Charter Captain Arrested
On 11/11/09, EnCon Police Sgt. Kane and Officer Samorajczyk were on vessel patrol in Long Island Sound off of Stamford. While on patrol, the officers boarded a party charter boat from New York to conduct a license inspection to check the fish on board. There were ten paying customers on board the charter boat but the captain of the vessel did not have a party charter fishing license from Connecticut as required. The captain of the vessel was arrested for the violation and released after posting a cash bond.
Deer Hunting Arrests
On 11/16/09, EnCon Police Officer Chickos responded to the town of Guilford on a complaint of illegal deer hunting activity. Upon arriving Officer Chickos met with the complainant, an off-duty Branford Police officer, who stated he found the accused archery deer hunting on private land without permission of the landowner. Officer Chickos interviewed the suspect who stated he was hunting state land. Officer Chickos determined that the area that the suspect was hunting on was Town of Guilford Conservation Property and not state property. The suspect did not have written permission to be hunting on that property. The suspect was issued a summons for the violation and released.
On 11/26/09, EnCon Police Sgt. Healy was on foot patrol for deer hunting activity in the town of Waterford. Sgt. Healy encountered several deer hunters and while conducting license inspections, realized that he had arrested one of the hunters the year before and believed he was under suspension. Sgt. Healy questioned the hunter who denied being under suspension. Sgt. Healy returned to his patrol vehicle and confirmed through the Emergency Dispatch Center that the subject had been convicted of the previous hunting charges and was currently under suspension. Sgt. Healy found the subject and placed him under arrest. He was charged with Hunting Under Suspension and Negligent Hunting in the Third Degree. The subject was released on a promise to appear.
On 11/28/09, EnCon Police Sgt. Kane and Officer Mieldzioc responded to the area of the old Waterford Airport in Waterford on a complaint of illegal hunting activity. Upon arriving, the officers found a truck hidden off the road containing hunting gear and ramps for an ATV. The officers began watching the truck and at approximately 5:00 p.m., an ATV approached the truck. There was a deer across the back of the ATV. The officers stopped the ATV and found the rider was in possession of a Winchester rifle. The suspect did not have any deer permits and did not have permission to be hunting on the property where the deer was killed. The suspect was charged with illegal deer hunting/illegal possession of deer and hunting deer on private land without consent. The rifle and deer were seized as evidence.
Deer Hunting Arrests
EnCon Police Officers in the Eastern District were busy with deer hunting violations in November. On the 11/8, Officer Lindo arrested two individuals for numerous charges associated with Sunday hunting in North Stonington. In addition to Sunday hunting the two were charged with not having consent, trespass, insufficient orange clothing, hunting during the closed season, negligent hunting and reckless endangerment as a result of their hiding their loaded firearms in the woods. Officer Lindo also had at least two other deer hunting arrests, both in East Haddam. The arrest on the 11/16 was for not having consent and not having deer tags for bow hunting on private land. The other arrest was on the 11/21 and the individual was hunting private land with a rifle and did not have a hunting license, deer permits and was using his sister’s tags.
On 11/27, Officer Danielson arrested an individual in Ashford who was hunting deer and failed to wear orange, while Officer Vroman arrested two individuals on the 11/17 who were hunting the private landowner season without proper permits one day before the regular season. On 11/28 Sergeant Dwyer arrested and individual in Union for hunting within 500 feet of a dwelling after the hunter got in to a verbal altercation with complainant.
Public Safety Assists
On 11/15/09, EnCon Police Officer Williams was called to Ashford for two missing teenage girls who were located with the help of the local Fire Department and the Connecticut State Police.
On 11/21/09, EnCon Police Sergeant Dwyer assisted with the search for an autistic 5 year old boy in Thompson
On 11/24/09, EnCon Police Officer Ruggiero assisted Connecticut State Police with the search for the operator of a vehicle that was involved in an evading accident in Durham.
On 11/8/09, EnCon Police Officer Williams assisted with the recovery of two horses that fled from the owners in Hampton on the State Park Airline Trail.
ATV Arrests
There were numerous All Terrain Vehicle complaints in the Eastern District resulting in enforcement actions in the towns of Windham, Union, Glastonbury and Voluntown. Sergeant Dwyer arrested 15 operators of ATV’s in November including two juveniles. Officers Vroman, Danielson, Arseneault, Pyznar and Lindo all contributed to the tally of trespassing and unregistered vehicles, mostly on State property. The ATV arrests by Officer Pyznar were in a particularly sensitive area that is off limits and posted against trespass because of the Rattlesnake Dens in that area.
Illegal Deer Hunter Shoots Bobcat
On 11/5/09, EnCon Police Officer Yescott received a call that a man had just shot a bobcat while deer hunting in Plymouth and that he was still on the property getting a tractor to retrieve the bobcat and bring it back to his house. When Officer Yescott pulled into the driveway he saw a dead bobcat on an upturned log. Officer Yescott observed the subject wearing camouflage clothing putting his shotgun down on a picnic table bench next to the barn. The subject told Officer Yescott that he shot the bobcat. He told Officer Yescott that he had been deer hunting since early that morning. In the afternoon he thought that he saw a coyote in the woods and that he had been asked by the landowner to shoot any coyotes he sees while he is deer hunting because the coyotes in the area were killing and harassing some of the live stock on the farm. The subject told Officer Yescott that he looked at the animal with his binoculars and saw that it was a bobcat. He said that he then watched the bobcat for about fifteen minutes while it cleaned itself and slowly walked towards him. The subject said that when he had a clean shot he took the shot, killing the bobcat with one shot. Officer Yescott determined that the subject did not have any valid deer permits for 2009 and did not have written permission to deer hunt on the property. The subject was not wearing any safety orange clothing either. The subject was arrested by Officer Yescott for Negligent Hunting 3rd degree; Illegally killing a bobcat; Failing to wear blaze orange while deer hunting and Illegal deer hunting.
Rabbit Hunting with a Ferret
On 11/26/09, EnCon Police Officer Concepcion was checking a block of property in Watertown frequented by small game hunters. Officer Concepcion approached a subject who appeared to be rabbit hunting as he had a beagle with him. As Officer Concepcion got closer to the subject he observed the subject trying to hide something in the underbrush next to him. Officer Concepcion reached into the underbrush and found a sock with something inside of it. Officer Concepcion opened the sock and found a white ferret. The subject admitted to Officer Concepcion that he was using the ferret to hunt rabbits. Officer Concepcion arrested the subject for Taking rabbits by use of ferrets.
Illegal Weapons Possession
On 11/27/09, EnCon Police Officer Stanko was on patrol in the Naugatuck State Forest. Officer Stanko observed a subject, who he had seen loitering in the parking lots in the forest on previous dates, exit his vehicle and stand near it in wooded area of forest. Officer Stanko approached individual and observed a large 'Bowie' type knife lying near back pack in rear seat of car. Officer Stanko asked the subject if he had any more weapons on his person or in vehicle. The subject told Officer Stanko that he did not but became highly nervous and felt for the waistband area of his body that was concealed by a large bulky jacket. Officer Stanko immediately stopped the subject’s movements conducted a pat down frisk. Officer Stanko observed the butt of a handgun and another large knife in a sheath on the subject’s belt. The subject was handcuffed and Officer Stanko removed a loaded black powder pistol and a large knife in a sheath from the subject’s belt. Officer Stanko then identified the subject and determined that he did not have a Connecticut Pistol Permit. Officer Stanko arrested the subject for Carrying a pistol without a permit; Carrying a dangerous weapon and Weapon in a motor vehicle.
Illegal Deer Hunting Over Bait
On 11/27/09, EnCon Police Sergeant Keith Schneider was on patrol in the town of Bantam. Sgt. Schneider observed a vehicle parked in the driveway of a home where he knew the homeowner. Sgt. Schneider knew that the vehicle did not belong to the homeowner and ran a registration check, determining that the vehicle belonged to someone from Oxford, Connecticut. Sgt. Schneider took a position on the road where he could see the vehicle and yard area. Sgt. Schneider then called a relative of the homeowner as the homeowner if in her late 70’s and he did not want to worry her about a potential hunting problem. Sgt. Schneider determined that the family decided years ago that no hunting was to be allowed on the family property. Eventually Sgt. Schneider observed a person coming from the rear of the property. Sgt. Schneider pulled up with his vehicle and found a person dressed in a camouflage shirt and blue jeans. Sgt. Schneider asked the person what he was doing there. The subject said that he was deer hunting the property. Sgt. Schneider then determined from the subject that he had just put his loaded shotgun into his vehicle. Sgt. Schneider determined that the subject did not have written permission to deer hunt on the property and did not have 400 square inches of orange clothing. Sgt. Schneider escorted the subject to the area where his deer stand was and found four bait piles surrounding the stand area. EnCon Police Officer Concepcion arrived to assist Sgt. Schneider and using a laser rangefinder, determined that the subject had been hunting less than 500 feet away from three area homes. Sgt. Schneider then arrested the subject for Negligent Hunting 4th degree; Deer hunting over bait and Possession of a loaded weapon in a motor vehicle.
Deer Hunting Enforcement
During the month of November, EnCon Police officers in the Western District received 83 complaints regarding deer hunting. Of these, officers made arrests in 13 incidents and issued written warnings in 12 others.