Stalking Arrest
In July 2006, Environmental Conservation Police Officer Todd Chemacki and Special Conservation Officer Paul Decrosta received a complaint from a woman at Hammonasset Beach State Park stating that a male patron had been stalking her. The woman gave a statement in which she details numerous incidents in which the same male made contact with her and once had touched her while she was lying on the beach. The last incident made her feel threatened and she notified Encon Police Officers. The officers prepared an arrest warrant for stalking in the second degree for the subject and it was signed on 8/25/2006. The judge placed a $15,000 bond on the subject. Officer Chemacki spotted the accused in the park on 9/8/2006. Sgt. Tom Bull, Officers Harold Lindo, Jeff Samorajczyk and Capt. Kyle Overturf responded to the park and were able to take the subject into custody without incident. The subject was transported to Troop F and released on bond later that evening.
Shellfish Bed Violation
On 9/22/2006, Environmental Conservation Police Officers Rob Monday and Scott Arsenault were on patrol of Long Island Sound off of New Haven where they observed a commercial shellfish vessel working on a leased bed in the area. The officers boarded the vessel to conduct a license inspection. The vessel did not have a lease for the bed that it was working on and had taken two bushels of clams from that bed. The bed that the captain did have a lease for was not properly marked. The captain was cited for the violations and the clams returned to the proper bed from where they were taken.
Illegal Scup Possession
On 9/22/2006, Environmental Conservation Police Officers Todd Chemacki and Ray Ramos were on patrol of Long Island Sound in the area of Faulkner's Island off of Guilford where the officers observed a vessel with four subjects on board fishing for scup. The officers did an inspection of the vessel to check their catch. The officers found the four subjects to be in possession of over 100 scup, many of them less than the legal length of 10 ½ inches. All four were cited for possession of scup less than the legal length and verbally warned for being over the possession of the daily limit.
On 9/24/2006, Environmental Conservation Police Officers Todd Chemacki and Jeff Samoraczyk were patrolling the Guilford Town Boat Launch. A vessel came into the launch with two people on board that had been fishing. The officers inspected their catch and found that one subject had 64 scup over the daily limit with numerous fish being less than the legal length and the other subject had 52 scup over the daily limit also with numerous short fish. Both subjects were issued infractions for the violations and released. Also on that day, Officers Chemacki and Samoraczyk checked another vessel coming into the Guilford Launch with three fishermen on board. An inspection of their catch revealed that they were in possession of fifteen scup that were less than the legal length. All three subjects were issued infractions for possession of scup less than the legal length.
ATV/Narcotics Arrest
On 9/2/06, Environmental Conservation Police Officers Dean Wojcik and Chris Dwyer were on patrol at Pachaug State Forest in Voluntown when they observed an ATV and three dirt bikes. When they signaled for the vehicles to stop, the ATV fled on to a nearby trail. Seasonal Officer Dave Blanchette was nearby and able to stop the ATV a short time later. The 18 year-old operator was found to be in possession of marijuana and a bottle of rum. He was charged with Failure to Stop for an Officer, Operating an Unregistered ATV, Possession of less than 4 oz. of Marijuana and Possession of Alcohol by a Minor.
Motor Vehicle/Weapons Arrest
On 9/7/06 at 10:00 p.m., Environmental Conservation Police Officer Ed Yescott observed a suspicious vehicle at the end of a cul-de-sac in Burlington. The vehicle left the area at a high rate of speed without displaying headlights. Officer Yescott followed the vehicle, which continued to operate on various roads without lights. He stopped the vehicle and called for backup from the State Police. He walked up to the vehicle accompanied by a Burlington Constable. He observed two men sitting in the front. The passenger was holding trying to hide a plastic bag of marijuana in his hand. A search of the vehicle and the occupants revealed marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and two knives. Officer Yescott charged the driver with Operating a Motor Vehicle without Headlights and the State Police charged both men with narcotics and weapons violations.
Cruelty to Animals
On 9/10/06, Environmental Conservation Police Officer Bill Myers responded to Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam for a complaint of a dog being left inside a vehicle. His investigation revealed that a large dog had been left in a car with only one window slightly open. The car was in the sun on a very warm day causing the interior of the car to become very hot. The dog was very lethargic and drank a large amount of water when it was removed from the vehicle. The owner was charged with Cruelty to Animals.
Drug Arrest
On 9/16/06, Environmental Conservation Police Officers Joe Ruggiero, Hans Danielson and Capt. John Smutnick were on patrol at Meshomasic State Forest in Portland. They observed a vehicle parked along the side of the forest road with two male occupants. The officers stopped to talk to the people and the passenger attempted to hide an object on the floor. The officers recovered 48 nitrous oxide containers, two packages of balloons and a nitrous oxide dispenser from the floor. Two marijuana-smoking pipes were also found in the vehicle. The two occupants were arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Deer Hunting Arrest
On 9/16/06 at 6:30 p.m., Environmental Conservation Police Officer Dean Wojcik was on patrol at Pachaug State Forest in Voluntown. He observed a vehicle parked in the forest and suspected that the operator was deer hunting. He walked into the woods to check the hunters' permits. At 7:30 p.m. he observed the archery hunter walking through the woods. When he checked for deer hunting tags, the hunter at first said that he had left them at home, but later admitted that he had not obtained the required tags. The 36 year- old male was charged with Hunting without Deer Tags.
Criminal Mischief
On Saturday, 9/10/06 EnCon Police were notified by State Police Troop B that
Sometime overnight the roof of the fire tower on top of Mohawk Mountain, in Mohawk State Forest was cut off using a chain saw. The roof was then thrown to the ground. Environmental Conservation Police Officer Paul Hilli is currently investigating.
Reckless Operation
On Saturday, 9/16/06 Environmental Conservation Police Officer Tim Hill was operating on I-84 westbound in Farmington prior to exit 40 and observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed passing vehicles by crossing back and forth through lanes without using turn signals and in such close proximity that other vehicles were forced to brake to avoid colliding and following too closely to vehicles. Officer Hill then observed the operator throw a glass bottle out of drivers' side window onto the highway grass median. Officer Hill stopped the vehicle and determined that the operator's license was under suspension and that the operator was wanted by the Rocky Hill Police Department for outstanding arrest warrant. Officer Hill took the subject into custody and transported him to Rocky Hill PD. Officer Hill arrested the subject for Operating Under Suspension, Reckless Driving and Littering prior to releasing him to Rocky Hill officers.
Illegal Deer Hunting Arrest
On Saturday 9/16/06, Environmental Conservation Police Officer Paul Hilli observed a truck parked at the Long Pond Recreation area in Salisbury. Officer Hilli observed camouflage clothing in plain view in the truck; this along with the fact that archery deer just opened led Officer Hilli to believe that the truck's owner was hunting. Officer Hilli set up surveillance of the area and later observed a subject return to truck without any weapons. Officer Hilli approached the subject and asked what he was doing, the subject replied that he was just scouting. The subject was extremely nervous and under continued questioning admitted that he had been hunting and had hidden his bow in the woods under leaves. Officer Hilli asked the subject if he was with anyone else and he said no. A short time later Officer Hilli observed a second subject leaving the woods on a different path. Officer Hilli detained the second subject and Officer Erin Crossman arrived as backup. When interviewed, the second subject also admitted to hunting and hiding his bow in the woods and that he was hunting with the first subject. Both bows were retrieved and both subjects were arrested for Archery hunting deer without landowner consent and for Interfering with an officer.
Trapping and Firearms Violations On 9/22/06 Environmental Conservation Police Officer Erin Crossman arrested a subject from Danbury for Criminal Trespass 3rd degree, Trapping without a license, Trapping on private land without landowners permission, Trapping without displaying the owner's name on traps (5 counts) and Traps illegally set above water level (2 counts), Possession of a sawed off shotgun, Possession of a bird of prey and Possession of an untagged mink pelt. The arrest was the result of a lengthy investigation that began with a trapping complaint in the town of Salisbury in December 2005. When a search warrant was executed at subject's home a sawed off shotgun, bird of prey parts and untagged mink pelt were discovered. The subject was released on a written promise to appear in court at GA18 in Bantam on 10/2/06 for the trapping charges and a $500 non surety bond was posted for the charges related to the possession of the shotgun, bird of prey and untagged mink with a court appearance at GA3 in Danbury on 10/3/06.