Tuesday, November 30, 2010

3 in Greenwich are Found Slain in Home

NY Times- A woman and her 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son were found shot to death in their Greenwich, Conn., home yesterday morning, and the police later said the mother, who had a recent history of depression, apparently had killed the children and herself.

The police said all three were afflicted with Marfan's Syndrome, a genetic disease of the ocular, skeletal and cardiovascular systems that had severely impaired the children's eyesight and had rendered the mother legally blind.

The slayings were the first in the affluent suburb 20 miles north of New York City in more than six years. Greenwich, a community of sedate homes and landscaped corporate headquarters, has 60,000 residents and a reputation as one of the country's safest cities.

The police said the victims, 43-year-old Linda V. Sandor and her children, Michelle and Scott, had each been shot once in the head. They were found in separate upstairs bedrooms of their recently purchased eight-room, $130,000 home at 14 Lincoln Avenue in central Greenwich, at 10:40 A.M. by a stepson, Richard, who called the police. Husband Reportedly at Work

Mrs. Sandor's husband, Michael, a Greenwich building contractor, had left the house about 8 A.M. and was at work when the slayings occurred, according to the Greenwich Police Chief, Thomas G. Keegan, and his deputy chief, John J. Cornelius.

''Both children had been shot once in the head, while in their beds, apparently asleep,'' Chief Keegan said. Mrs. Sandor, he said, was found fully clothed, lying beside a .38-caliber handgun that was apparently used in the killings. It had been purchased by Mrs. Sandor at a local gun store on Thursday, the chief said.

''Preliminary investigation and testing indicate that the fatal wound to Linda was self-inflicted,'' said Chief Keegan, who added that there was ''no evidence of foul play.''

The chief said that Mrs. Sandor ''had been suffering from severe depression and had attempted suicide earlier this year.'' A factor in that depression, the Chief said, may have been the disease that had afflicted the family. The woman was becoming progressively more blind and may not have wanted her children to suffer further, the Chief said. Both children wore heavy corrective lenses.

The family had moved into the three-story frame home from the Glenville section of Greenwich in July and was not well-known to neighbors. Mr. Sandor had been renovating the white-shingled home, whose small yard yesterday was strewn with lumber, concrete blocks and other building materials.

Family Killed in I-80 Accident Honored at Funeral

KHASTV- A little more than a week ago, 2 central Nebraska mothers–sisters– and two of their children were killed after hitting ice on interstate 80 near Henderson. Monday their families and the Hastings community said goodbye.

Every pew in St. Cecilia's was filled Monday morning with some mourners even kneeling on the floor or lining the walls as they said goodbye to sisters Martha Gabriela Machado and Socorro Sepulveda and their children Zoe Machado and Dominic Perez.

The dreary weather outside Monday mimicked the mourning of a community as hundreds gathered at Saint Cecilia's in Hastings bonding together in their grief.

Friends and family said goodbye to 31– year–old Martha Gabriela Machado, affectionately known as Gaby, her 3–year–old daughter Zoe and to 22–year–old Socorro Sepulveda or "Suky" and her two–month–old son Dominic Perez.

But only two caskets were buried Monday as each mother shared her final resting place with a child at her side.

The four died November 20th as they hit an icy patch on Interstate 80 that sent them through the median and head on into a semi.

Since then the community has banded together to support the family.

"It's very touching to see families coming together. There's no black or white or Cuban, Mexican or anything like that. It's just people helping each other in a time of need," said Raquel Maar.

And bracing against the cold and through the tears, mourners held each other up – emotionally and financially.

Maar said donations have helped pay for the majority of the funeral.

"There's still some charges left. We're still not sure how we're gonna, you know, if we don't have enough money whose gonna pay for that or anything," said Maar.

But Monday it's about saying goodbye to two mothers and their children taken too soon.

Both Gabriela and Socorro had other children - Gabriela an 11–year–old son and Socorro two sons ages three and a two–years–old.

Raquel Maar said any donations left over after the funeral expenses are covered will go to those three surviving children.

You can send all donations to Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home in Hastings.

Police: Parents Arrested After Leaving Kids in SUV for Hours

(11/29/10) NORWALK - Police arrested two parents after they say their children were left in their SUV while they allegedly drank at a Norwalk bar for hours.

Officials say 32-year-old Franklin Torres-Barrera and 33-year-old Gina Rodriguez-Zumba left their two children in the vehicle on Sunday morning at Club El Dorado.

Police say an officer saw the car in the parking lot and noticed the two children, a 1-year-old and a 7-year-old.

The father and mother said that they were only in the bar for a few minutes, but police say a doorman at the bar says the couple was inside for hours.

Police say the children are OK. The parents have posted bond and are due in court next month.

Police: Bridgeport Murder was Over a Girl

(11/30/10) BRIDGEPORT - Bridgeport police say an argument over a girlfriend may be behind a murder Friday.

Officers say Dominic Perez, 37, and Raheem Hargrove-Murray, 33, were fighting over the woman when Perez shot Hargrove-Murray on the sidewalk across from Bassick High School.

Investigators say Perez has an extensive criminal record, including a murder conviction back in 1993.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Attorney Hopes to Speak to Driver in Stamford Crash

(11/23/10) STAMFORD - The lawyer for the man accused of intentionally ramming several vehicles, including a loaded school bus, says he hopes to talk to his client today.

Police say Christopher Simonelli took a box truck and intentionally hit several cars. More than 20 people had to be taken to the hospital.

Lindy Urso says Simonelli is conscious now but thus far has been unable to speak.

Police say they haven't been able to interview him either, so no charges have been filed yet.

Suspected Hit-and-Run Driver Appears in Court

(11/23/10) NEW CANAAN - The woman accused in a fatal hit-and-run crash in New Canaan appeared in court today.

According to police, Kate Regan, 32, struck and killed 82-year-old Krishna Jayaraman as he was getting mail outside his home on Oenoke Ridge Road in August.

Officials say Regan continued to drive to a nearby service station in Pound Ridge where she reported that there was damage to her right side mirror. They say pieces of her mirror were found at the scene of the accident.

Regan's attorney told News 12 Connecticut that she submitted a statement to police and has cooperated with the investigation, despite a report that says she declined to meet with police.

Regan is facing charges including involuntary manslaughter. Her attorney has asked that the case be continued Jan. 4.

Milford Woman Killed in Old Lyme Crash

(11/29/10) MILFORD - A Milford woman is dead following a crash in Old Lyme early this morning.

Police say Kerri Perry, 25, was killed when she lost control on I-95 around exit 71.

Police say her car hit several trees. A passenger, a 32-year old Milford man, was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Police say Perry was not wearing her seat belt.

Bridgeport Teen in Home Invasion Laid to Rest

(11/29/10) BRIDGEPORT - The family of a Bridgeport teen who died during a home invasion in Stratford says he had a history with mental illness.

Joshua Hamilton, 18, died after he broke into a home on Seabreeze Avenue.

Officers say was he found dead in the bathtub and that he had been wounded before entering the home.

Hamilton's family says he had recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and they believe that played a role in his behavior.

Police say they are waiting for toxicology results before releasing the official cause of death.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Bloody Photos Show Scene of Actor's Sword Slay

NY Post- Tragic mom Yannick Brea fought for her life as her sword-wielding son chased her through their blood-soaked Brooklyn apartment, a look inside the crime scene shows.

The inside of the front door and the front hallway leading to the rear bedrooms are splattered with blood, suggesting she’d tried to fall out the front door but could not.

Bedding and furniture in three of the apartment’s four bedrooms are blood-soaked, indicating that the 55-year-old victim was running for her life from room to room with her son Michael Brea in pursuit during the rampage.

Pools of blood covered the bathroom floor, where cops found her body in a kneeling position.

Family and friends said money woes and a stalled showbiz career likely pushed the stressed-out bit actor over the edge in the days before he hacked his mother to death during the bloody rampage in their Brooklyn home.

"Michael had many money problems and couldn’t pay his bills," his longtime friend and barber Sylvan Benoit said Wednesday. "I think this happened because of stress over money."

Brea, 31, had small roles in "Ugly Betty" and the movie "Step Up 3D" but was not working while living at home with his mother and twin brother Marcel.

He owned a Subway franchise on Broadway in Brooklyn in 2008, but the franchise was taken away by the parent company last year over performance and management problems. Subway had placed liens for unpaid rent of almost $20,000 on the restaurant.

Brea also owed American Express more than $13,000, and New York State was after him for about $2,500 in taxes, court records show.

Neighbor Clinton Clare said Michael Brea rarely worked after losing the Subway franchise, and had no car.

"His mother was supporting him, and he had to use his father’s car to get around," said Clare, one of the first to hear Yannick Brea’s bone-chilling screams about 1 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Dumond said the family believes Michael suffered a "mental breakdown." She said he went to bed early Monday night , refusing his mother’s offer of dinner, after complaining of "a terrible headache."

Hours later, he awoke neighbors in the four-story Prospect Heights apartment building by screaming Biblical passages and demanding that his terrified mother "Repent! Repent! Repent!" before slashing her repeatedly with the three-foot sword as she cried for help.

Cops eventually broke in, Tasered Brea and found his mother’s blood-soaked body kneeling in the bathroom.

Brea has been charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He remains under psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital.

Man Killed in Hit-Run While at Scene of Fatal Crash

Old news, but very sad and very crazy:

WEST WARWICK -- An 18-year-old male was killed in a hit-and-run accident early this morning while apparently visiting a make-shift memorial to a 14-year-old boy who died after driving a van into a utility pole at the site hours before.

Neither victim has been identified by local police, who said both were from West Warwick.

Police say they have no suspect or witnesses in the second crash, and are actively seeking any information about it or the driver.

In a press release today, police said that the first collision occurred at about 11:20 last night, when a Ford van operated by the boy struck the pole at 782 Main St.

He was alone in the van, police said.

The 14-year-old was brought to Kent Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

At about 4 a.m., the second crash occurred.

Police responded to a report of "male down on the sidewalk" at the same location, according to the press release.

On arriving, they found the 18-year-old with "life-threatening injuries" and evidence consistent with a hit-and-run collision. He had apparently been visiting a makeshift memorial to the the youth involved in the earlier accident.

He was brought to Kent Hospital as well and pronounced dead.

Police believe the driver in the second crash fled on Main Street toward the Hope section of Coventry. The vehicle probably sustained front-end damage, police added.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police headquarters at 401-821-4323 or the detective division at 401-827-9044.

At midday, family members and friends of the 18-year-old were gathered at the site, marked by a T-shirt being signed by friends of the 14-year-old victim and a big, red fabric heart.

They included a man who identified himself as the father of the second crash victim, who said he was from West Greenwich.

As traffic passed on the busy road, near the site where the old Phenix mill burned in two years ago, he, too, asked those at the scene to help find those who might know more about the crash and the driver.

Dead Man Found in Bathtub Identified

Stratford, Conn. (WTNH) - A man who broke into a Stratford home and was later found dead in the bathtub has been identified as a teenager from Bridgeport, police said.

They say it was 18-year-old Joshua Hamilton of Bridgeport.

Stratford police say the man broke into a home on Seabreeze Drive around 1:20 a.m. Friday, November 19th.

Last week's incident is still under investigation and the results of the autopsy have not been released.

Police say it appears Hamilton was injured before he entered the home.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Motor Mayhem

"More of Connecticut's Approximately 48,000,000 Horsepower Will Be Aimed at You On the Highways, Ready to Trap the Unwary Into a Gruesome Death, Unless the Traveling Public Takes Cognizance Of Its Driving Habits" - "Motor Mayhem", Feb 22, 1948

Driver in Fatal Conn. Crash Sues Victim's Parents

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A driver who's serving a manslaughter sentence for striking and killing a 14-year-old boy is suing the victim's parents, blaming them for their son's death because they allowed him to ride his bike in the street without a helmet.

Matthew Kenney's parents, Stephen and Joanne, sued 48-year-old driver David Weaving shortly after he was sentenced last year to 10 years in prison, accusing him in Waterbury Superior Court of negligence and seeking more than $15,000 in damages.

Weaving, who has a history of drunken driving convictions, responded months later with a handwritten countersuit accusing the Kenneys of "contributory negligence." He's also seeking more than $15,000 in damages, saying he's endured "great mental and emotional pain and suffering," wrongful conviction and imprisonment, and the loss of his "capacity to carry on in life's activities."

"It drags the pain on," said Joanne Kenney, a stay-at-home mom with two other children, ages 2 and 13. "It's a constant reminder. Enough is enough. Can you just leave us alone and serve your time?"

Prisoners nationwide file tens of thousands of court actions a year on allegations ranging from wrongful convictions to poor jail conditions to civil rights violations, according to federal judiciary data. But lawyers and victim advocates say it's not often that convicted criminals sue victims and their families.

Prosecutors say Weaving was recklessly passing another car at about 83 mph in a 45-mph zone when his car hit Matthew Kenney on Route 69 in the Waterbury suburb of Prospect on April 27, 2007. A jury convicted him in December 2008 of manslaughter and other crimes.

Weaving has five drunken driving arrests since the late 1990s on his record, four of which resulted in convictions. He was not charged with drunken driving in the Kenney case.

The Kenneys say Weaving's license should have been permanently revoked in 1999 under state law because of the multiple convictions. They're seeking permission from the state claims commissioner to sue the Department of Motor Vehicles and its commissioner, Robert Ward.

The department has acknowledged it made a mistake in not revoking Weaving's license and said it has taken steps to prevent similar problems.

Matthew, a well-liked seventh-grader who played several sports, suffered severe head and internal injuries, broken bones and lacerations. He was declared brain dead the next day.

Weaving insists he was driving the speed limit and wasn't acting recklessly when he passed another car in a legal passing zone and Matthew suddenly appeared in the road around dusk in wet, foggy conditions. He alleges Matthew and some friends were jumping their bikes off a ramp at the end of a friend's driveway and landing in the middle of the two-lane road.

In his lawsuit, Weaving wrote that had the Kenneys "complied with the responsibilities of a parent and guardian and the laws of this state and not allowed their son to ride his bicycle without a helmet and to play out in the middle of Rt. 69 ... this incident and Matthew's death would not have happened."

Joanne Kenney, 42, calls Weaving's claims "unbelievable." While she and her husband are paying an undisclosed amount of attorney's fees, Weaving is filing his claims for free because he's considered indigent; a judge has waived $500 in fees so far.

"I just think it's crazy that they have the ability to do this behind bars," she said. "I think inmates have too many rights. They're the ones who committed the crimes, not us. And we're the ones who suffer more."

The federal government and several states, not including Connecticut, have laws and regulations requiring inmates to pay lawsuit fees as part of efforts to deter frivolous and malicious lawsuits.

Perpetrators don't often sue victims, said Jeff Dion, director of the nonprofit National Crime Victim Bar Association. Its database shows about 485 cases of perpetrators suing victims out of more than 12,000 civil cases dating to the 1980s, he said.

Perpetrators who sue often do so in an attempt to get victims and their families to give up on their lawsuits, Dion said. They generally lose their cases.

"It can be very distressing to victims' families and make them say, 'I can't deal with this,'" Dion said. "Justice can bring a sense of accountability and healing, but sometimes it's not a very pleasant experience."

He noted the case of "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh, whose 6-year-old son, Adam, was kidnapped from a department store at a Florida mall and killed in 1981. Walsh wrote in his book "Tears of Rage" that he and his family dropped a lawsuit against the store and the mall after being put through difficult depositions and facing questions about their own actions by the defendants' lawyers.

"So, in the end, they broke us. We folded," Walsh wrote.

Attorney Andrew Cates calls Weaving's countersuit a part of the legal process. Cates is representing Weaving in appeals aimed at overturning his convictions — which were recently upheld by the state Appellate Court — but is not involved with the lawsuit involving the Kenneys.

"I can see their side of it. I'm a parent," Cates said. "But I can also see the other side of it. If you're driving down the street and your car makes contact with a pedestrian and you think it's the pedestrian's fault, you have to raise the issue."

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal — just elected as the state's next U.S. senator — and State Victim Advocate Michelle Cruz say they're appalled at Weaving's countersuit.

"Blaming the victim is just offensive," Cruz said. "It takes obviously a very unique individual to go after the family of a deceased child. I would say it's an unsound lawsuit."

Matthew was a popular student at Long River Middle School, a few miles from the accident site. A memorial Facebook page in his honor has more than 600 members.

"He was a loving kid," Joanne Kenney told the AP. "He was a caring kid. He was a helping kid. He was a honors student. He played sports. He was full of life. He had so much to give."

Warrant: Windsor Locks Officer Was Drinking For 6 Straight Hours Before Crash

Hartford Courant- The Windsor Locks police officer charged in connection with the crash that killed a teenager was drinking alcohol for six straight hours before the crash and was driving an estimated 73 mph when he hit the teen, a warrant for Michael Koistinen's arrest reveals.

The 21-page warrant used to charge Koistinen with first- and second-degree manslaughter describes a day of drinking beer at a friend's house and at a UConn football tailgate party and consuming shots of liquor at a Suffield bar. Witnesses told state police investigators that Koistinen was drinking from about 5:30 p.m. until about 11:40 p.m., 20 minutes before he struck and killed Henry Dang.

The warrant also raises questions about how the Windsor Locks police handled the accident in its immediate aftermath. The initial investigators never sought to test Koistinen's blood/alcohol level.

In the warrant, state police investigators state that they believe Koistinen's father, Windsor Locks police Sgt. Robert Koistinen, transported his son from the scene to the police station multiple times before returning him to the scene, where an ambulance was called to take the younger Koistinen to a hospital.

Pinwits is Right, Hahaha


School Bus Crashes in Weston

(11/19/10) WESTON - Weston police are investigating a school bus accident this morning on Lyons Plain Road.

The driver of the bus was hurt and taken to the hospital.

There were also 23 students on board at the time of the crash. None of the kids were hurt and they were taken to school on another bus.

Police Attempt to Identify Fatally Stabbed Intruder

(11/19/10) STRATFORD -Police are trying to identify the man who broke into a Stratford home today after he was fatally stabbed.

Investigators say it happened at around 1 a.m. at 40 Seabreeze Drive . They say the man who broke in may have been looking for help after the stabbing.

Police say the homeowner, Robert Smith, woke up after hearing the man break into his house.

They say the homeowner and the intruder got into some kind of a fight, with the homeowner falling down the steps and then running to a neighbor's house to call police.

Police say they may need to use fingerprints or dental records to identify the suspect. They say he didn't have any identification on him and he wasn't wearing any shoes.

An autopsy is scheduled to be performed.

Police: Arrests Made in Series of Thefts

(11/19/10) STAMFORD - Stamford police say they have arrested two men tonight that they suspect in numerous burglaries.

Officials say Mark Missino, 43, and Bernard McAllister, 40, allegedly stole 25,000 items totaling more than $1 million. The items were confiscated by police in East Lyme.

Stamford police say the men were involved in two burglaries in the city last weekend and believe they are also responsible for at least 20 more burglaries.

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25,000??? Holy sh*t!

Drunken Driving Suspect Shoots State Policeman

Drunken Driving Suspect Shoots State Policeman
The Hartford Courant (1923-1984) - Hartford, Conn.
Date: Mar 28, 1953

NEWTOWN, March 27 (Special.)--A shotgun blast shattered the left arm of State Policeman Edward F. McMahon today as he attempted to arrest a drunken driving suspect in his home.

( The rest is paid article =[ )

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Crazy story for the 50s, but what's crazier is his name was Ed McMahon, hehe...

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Driver in Stamford crash remains critical

(11/17/10) STAMFORD - A man who police say intentionally rammed several vehicles in Stamford yesterday, including a school bus, remains in critical condition.

Police say Christopher Simonelli, 30, hit the cars on East Main Street with a box truck stolen from his workplace after a fight with his girlfriend.

Around 20 people, including more than a dozen high school students, were taken to the hospital following the crashes. Police say one of the victims is also in critical condition and another is in serious condition.

Students on the bus say the experience was terrifying and many of them took the day off to recover.

Police say no criminal charges have been filed yet in the case.

Friends: Driver in Stamford Crash Worried About Eviction

(11/17/10) NORWALK - Friends close to the man who allegedly tore through the streets of Stamford in a box truck yesterday say he has been struggling financially.

Christopher Simonelli's friends say he was worried about being evicted from the apartment he shares with his mother on Franklin Street when he crashed into a dozen cars on East Main Street, injuring more than 20 people.

Bess Samelwich says when she saw Simonelli at work yesterday he looked upset and distraught. She says he had just started a part-time job driving a truck for Action Letters Inc. over the summer, but still had trouble paying his bills.

Other friends say he had recently started dating someone new, but was very secretive about the relationship.

Assault Charges Filed in Stamford Rampage

(11/18/10) STAMFORD - A man Stamford police say intentionally drove a truck into several vehicles including a loaded school bus is now facing assault charges.

Chris Simonelli, 30, has been charged in connection with Tuesday's crash.

Officers say Simonelli took a box truck from work and deliberately crashed into vehicles.

Simonelli is in critical condition at Stamford Hospital.

Winds Topple New Canaan Building

(11/18/10) NEW CANAAN - High winds caused a building in New Canaan to collapse yesterday.

The former Maples Inn on Oenoke Road fell as it was being converted into apartments.

Fire officials say six people were inside at the time, but no one was hurt.

They say the building was unstable, allowing the wind to blow it down and the building is now a total loss.

Police: Toddler Pulled from Pequonnock River Has Died







TRUMBULL -- A 21-month-old Trumbull boy who was swept down the rain-swollen Pequonnock River in the morning was pronounced dead early Wednesday night.

Tommy Chisholm had clung to his life through the afternoon at Bridgeport Hospital.

"Our medical team worked to revive this little boy for several hours," said John Cappiello, a hospital spokesman. "Unfortunately, they were not successful. This is a very sad outcome and our hearts go out to this boy's family."

Tommy, the son of Michael and Ruth Chisholm, of Lindberg Drive, was missing for nearly two hours before his unresponsive body was pulled out of Bunnell's Pond in Bridgeport, about a half-mile downstream.

His discovery ended a panicky search by dozens of police, fire, scuba and K-9 units from Trumbull, Shelton, Bridgeport, Monroe and Darien as well as by neighbors of the family.

The search began when Tommy's older sibling -- believed to be his stepsister in her 20s -- called 911 at about 10:42 p.m., according to Trumbull Police Chief Thomas Kiely.

"The child," Kiely said, "was playing near the river. The mother had just turned around for a matter of a minute, and the next thing she knew, the child was missing."

The mother jumped into the river in an attempt to rescue her son, but it's not known if she even had him in sight, police said.

Emergency responders and neighbors searched the river and the woods along its banks. K-9 units used one of the child's stuffed animals to get his scent -- a little white lamb with black button eyes.

The Chisholm's house, a ranch with an attached two-car garage, sits at the end of Lindberg Drive and borders the river. Michael Chisholm grew up in the house, neighbors said, and moved back in six or seven years ago.

The stretch of the Pequonnock beside the house is ordinarily placid and harmless, neighbors said, but it quickly turns angry after the kind of rainstorm that was seen in the early hours of Wednesday morning. About an inch of rain fell between midnight and 7 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

As the search progressed, the police dogs scoured the neighborhood and police asked owners of all of the cars parked in the neighborhood to open their trunks in hopes of finding the child alive and unharmed.

At one point, police and firefighters pulled two small blankets and a child's shirt from the river as it rushed past the thicket near the Chisholms' house.

Trumbull Center Fire Chief Ed Gratrix estimated that the river was flowing at about nine knots Wednesday morning. "It was difficult to even stand in," he said. A side-scan radar unit was called in from the State Police, Gratrix added, but the equipment wasn't deployed because the child was found.

"We called out all the resources that we could," Kiely added. "As many divers as we could get and as many K-9 units as we could get."

Ultimately, though, Bridgeport Parks Department employees spotted the child in Bunnell's Pond, a widened portion of the river at Beardsley Park. The workers had been told to be on the lookout for anything unusual.

According to witnesses, the child appeared lifeless as he was pulled from the water at about 12:30 p.m. He was transported by ambulance to Bridgeport Hospital.

"The family is distraught, as you can imagine," said Kiely. He added that the incident is being treated as a tragic accident.

"Our staff has been supporting the family throughout the day," added Cappiello. "Our social workers, our pastors and our staff have been in constant touch with the family, and we continue to do so even at this point."

First Selectman Tim Herbst commended the quick response of the Trumbull police and fire departments, and Chiefs Kiely and Gratrix for "putting together such a coordinated response." He also thanked the emergency services from neighboring communities and the state police for helping out.

Herbst said the town will do what it can to support the family: "We're Trumbullites, and we'll be here for them," he said.

Danbury Woman Arraigned for Alleged Stalking

(11/17/10) NORWALK - A Danbury woman was arraigned in Stamford Superior Court today for allegedly stalking her former social worker twice this month.

Police say 21-year-old Sofia Gomes was charged Nov. 4 after the victim complained that Gomes followed her home to Darien after she left her Danbury office. They say they found Gomes outside the victim's home while taking down the complaint.

Officials say Gomes was also arrested on Nov. 9 after she again followed the woman home.

(Pretty crappy video on news website)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Prosecutors Claim Suspect Bound, Stabbed Kathleen Smith of Burlington

Burlington, VT- Police believe a drifter bound and killed a Burlington woman in her home last month because she sided with a friend, the mother of his child, in a years-old custody dispute.

Jose Pazos held a grudge against Kathleen Smith for the stance she took in the feud, according to statements to police from a woman who knew Pazos and a friend of Smith’s, lead investigator Detective Paul Petralia wrote in court papers made public at Pazos’ arraignment Tuesday.

Smith, 50, bled to death late Oct. 14 or early Oct. 15 from apparent knife wounds to her neck after being tied up in her home, according to court papers. Authorities said they have significant evidence linking Pazos to the killing:

• Investigators found Smith’s blood on a knife taken from Pazos, 45, at the time of his arrest.

• The type of utility rope used to bind Smith matched rope found at the Burlington encampment where Pazos lived.

• The tread on Pazos’ hiking shoes matched bloody footprints left in Smith’s house, at 154 Park St.

• A search of Pazos’ computer showed he had researched the same “prusik” knot that was used to bind Smith a week before the killing, and searched for news reports about her death — before her body had been found, Oct. 18.

Pazos pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington to first-degree murder, kidnapping (restraining) with the intent to inflict injury, burglarizing an occupied dwelling and operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. Judge Linda Levitt ordered Pazos held without bail. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

He made no comments in court Tuesday, but authorities said he told investigators he had nothing to do with the slaying of Smith, a popular social worker and artist.

“No, I have no reason, no motive,” Pazos said, according to court papers.

Margaret Jansch, one of Pazos’ two court-appointed attorneys, said after the arraignment that the defense had little time to review the court paperwork before the hearing.

“I must say the motive seems rather thin,” Jansch told reporters at the courthouse. “A grudge that’s three years old, but, again, this is something that we’ll find more about as the case progresses.”

Jansch urged the public to avoid judging Pazos prematurely.

“You heard one side of the story today with the facts the police have uncovered so far,” she said. “But that’s only one side of the story. I’m sure as the case progresses, both sides of the case will become clear.”

She declined to discuss any private conversations with Pazos but said, “He seems in good spirits. He appears to me to be an articulate man, an educated man and calm, given the circumstances.”

The mother of Pazos’ second child, Sharon Fialco, who lives in northern Vermont, said they met about 15 years ago, had a child, and then had a dispute regarding the custody of that child, according to court papers. Fialco said she “was not aware of Pazos having any animosity towards Smith,” according to court papers.

Fialco couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

Smith, 50, a popular social worker and artist, was found dead Oct. 18 in her Old North End home by a co-worker when she failed to appear for her job, Burlington police have said.

Pazos had been jailed at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington for lack of $1 million bail on four misdemeanor charges related to the break-in at the Middlebury Snow Bowl. Burlington police discovered Pazos in a shed Oct. 23 at the Snow Bowl, about six miles from a wooded area of Hancock where Smith’s car was found abandoned.

Pazos faces two counts of unlawful trespass, and one charge each of unlawful mischief and petty larceny. Those charges are pending in Addison County.

Police say Pazos killed Smith, stole her car and drove it more than 60 miles to Hancock. He ditched the car off a dirt road in the Green Mountain National Forest after the vehicle struck a rock ledge, traveled about six miles and broke into the Middlebury College Snow Bowl, police said.

Police arrested Pazos a week later at the Snow Bowl while searching the area of the break-in.

Smith, who worked an overnight shift for the Howard Center, missed a mandatory training session Oct. 15 and her shift Oct. 17. She was last reported seen alive walking her dog at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 14. A co-worker went to Smith’s house Oct. 18 and found her dead.

Dressed in her nightgown, Smith lay face-down in a pool of dried blood on her kitchen floor, her hands tied behind her back and her fingers duct-taped together, according to court papers. A wire with a wooden handle lay on her back, and another wooden handle, apparently broken from the wire, lay next to her body, court papers said. She had a scarf wrapped around her neck and tied to her hands.

A window pane above the lock on the back door had been removed, court papers said.

Investigators have yet to determine how long Smith had been bound or whether she had been tortured, Chittenden County State’s Attorney T. J. Donovan said after Tuesday’s arraignment.

Burlington police searching the Snow Bowl found Pazos on Oct. 23 asleep in a storage shed.

Officers said they found him with a hunting knife, a hatchet and a replica handgun. In his backpack they said they found items including a laptop and a HowardCenter first-aid kit. Pazos wore a plastic cover over his clothes, held together with distinctive duct tape similar to the kind used to bind Smith, police said.

Pazos admitted to breaking into the Snow Bowl to seek shelter from a storm, court papers said.

Pazos said he hitchhiked to Middlebury and had been in the area for about three weeks, although a surveillance camera recorded Pazos on Oct. 13 entering the Cumberland Farms store on Riverside Avenue in Burlington, according to court papers.

Pazos lived in an encampment in the woods behind the store, police said. At the encampment, police said they found rope, a stun gun and a Burlington police incident report naming Pazos as the complainant.

Pazos told police he knew Smith, met her once at the Fletcher Free Library, communicated with her on Facebook and had been to her house “once or twice,” according to court papers.

Pazos accessed the Internet on his laptop via unsecured wireless networks, police said. He accessed a network in Burlington a day or two before Smith was killed, and accessed a network in Middlebury on Oct. 15, according to court papers.

That same day, three days before a co-worker found Smith’s body, Pazos searched Google for “Police blotter,” “Burlington Vermont crime rates” and “Smith,” according to court papers.

Two days later, he searched the Burlington Free Press obituaries and cops and court section, along with Google, for “Kathleen Smith, Vermont” and “Kathleen Smith, Howard Center, Vermont,” court papers said.

Authorities believe Pazos last communicated with Smith on Facebook over the summer, and said they are unsure what triggered the alleged slaying in October.

Pazos is scheduled to appear again in court in about two months.

Sad News.. Will Update Soon..

Well, I follow 911 Center on twitter, as my mom got me into it, listening to the Greenwich Police Department on their scanner...

Sad news from Trumbull: Missing two year old found dead. Apparently drowned in river. http://bit.ly/dkzky5 RT @WTNH



Two hours before:
Trumbull and Bridgeport are working a report of a two year old in the river between the two towns per PD Hotline


Missing Two Year Old Found Dead

Trumbull, Conn. (WTNH) - A two year old from Trumbull has drowned after falling into the Pequonnock River.

The child was reported missing from

their Lindberg Drive home this morning. Fears that the child had

fallen into the swollen river turned out to be true. Dive teams were quickly assembled and combed the waters, but it was too late.

The child's body was found at Bunnell's Pond at Beardsley Park in Bridgeport. The park has been closed as police continue their investigation.

The child's name has not been released.


Updates will come as soon as I get them..

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It's the same pond that these four people died in back in 2007:

As Van Sank, a Cry for Help That Could Not Be Answered

BRIDGEPORT, Conn., July 5 — Shadae Bartley, 10, watched, terrified, as the van carrying four people, including her 2-year-old niece, barreled down a hillside on Wednesday, plunged into a pond at Beardsley Park here and sank within seconds.

“She yelled ‘Help!’ in the water,” Shadae said of the van’s driver, Michelle McIntosh, 39, who drowned along with her 2-year-old son and Shadae’s niece. The fourth victim, Ms. McIntosh’s 6-year-old nephew, died on Thursday afternoon at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

As relatives of Ms. McIntosh kneeled and prayed at the edge of the choppy waters of Bunnell’s Pond here in this city on Thursday afternoon, Shadae recounted the accident. Tire marks from the tragedy gouged the shoreline.

It was just after 10 a.m. Wednesday when they entered the park for a Fourth of July barbecue. There were two vehicles in tandem, each carrying four people and picnic supplies, when Ms. McIntosh left her van for a moment on a hilltop parking lot to ask Shadae’s mother, Loren Bartley, who was driving the second vehicle, where they should set up in the park.

A moment after Ms. McIntosh stepped out of the van, it began to roll forward, down the steep hillside, Shadae said. Ms. McIntosh jumped back inside.

“She put her whole body in and then she had one foot out of the car, trying to stop it,” Shadae said. “It kept rolling faster.” The van rolled into the pond as water rushed into its open door. A family member called 911.

The van briefly bobbed at the water’s surface, seconds before disappearing.

Shadae described how two relatives raced from the second car into the water and were joined by two onlookers. But no one could get to them; the water was too dark to see.

At a news conference on Thursday, Bryan T. Norwood, chief of the Bridgeport Police Department, said the 911 call came in at 10:41 a.m. Fire Department personnel and scuba divers responded immediately and brought the victims to the surface. The victims, all city residents, were taken to hospitals, where Ms. McIntosh, her son David Jr., 2, and Julia Boyd, 2, were pronounced dead on Wednesday. Jayden Wilson, Ms. McIntosh’s 6-year-old nephew, died the next day at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Chief Norwood said the 1999 Plymouth Voyager traveled 248 feet into the pond and became submerged in 15 feet of water. He said it was unclear whether the transmission had been put in park. A preliminary investigation showed that the engine was on, the emergency brake was not deployed and none of the seat belts were buckled.

One child’s car seat was on the rear passenger seat of the vehicle.

Asked whether one of the children had put the car in gear while Ms. McIntosh stepped outside, Chief Norwood said, “It is unclear at this point.”

In the hours after the accident, relatives clung to hope that Jayden Wilson, who had just completed his first year at a city magnet school, would survive.

“Just to see that his life was taken away so young, it’s hard to understand,” said Sophia Cooper, the boy’s aunt and Ms. McIntosh’s sister.

A financial aid adviser at Monroe College in New Rochelle, N.Y, Ms. McIntosh is survived by her husband, David, and their three daughters, 13, 10, and 5. The couple moved to Bridgeport several years ago from White Plains, N.Y.

Mayor John Fabrizi of Bridgeport said city officials would discuss possible safeguards for the area.

A clutch of silver balloons and two dozen plastic tulips were at the accident scene on Thursday. Some people gathered there to pray, and some left behind homemade cards.

Several described the pond as dangerous and cited a number of drownings there over the years.

Daniel Allen Hearn, a historian and author from Monroe, Conn., said in a phone interview on Thursday that 76 people had drowned at the pond since 1921, including the victims this week.

Angel Morales, 61, of Bridgeport, was among those who came to the pond on Thursday. He said two of his friends had died in the 1970s while swimming in Bunnell’s Pond.

“If there was a fence over here, it would save some people, save some lives,” he said.

Elizabeth Sierra, 34, said, “We just sit here wondering everything they must have gone through at that moment.”

One of the people kneeling at the water’s edge, Leonara Henry, 32, Julia Boyd’s aunt, scooped up water with her hands and let it run down her face.

“The water is not so clean,” she said, “but I just wanted to feel Julia one more time because I know her spirit is in there.”

Norwalk Man Jailed for Assaults Involving Son

NORWALK -- A city man who pleaded guilty to two fights involving his son was sharply rebuked by a judge during his sentencing Tuesday.

Richard Zwart, 52, of 31 Betts Place, Norwalk, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault, violation of a protective order, resisting arrest, and criminal violation of a restraining order; he was sentenced to 18 months in jail at state Superior Court in Norwalk.

After hearing the particulars of Zwart's crimes recited by Assistant State's Attorney Justina Moore, Judge Bruce Hudock let Zwart know the dim view he had of his parenting skills.

"You are a hopeless alcoholic," Hudock began, before calling Zwart's actions "shameful."

"The thing is, that is what you will be remembered for in the next generation... That is going to be on your grave stone that you were a drunk," the judge said after issuing his sentence.

Often in cases involving alcohol and driving -- especially when there has been an accident -- Hudock has compassionately urged defendants to realize they have hit rock bottom and use their conviction as a first step toward a new life. His verdict Tuesday was absent any sympathy.

Zwart's guilty pleas came from a string of arrests involving his son that began in 2009. On June 20, 2009, Zwart's son Richard was seen entering a 6 Broad St. apartment with a weapon. A witness then heard Zwart yelling outside the apartment and then saw the son lying on the living room floor. Because of a vacant look on the son's face and what appeared to be blood in the apartment, police were called, Moore said.

Police later found a broken wooden baton that Zwart apparently used to strike his son. The son, now 28, turned out to be extremely drunk and what looked like blood was actually salsa from bottle that was broken in the apartment during another fight between the two several hours earlier, police at the time said. Richard Zwart Jr., who was taken to the hospital with facial injuries, said he did not know how he was injured.

On June 12 this year, Zwart and his son were arrested when a Rowayton Avenue resident reported a ruckus involving the two men, who explained they had just gotten off a boat after drinking beer. They told police they went to where their bicycles were locked up but could not find a key to unlock them, Moore said.

Police ended up finding the key in the bicycle lock and booked the two for disorderly conduct and violation of a protective order because they were not supposed to be drinking.


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HAHAHAHA the key was in the lock! And there was a broken bottle of salsa which resembled blood... It's like the two stooges!

Drama in Court - Norwalk Teen Charged with Attempted Murder in Attack on Pregnant Girlfriend

NORWALK -- The arraignment of a city teen charged with trying to kill his pregnant girlfriend was temporarily halted at state Superior Court at Norwalk Monday afternoon when pandemonium broke out in a courtroom and a relative of the victim tried to climb a glass partition and get at the defendant.

Judge Bruce Hudock ordered the courthouse's largest courtroom cleared after Judicial Marshal Darren Opper pulled the woman off the partition and angry screams could be heard over the defendant's mother shrieking "That's my baby. That's my baby. He's only 17."

The 12:25 p.m. incident seemed to have been sparked by the cries of defendant Terrence Crawford's mother, who began wailing when he was brought into the courtroom in handcuffs and relatives of the injured teenaged girl became upset at her cries for mercy and understanding.

The girl remains at Norwalk Hospital in intensive care with an punctured lung and numerous knife cuts over her body, her mother said. The fetus appears to have survived the attack.

By the time the court was ordered cleared, a number of marshals had moved to restrain the relatives upset at Crawford.

When Hudock allowed everyone back into the courtroom a little over 10 minutes later, he announced he would jail anyone who disturbed the proceedings.

"Do the smart thing and leave the courtroom if you cannot control yourself," he said, before bringing Crawford out for the second time with as many as 14 marshals standing by.

Crawford, 17, of 9 Armstrong Court, Norwalk, is charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, and resisting arrest; Hudock ordered his bond be raised from $250,000 to $500,000. The hearing proceeded smoothly and no one was arrested.

The mother of the victim, who is not being named because it would identify her daughter, said Crawford lured her daughter into the woods next to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in order to stab and kill her because she was pregnant with Crawford's baby. She said she was happy that Hudock raised Crawford's bond.

"I think it is crazy and I just want him to pay for what he did," she said.

The case was transferred to the Part A docket at the Stamford courthouse, where more serious crimes in the area are handled.

In numerous police reports contained in Crawford's file, a neighbor called police Saturday night just before 11 p.m. to report that a bleeding girl had been left on the steps of 31 Clay Street.

When police arrived, a resident told police the two young who men carried the girl out of the woods before leaving them near a home, ran down some steps connecting Clay Street with Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

The girl, 16, told the officer that she had just been stabbed by Crawford, her boyfriend and a friend of his in the woods. She had sustained several left side puncture wounds, a cut on the left side of her neck, a cut on her left elbow, cuts on both hands and a cut just above the left side of her buttock, police said.

The girl said she met Crawford and his 17-year-old friend at the South Norwalk train station, where they had just come from Bridgeport. She said Crawford told her he was having trouble with police and they needed to lay low and he took her into the wooded area. She said she told him she was pregnant with his baby.

That is when Crawford and his friend began hitting her.

"Terrence must have had a knife because I realized I was stabbed where Terrence was hitting me," she said in a statement to police.

Crawford's friend, who is not being identified because he is 17, told police Crawford was talking about killing his girlfriend because she is pregnant, but he thought he was kidding. Crawford told the friend that he "don't want no damn baby," the friend's told police; as they were standing next to the woods, Crawford told her he needed to talk to her.

"As he began walking in the woods with her I saw him begin to pull a knife out of his jeans. I thought to myself he is really going to stab her. A couple of minutes later I heard her screaming really loud. She was yelling, "it hurts" and "I'm bleeding," his statement said.

After the girl was brought to the Clay home and the call went out for the stabbing, police officers traveling from the police department on Monroe Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive saw two young men.

The pair began to run when police got close and began questioning them. Crawford ran north on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and, after a brief foot chase that ended after at least one officer pulled his service weapon, Crawford was placed in handcuffs.

The arresting officer noticed Crawford had cuts on his right hand and blood on his clothes and body.

He told the officers, "I didn't do anything. I gotta check on my girl." Then he said, "It's my girl's blood. I tried to carry her from the woods. I gotta see if my girl's OK," a police report by the arresting officer said.

Slaying of Publicist Baffles Police, Hollywood

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — A late-night shooting that left a prominent Beverly Hills publicist dead in her Mercedes on Sunset Boulevard has become a mystery straight out of one of the movies she promoted.

Ronni Chasen, a publicist and woman-about-town, was gunned down Tuesday after attending the premiere of the new Cher film "Burlesque," whose soundtrack she was pushing for an Oscar nomination, according to the trade publication Variety.

She also was working with 20th Century Fox on a supporting actor Oscar campaign for Michael Douglas in "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," according to Allen Berry, a publicist for the actor.

She was shot in the chest several times in the attack that sent her luxury car careening into a light post.

Police had no motive or suspects and said no threats had been reported against the 64-year-old Chasen. The mystery deepened later in the day when police seized computers from her firm, Chasen and Co.

The attack stunned Hollywood, where she was a revered figure after promoting the Oscar-winning film "Driving Miss Daisy" and other major movies and stars over the years.

"I had the extreme pleasure of working with Ronni on 'Driving Miss Daisy,'" Morgan Freeman, who was nominated for an Oscar for the film, said in a statement. "We've been friends ever since. She is someone I greatly admired, and she will be remembered."

Fellow publicist Howard Bragman called the killing bizarre.

"She wasn't a shady character," he said. "It's a small community and she was one of the fixtures in it."

Witnesses said they heard gunshots in the serene Beverly Hills neighborhood and called 911 before going outside to help.

"I heard the 'Boom! Boom! Boom!' of gunshots, ran up to the window, and there was the back of the car," Nahid Schekarchian, who lives in an apartment above the crash site, told The Associated Press.

She said her son and a neighbor ran down to the car and found Chasen, who was struggling to breathe and bleeding from her nose and chest.

The front passenger's window was shattered.

Bradley Turell, a longtime colleague of Chasen, came to the site to mourn his friend.

"Ronni was a positive force of nature," he said during an interview by The Associated Press and KNBC. "She was just great at what she did, a supreme sales person and a great lady."

Chasen was involved in Hollywood publicity since the 1970s. She also promoted "On Golden Pond," which won Academy Awards for best actor, actress and screenplay in 1981.

In recent years, she worked with a number of music clients, including Janet Jackson, composer Hans Zimmer, producer Glen Ballard and Diane Warren, who wrote the song "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," which Cher sings in "Burlesque."

Bragman said Chasen had a unique way of doing business.

"She was not a woman who was a slave to the fashion of the day," he said. "She played to her own vision and integrity. She was very bright, very successful."

Smash and grab: Police Searching for Masked Men after Avenue Jewelry Store Robbery

With all the crash spree drama yesterday I failed to report a rather big news story in my own town..

My uncle was one of the reporting officers, although not seen in this picture.

Stam. Advocate- Two sledgehammer-wielding masked men smashed a display case at Betteridge Jewelers on Greenwich Avenue Tuesday morning and escaped with an unspecified amount of jewelry, police said.

No one was seriously hurt during the robbery.

At around 9:30 a.m., the two suspects entered the store through the front door and bashed in a display case, pushing one employee out of the way before leaving with jewelry, police said.

The suspects were last seen fleeing in a car heading west on Lewis Street. Both suspects were described as black males in their 20s wearing full face masks. One suspect was described as having a heavy build.

Police said the two escaped in an older-model, four-door white Honda with the partial characters on a New York plate reading "D17." The car, which police believe was driven by a third suspect, may have been abandoned in Greenwich, police said.

Greenwich police alerted nearby police agencies in New York and Connecticut immediately after incident, police said.

Immediately following the robbery, Win Betteridge, the son of the store's owner, came out to mail a letter and said everyone inside was fine.

"I was upstairs and didn't see them coming in," said Betteridge, describing how two men smashed the cases and took off. "There were a few watches taken." Lt. Kraig Gray, a police spokesman, said the only injury occurred when an employee cut his hand during a brief scuffle inside with the suspects.

As officers taped off and investigated the scene, a sledgehammer could be seen wrapped with a thin layer of plastic around the head lying under a black Acura MDX parked in front of the store. Police were also reviewing survelliance video of the incident, although they did not say whether it captured any direct shots of the suspects. Police declined to release the type and amount of jewelry taken.

It was not clear if the store was open during the robbery or if customers were inside. A sign posted outside the jewelry store said it opens at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays. The watches at Betterdige range in price from $150 to over $150,000.

The incident startled shoppers and business owners on the Avenue.

"I was going to the silver sale," said Patricia Lovejoy, who immediately called her daughter who works in the store. "This is very upsetting."

Drivers heading down the Avenue stopped and stared at the police activity. One woman driving a silver Range Rover was surprised after learning what happened.

"Betteridge? Again?" she asked, referring to an armed robbery there four years ago.

Across the street, business owners and store employees said they did not see the suspects, but came outside after they saw police cruisers speeding up the street.

Nancy Tedesco, owner of Greenwich Kitchen Works, said she was not overly concerned for safety following the robbery, but felt it was another reason why police should put back the third traffic officer at Lewis Street.

"It does feel a little safer," Tedesco said.

The third traffic officer was removed due to budget cuts last year, over the objections of business owners, including Terry Betteridge, the store's owner. Police, however, said pulling the officer helped add another patrol officer in the central Greenwich area and saved the town thousands of dollars of overtime funds. Traffic officers remain at Elm Street and Havemeyer Place.

Having the officer at Lewis Street has not always prevented crime, however.

Four years ago, Betteridge was robbed by a man holding an automatic weapon. Although he was confronted by police officer Jeremiah Bussell, who had been directing traffic nearby, the suspect escaped.

Charles Kertesz, a Bridgeport resident, fled on his motorcycle north on Greenwich Avenue, but dropped a backpack with $5 million worth of jewelry when he was confronted by police. The backpack provided investigators a DNA sample that eventually linked Kertesz to the crime.

He received a 21-year sentence two years ago for that robbery and three other jewelry-store stickups in Connecticut and Massachusetts between July 2005 and September 2006.

Two brothers were also sentenced in connection with the Greenwich Avenue robbery.

Ernesto Ortiz, of Milford, received a four-year sentence and an additional three years of supervised release stemming from his admission to setting a GMC Jimmy truck on fire with his brother Eric Ortiz, of Bridgeport, on Sept. 1, 2006, to create a diversion to allow Kertesz to hold up the store.

After setting the fire, the Ortiz brothers fled in another car, according to court documents.

Anyone with information on Tuesday's robbery is asked to call police at 203-622-8003.

More Details on Crash Spree

STAMFORD -- An angry 30-year-old Stamford man took a box truck from his workplace after a fight with his girlfriend and left a wake of mangled sedans, vans, parking meters, signs and garbage cans on the city's East Side before smashing into a bus filled with high school students Tuesday afternoon.

The driver, identified by his employer as Christopher Simonelli, crashed into 12 cars on Myrtle Avenue and East Main Street and was listed in critical condition at Stamford Hospital with life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

A female driver of a sedan struck by Simonelli near the corner of East Main and North State streets was also listed in critical condition, police said.

A nursing supervisor at Stamford Hospital told the Associated Press that 22 others were treated for minor injuries.

"He had a cigarette in his mouth and two hands on the wheel," said Dominick Colandro, the 48-year-old owner of Rinaldi's Deli on East Main Street. "He was in a rage. It looked like he was on a mission."

Witnesses described a scene in which an angry-looking Simonelli used the white box truck to hit car after car and take out meters and signs on the sidewalk before ending his crazed drive by running into a school bus.

"There's a tremendous amount of damage," Police Capt. Brian McElligott said. "He hit everything that could be hit."

Criminal charges have not been filed against Simonelli because he is in the hospital, said Stamford Police Chief Robert Nivakoff. The accident is still under investigation.

Several bystanders called 911 to report the string of car accidents around 2 p.m., McElligott said.

Simonelli allegedly got into a fight with his girlfriend and took the truck from his employer, Action Letter Inc., on Elm Court and then raced through the CTTransit bus maintenance facility there. The truck crashed through the rear gate of the CTTransit property and then hurtled north on Myrtle Avenue before turning west on East Main Street.

The accident shut down a quarter-mile stretch of East Main Street from Glenbrook Road to Myrtle Avenue until 7:15 p.m. causing major gridlock throughout the downtown area.

At the scene, firefighters extricated Simonelli from the torn-up box truck. At least a dozen of the 27 Stamford High School students on the bus went to the hospital with minor injuries, police and school officials said.

School district spokeswoman Sarah Arnold said a second bus took the students and a driver to the hospital, where Principal Donna Valentine met them and contacted families of the students on the bus.

Gus Gustavo-Ortiz, a 29-year-old East Main Street resident who lives in an apartment overlooking where the box truck hit the school bus, said he heard a loud bang and looked outside to find the chaos of the accident scene. He walked to the accident site and saw a high school student exit the bus with a bruised face. He helped the student brush broken glass bits from his hair.

He could only see a hand hanging out from the mangled cab of the box truck, moments before firefighters arrived and freed Simonelli.

"I thought this guy was dead," Gustavo-Ortiz said, adding that Simonelli screamed as he was loaded onto the stretcher.

Colandro said from outside his deli he saw hundreds of bystanders gather around the accident site moments after it ended.

Svitlana Shevchuk of Stamford was making a left turn off of Myrtle Avenue and heading westbound under the railroad bridge on East Main Street when Simonelli cracked into the left rear of her green Dodge Caravan, causing minor damage.

Shevchuk had no idea that the part time employee just struck at least three other cars while driving the box truck north on Myrtle.

"We did not see where he was coming from -- he was like a ghost," she said.

After Simonelli hit the minivan he stepped on the gas, Shevchuk said. Just then, UBS employee Robert Jacobs, 34, was running a quick errand in his black Lexus and driving in the opposite direction on East Main Street.

"I saw him hit that car and I thought that was strange that he hit the car and kept on going. Then he turned the truck toward me and accelerated," Jacobs said. For a second Jacobs thought of making a quick dash across East Main and turning left on Crystal Street to avoid the oncoming truck.

"I decided to stay and I put my hands on the wheel and held on for dear life and hope that he didn't kill me. And he didn't kill me," said a shaken Jacobs standing next to his unrecognizable car that was pushed into a dump truck with the front end smashed in. Jacobs said he and another man got out of their cars and chased the box truck up the street until they saw it collide with the school bus and stop. Jacobs said he did not want the guy driving the truck to get away with the hit and run and wanted to take a picture of the truck with his cell phone.

"My neck is killing me," he said moments before he was put on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.

Delivery driver Jason Gabie from Harrison, N.Y. said he was making a delivery to Rinaldi's deli on East Main Street when he saw Simonelli's truck barreling down the street.

He saw the truck crash into Jacob's Lexus and crash into two or three other cars, some coming from the other direction.

Then Gabie said the truck veered onto the sidewalk, tear two parking meters off their posts and then swing around to the other side of the street where it struck the school bus in front of Brake Centers of America, just east of Quintard Terrace.

Gabie said the driver had a cigarette in his mouth and he looked very angry.

"I was scared until he passed me, but I was more scared when he hit the bus," Gabie said.

A CTTransit guard said the box truck came through the open front gate of the bus maintenance facility at the end of Elm Court and crashed through the locked rear gate that exits directly across from La Marqueta grocery store at 54 Myrtle Ave. From there Simonelli turned left and proceeded north on Myrtle.

Next door to the maintenance facility a woman who works for Action Letter, Inc., at 11 Elm Court said that Simonelli is a part time employee and has been working for her company for about six months.

The woman, who would not identify herself, said she had no idea why Simonelli took the truck and had no idea about his breaking up with a girlfriend. She said she told the police the box truck was stolen.

"It is tragic," the woman said. "It is really tragic."

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My mother, grandmother, and 4 year old sister were all on their way by this scene and missed it by 5 minutes- I'm so grateful they weren't involved in this bad accident, I would've gone to the scene and finished that f*cker right off.


By the way, I found his facebook!

























"Kim Nielsen: every bone in his body is broken he's on life support they don't think he's gonna make it! damn my lil brother!He sliced an artorie and is bleeding bad there tryin to stop it!"


Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Two in Critical Condition Following Crash Spree



Time to say some prayers...there is a bad accident at 869 Main Street, Stamford, on the east side involving a large truck, and a SCHOOL BUS- help has been called in from Greenwich... The road is blocked, many EMS working on scene and many people running to the scene- my mom is there. I hope everyone, especially the children, are safe...

She actually just missed this mess by about five minutes. If my sister hadn't want to look at turtles at the pet store, they would've been caught up in that mess!


I'm waiting for updates, but found News 12 already on the scene, took pictures and had the News Chopper over for a while with a live feed that I screenshot pictures from..




4 PM update: driver of truck in critical condition














STAMFORD -- The driver of a box truck that crashed into 12 cars on Stamford's East Side before smashing into a school bus filled with high school students shortly before 2:30 p.m. and a woman he struck while driving are in critical condition.

Police said the driver of the truck had just gotten into a fight with his girlfriend and then took the truck from his employer on Elm Court.

Police are not releasing the name of the driver, but said he is a 30-year-old Stamford resident.

The injured woman was driving a brown Toyota Corolla and is in critical condition at Stamford Hospital.

The driver of the truck had to be extricated from the vehicle by Stamford Fire & Rescue firefighters.

At least a dozen students on the school bus also were taken to Stamford Hospital for minor injuries.

"He hit everything that could be hit," said Capt. Brian McElligott.

Before coming to a stop on East Main Street near Quintard Terrace, the truck hit multiple parked cars, parking meters and signs.

Dominick Colandro, 48, the owner of Rinaldi's Deli at 872 E. Main St. said he heard a crash near the intersection of East Main Street and Crystal Street and then started to hear more crashes before running out and catching a glimpse of the driver.

"He had a cigarette in his mouth and two hands on the wheel," Colandro said. "He was in a rage. It looked like he was on a mission."

The incident began when the truck was taken from a company on Elm Court and then raced through the CTTransit bus maintenance facility. The truck crashed through the rear gate of the CTTransit property and then headed north on Myrtle Avenue before turning west on East Main Street.

The accident has shut down a quarter-mile stretch of East Main Street from Glenbrook Road to Myrtle Avenue causing major gridlock throughout the downtown area.

Police say the road is expected to remain closed for a few hours.

Police are holding over a shift of officers to address major traffic backups in the area. East Main Street is closed from Myrtle Avenue to Glenbrook Road and police are directing traffic on the opposite side of South State Street to Elm Street.