paul Hilli received a complaint regarding an individual in Watertown that was in possession of three dead deer at his home. Officer Hilli and Officer Keith Williams determined that the individual did have the three deer but only one was tagged. The individual was arrested for two counts of illegal possession of white tail deer and the deer were seized.


Search for missing boater on Lake Housatonic

On November 28, 2011 EnCon Police responded to Lake Housatonic in Oxford to a report of a missing boater. A one person rowing scull was observed floating overturned on the lake. It was determined that a person had left from the New Haven Rowing Club boathouse with the rowing scull and was last seen rowing towards the northern portion of Lake Housatonic. A search by EnCon Police, the State Police Dive Team, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton fire departments and Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue failed to locate the individual. On November 29th, the rescue attempt became a recovery effort due to the length of time the individual was in the water. The search for the victim continued daily by the EnCon Police and State Police Dive Team. On Saturday December 3rd, the First Light Power Company lowered the level of Lake Housatonic to allow a maximum search effort by EnCon Police, State Police, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton fire departments, Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue, Eagle One Search and Rescue helicopter and the State Police K-9 Search unit. An intensive search was conducted while the lake was drawn down without finding the victim. On December 4th the victim was recovered by EnCon Police officers and State Police emergency services unit. The cause of death and investigation is ongoing.


Marine District Monthly Highlights – November 2011

Commercial Shellfish Arrest
On November 2, 2011 EnCon Police Sgt. Kane received a complaint of illegal commercial shellfishing in the Town of Groton. Officers Tavares and Vroman were dispatched to conduct surveillance on the suspect vessel which they observed heading north on the Poquonock River in Groton. Sgt. Kane and Officers Tavares and Vroman met the vessel at a town boat ramp. The operator of the vessel had twelve bushels of oysters on board which were not in bags affixed with shipping labels as required. The operator of the vessel also did not have the required logbook filled out indicating the exact location the oysters were harvested. The commercial shellfisherman was placed under arrest for the license violations and the twelve bushels of oysters were seized and returned to the waters of Fishers Island Sound.
Deer Hunting / Jacklighting Arrests

On November 20, 2011 East Lyme Police requested assistance from EnCon Police Officer Bouthillier for shots that were fired after sunset on Sunday in an area which was closed to hunting. Sgt. Dwyer and Officer Monday responded to assist. After a search of the wooded area, two individuals were apprehended along with a shotgun, rifle, ammunition, and flashlights. A subsequent search of the subjects’ vehicle yielded marijuana, a scale, packaging materials, and a large amount of cash. The individuals were cited for numerous deer hunting and public safety violations including, Jacklighting Deer and Negligent Hunting. The East Lyme Police Department arrested the suspects for Possession of Marijuana with intent to sell.

On November 24, 2011 EnCon Police Officer Vroman was on foot patrol in a wooded area in the Town of Groton. Officer Vroman heard several gunshots in the area and while on foot patrol to investigate, he came upon a male dressed in full camouflage clothing carrying a compound bow with arrows. Officer Vroman checked for licenses and permits and found the individual did not have permission to hunt on the property, he did not have permits to hunt deer, and he was not wearing fluorescent orange clothing as required. The individual was placed under arrest for the violations.

On November 27, 2011 EnCon Police Officer Vroman responded to a complaint of a deer being shot in a field in the Town of Pomfret. Officer Vroman located the deer and kept it under surveillance. A short time later three individuals returned in a vehicle to retrieve the deer. Officer Vroman called for backup and apprehended the individuals with assistance from EnCon Sgt. Dwyer and State Troopers from Troop D. The individuals were placed under arrest for numerous deer hunting violations including Jacklighting.


Waterfowl Hunting Arrests
On November 30, 2011 EnCon Police Officer Persico responded to a complaint of late waterfowl hunting on the Pattagansett Marsh in the Town of East Lyme. Officer Persico was assisted by EnCon Sgt. Healy and Officer Monday. Officer Persico found the three suspects by their vehicle and checked for licenses and related paperwork. It was found that one of the individuals was in possession of a shotgun which was not plugged. Officer Persico also received a statement from the complainant that he observed the suspects shoot after legal shooting hours. The suspects were placed under arrest for Hunting Waterfowl after Legal Shooting hours, Hunting Waterfowl with an Unplugged Shotgun, and Trespass on Railroad Property. Two of the three hunters also did not have federal duck stamps.

Nice work as usual.