WEST DISTRICT

Deer hunting arrest

On January 3rd, EnCon Police Officer Sean Buckley received a complaint of a person shooting a deer behind a residence in Brookfield.

Officer Buckley located the individual and arrested him for Hunting Deer in a closed season; Hunting deer without a deer permit; and Hunting within 500 feet of a dwelling. The deer was seized and donated to Hunt To Feed.

Recovered Stolen Vehicle

On January 4th, EnCon Police Officer Ed Yescott was on patrol and driving on RT 9 in Berlin when he came across an abandoned vehicle parked in the left lane of the highway. Officer Yescott determined that the vehicle had been reported stolen out of New Haven. Officer Yescott contacted the State Police for backup and assisted a State Police K-9 officer in tracking and locating the individual suspected of operating the vehicle. The subject was taken into custody by the State Police.

DUI in State Park

On January 19th at 9am, EnCon Police received a report of a vehicle crashing into the main gate at Kettletown State Park in Southbury. Officers Mike Curran and Sean Buckley responded along with the Southbury Police. The officers located the female operator of the vehicle who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The operator failed a field sobriety test and was arrested by Officer Curran for Operating Under the Influence. It was determined that the operator had been arrested for Operating Under the Influence on the previous day by another Connecticut police agency.

Pit bull taken into custody

On January 28th, EnCon Police Sergeant Keith Schneider overheard a radio broadcast on the State Police radio regarding a motor vehicle accident on RT 202 in Litchfield. There was a large pitbull in the vehicle that would not permit first responders into the vehicle to treat the injured operator. Sgt. Schneider and the Litchfield Animal Control officer were able to use catch poles to capture the pit bull and remove it from the vehicle. The dog was safely transported from the scene by the Litchfield Animal Control Officer and first responders were able to extricate and treat the operator of the vehicle.

Eastern District

ATV’s

On the 5th of January Officer Wojcik found six individuals on Deep River Reservoir property in Bozrah with ATV’s. They were charged with Simple Trespass.

Officer Danielson arrested two individuals riding ATV’s in Bolton Notch State Park I on the 12th of the month, they were charged with Unauthorized Use of ATV’s on State Trails.

BOAT LAUNCH LARCENY

On the 6th of January Officer Vroman attempted to serve an arrest warrant for an individual who had been stealing boat trailers from Gardner Lake State Boat Launch and cutting them up for the scrap metal. The individual fled at high speed from a residence in Colchester with a vehicle and temporarily got away. He was apprehended later in the month on the 10th at a motel in Stamford with the help of Marine District Officers Ulkus and Hey

SMASH AND GRAB LARCENY

On the 17th of the month Officer Golet was on patrol in the Salmon River State Forest and noticed a suspicious vehicle near the site of several smash and grab larcenies from vehicles. He noted the registration plate on the car. Later a larceny was reported within that same area. Coincidentally, a report came into the Connecticut State Police, Troop K in Colchester, that near the intersecting area of Routes 149 and 151 a vehicle was throwing items out of the window. The items were described to be a diaper bag and contents of a purse that had been reported stolen moments earlier. The registration of that vehicle was the same as the suspicious vehicle Office Golet had seen earlier, near the site of the larceny. With the assistance of Officer Stanko and Sergeant Dwyer they were able to apprehend the suspects at a residence and charged them with numerous counts related to the larceny. The apprehension also helped solved additional vehicle larcenies that occurred prior to this incident.

HUNTING ARRESTS

Officer Vroman arrested an individual on the 20th by warrant from information he developed from a complaint in December, 2012. The individual was charged with Carrying a Loaded Firearm within 500’ of an Occupied Building, Failure to Wear 400 Square Inches of Florescent Orange and Improper Parking.

A second hunting incident from December 2012 resulted in the arrest of two individuals by warrant after an investigation revealed that they lied in their original statement to Officer Ruggiero. On the 26th of January the two individuals turned themselves in and were processed at Connecticut State Police, Troop F, in Westbrook. Officer Ruggiero’s investigation pertained to circumstances of a hunting related shooting incident where one individual was shot by the other while duck hunting on the Connecticut River. They attempted to cover up the actual facts and concocted a story about another man in a kayak that had done the shooting. The investigation began when Officer Ruggiero was called by a complaint to the Essex Shoreline Clinic Emergency Room for a report of a gunshot wounded victim which was a result of a hunting related shooting incident. Officer Ruggiero was assisted by Sergeant Kane and Officers Persico, Monday and Wojcik. Both men were charged with Interfering with an Officer and False Statement 2nd degree. The shooter was additionally charged with Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm.

Marine District

Hunting Arrest

On January 30, 2013 Officer O’Brien and Reilly responded to a complaint of an illegal hunter trespassing on private property in East Haven. The accused hunting this area had been previously arrested by Officer Reilly in November 2012 for failing to wear required fluorescent orange clothing while firearms hunting, hunting after legal hours and hunting without written permission of the landowner. On this occasion officers witnessed the hunter emerge from the woods and he did not have written consent of the landowner to hunt deer on the specific property. The individual was charged and released on a promise to appear in court in New Haven Superior Court.

On January 30, 2013 Officer John Chickos was called to assist Westport police officers concerning a turkey that had been shot with an arrow near Center Street. During the course of the investigation officer Chickos discovered the hunter had permission to hunt the property but did not have the required turkey permits. The suspect was charged with turkey hunting without the necessary permits. The hunter was also charged by Westport police department for an ordinance violation.

Waterfowl Hunting Activity

During the month of January, Marine district officers investigated twelve waterfowl hunting complaints. Officer Hey issued infractions and warnings to hunters in Bridgeport and Stratford for hunting without licenses and hunting without conservation stamp. Officer O’Brien issued a warning for a hunter in possession of lead shot. Sergeant Kane is currently assisting the wildlife division in conducting a review of the area around the Groton / New London airport due to numerous complaints from the airport manager.

Seafood Dealer Inspections

Officers continued to conduct Seafood Dealer inspections during the month as part of the Joint Enforcement Agreement with NOAA office of Law Enforcement. Officers conducted numerous inspections along the shoreline and seized over 25 pounds of undersized lobsters. Several dealers were issued warnings for failing to comply with State Lobster regulations. Some of those violations involved dealers receiving lobsters from other New England States and included shipping the product back to the point of origin.