Connecticut Man Identified as Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Jumper

NEWBURGH — Police have identified the man who jumped from the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge last week as Frank D. Rende of Bridgeport, Conn. after remains were sighted floating in the Hudson River near the City of Newburgh waterfront area around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
According to state police, Rende, 34, leaped to his death after he broke away from a Troop F state trooper while threatening to jump from the bridge around 6:55 p.m.

Police said he jumped off the north side of the westbound span of the Newburgh-Beacon bridge.

Rende had recently been accused of committing a sex crime in the state of Connecticut, said state police Sergeant Joseph Lutz.

His body was recovered on Sunday morning from the Hudson River and turned over to the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

Assisting with the recovery of Rende's body was the New York State Police Aviation Unit and Scuba Units along with the City of Newburgh Police and Fire Department, Middlehope Fire Department, West Point Fire Department, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Boat Patrol, Orange County Fire Command, Mobil Life and Town of Newburgh Emergency Medical Services.

Goodbye, Remington Arms!

This well-known paranormal hot spot was not just notorious for it's ghostly activity, but also known for being quite an eyesore.  So they're demolishing it.

I just drove by it, intact, about two weeks ago with Joe and commented on how it was a long while ago that they said they  announced plans to demolish it.  Well, a few days later they got crackin'.

General Electric owns the property after buying in 1920, and took nearly 100 years to make any changes.

I wonder if demolition will rid the site of all those spirits? The article below states that it might be the site of a newly built high school.  Ut-ohhhhh.  Lol.

(A good site with information on history of Remington Arms: travelchannel )

(More information on Remington hauntings: Examiner.com)

CT Post- The demolition of the historic General Electric plant on Boston Avenue is nearly complete.
Built by Remington Arms in 1915 to supply munitions to czarist Russian troops, the landmark row of 13 interconnected, five-story buildings was sold to General Electric in 1920 and was officially shut down in 2007. Almost all of the bricks and broken concrete from the structure are being used to fill tunnels and flatten the property for future development, which could include a new Harding High School.

The final section of the GE property during demolition in Bridgeport, Conn. June 25th, 2012. The huge facility was built by the Remington Arms Company between 1915 and 1916, for the production of munitions during World War I

Cops: Accused 'Cannibal' Tried to Kill Self in Fairfield

Fairfield Citizen- The man accused of eating the brains and eyeball of a Bridgeport man who he killed with an ax had tried to commit suicide earlier this month in the aisle of a CVS pharmacy on Black Rock Turnpike.

On Jan. 12, Tyree Lincoln Smith was discovered bleeding heavily from his left wrist, which he slashed with a box cutter, and then collapsed on the floor of the CVS at 1968 Black Rock Turnpike, Fairfield police said Thursday.

The suicide attempt occurred about a week before Bridgeport police found the decomposing body of Angel "Tun Tun" Gonzalez on Brooks Street in that city.

Smith, 35, had been discharged Jan. 9 from St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport and came to the store to fill several prescriptions, police said. The pharmacist told police he asked Smith for his prescription health card, and Smith spent about 10 minutes looking in his wallet for it. Smith was calm, according to the report, but when he was unable to find the card, the pharmacist asked Smith if he wanted to go back to St. Vincent's for assistance in filling the prescriptions, which were very expensive.

Smith spent another 15 minutes waiting in the pharmacy area and then left. However, a store employee found him a short time later on the floor in a pool of blood. The employee called 911 and kicked the box cutter away from Smith's grasp.

An ambulance was called to take Smith to the hospital and Fairfield police referred the case to the Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center.

"This just shows that each and every day, whenever an officer responds to a call, they really don't know the all the background," Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara said. "Our officers go to help someone, and unbeknownst to them, this guy later will be a suspect in a gruesome murder."

Attack On a 77 Year Old Woman

This story hits us personally.. Our good family friend's daughter is the grand-daughter of the woman attacked... (Her ex's mother is the victim).

How horrible to have happened during the holiays. Our friend is all shaken up, and I feel so horrible for her daughter- I hope she doesn't lose her grandma on the holiays.

BRIDGEPORT - An elderly Bridgeport woman is seriously injured after police say a man attacked her with a broken bottle as she was crossing the street.

Police say Marvin Narcisse stabbed an elderly woman while he was in his underwear.

Witnesses say the 77-year-old woman was walking across Williams Street earlier today when a man ran from across the street in his underwear, tackled her to the ground and beat her.

Residents in the area say they intervened to help the victim. "I kept stomping on him because he kept reaching for the lady," says one resident. "I kept stomping on his face."

The suspect was taken into custody, and faces attempted murder charges. He is being held on $1 million bond.

The woman was rushed to the hospital. Officials have not released any information on her condition or her identity.

Dead Body Found at Bridgeport Holiday Inn

BRIDGEPORT -- Police are investigating an untimely death at the Holiday Inn on Main Street Tuesday afternoon, according to police spokesman Tim Quinn.

The death is being treated as a likely drug overdose, police said.

It was not immediately known where the body was found or who discovered it. Police are waiting to release further details pending notification of next of kin of the person who died, Quinn said.

Earlier in the day police responded to an untimely death in a Bishop Avenue apartment building, police said. In that incident, police received a report from a person living in an apartment below the deceased, who discovered blood dripping through the ceiling. The body was found in the apartment's bathroom and it was not immediately known how the person died, but foul play was not suspected, police said.

Mayor Bill Finch Laughs off Family Guy's Shot at Bridgeport

BRIDGEPORT -- When it comes to Bridgeport's appeal, Mayor Bill Finch says the last person people should trust is an animated talking baby named Stewie.

Sunday night's episode of Family Guy -- a two-hour Christmas special titled Road to the North Pole -- includes a shot at Bridgeport, which the show depicts as a worldwide leader in "wild dogs and gas stations without pumps" among other claims to infamy.

But Finch said Monday he's laughing off the criticism -- and using the spotlight as an opportunity to promote the city.

"First, we have to remember it's humor," Finch said. "I don't think anything in America is beyond Family Guy trying to make fun of it. It is by the way by Stewie, who we don't particularly like if you're a fan of Family Guy. ... He comes across as a smarty-pants and a know-it-all, so consider the source."

In the episode, Brian (a talking dog) and Stewie are outside the gates of what they believe to be Santa's Workshop.

The large doors swing open and the two are left standing at the foot of towering factories and black smoke billowing out of smokestacks.

As the duo looks on at the gloomy cityscape in front of them, Stewie remarks, "This can't be Santa's Workshop. This looks like Bridgeport, Connecticut!"

Brian retorts, "Oh boy, here come the letters."

The next scene shows a supposed Bridgeport resident (with, for whatever reason, a Boston accent), who speaks out loud as he writes, with a variety of curses and other angry exclamations mixed in, "I'll have you know that Bridgeport is among the world leaders in abandoned buildings, shattered glass, boarded-up windows, wild dogs and gas stations without pumps."

The Family Guy episode now joins the growing genre of the snarky urban putdown: A city or small town is insulted by late-night TV host/cartoon show/newspaper columnist, provoking a mostly feigned spasm of outrage from civic boosters and shrugs from most of the citizenry too busy to give a hoot. Harrisburg, Pa., Bayonne, N.J., Dubuque, Iowa, Youngstown, Ohio. Flint, Mich. The list goes on and on.

Finch was a good sport and figured the episode offered an opportunity to talk about the city's positive side.

"Bridgeport is much different than that," he said. "The image of Bridgeport has changed over the many years that I've lived here. It's a wonderful place to live. We've got great sources of entertainment in the city at the arena, the ballpark and the zoo and the discovery museum."

The image of Bridgeport as a decaying city filled with black smoke and old factories is one the city is trying to shake.

The Family Guy portrayal is a sharp contrast to the recent "Surprise, It's Bridgeport," ad campaign launched by Finch. The ads feature bright colors, the waterfront, the city's restaurants and nightlife and athletic events, culminating with Finch delivering the tagline while fly-fishing in the Pequonnock River.

Finch said the Family Guy letter-writer's Boston accent made the show's portrayal less credible, especially given Fairfield County's allegiance to the Yankees.

"You know, we're solidly Yankee fans down here, I think that's pretty clear," he said. "If it had a Bronx accent I think people would have been happy with it, but the fact that it had a Boston accent was particularly irritating, especially to the Yankee fans down here. It certainly made the segment less credible, and it still got you guys down here reporting about how wonderful Bridgeport is."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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..

---------------------

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.”

DNA Links Convicted Killer to Four Murders in Bridgeport. Are there Others?

Emanuell Lovell Webb convicted of manslaughter of a woman in Georgia now faces trial in the strangulation murder of 34-year-old Elizabeth "Maxine" Gandy.

DNA evidence has also linked him to the murders of Sharon Cunningham, Minnie Sutton, and Sheila Etheridge. During the late 80s and early nineties, more than a dozen women were killed in Bridgeport.

He lived in Bridgeport from 1987 until August of 1993 when he moved back to Georgia. He was charged in July 1994 in the murder of Evelyn Charity, whom he sexually assaulted and strangled. Webb plead guilty and received a prison sentence of 20 years. He was paroled in 2001.

May 22, 2008, Webb pleads no contest to murdering Sharon Cunningham, Minnie Sutton, and Elizabeth Gandy. More details to come.

An Alleged Trip to the Mall Ends in a Disappearance

On November 7th, 2001 10 year old Bianca Lebron was about to start her day at Elias Howe Elementary school in Bridgeport when she got into a beat up older model brown and tan van driven by a hispanic male estimated to be in his mid-twenties.

Since then her family has not seen the fifth grader. She was last seen wearing beige pants, a brown and green camouflage shirt and a jean jacket. That day, Bianca had told friends that she was going to the mall with her uncle. According to her family, she has no Uncle.

Bridgeport Police want to talk to the man that owned the van that Bianca entered. He may be responsible for abduction, know what happened to her or have some important clues.

He is described as a hispanic male in his mid-twenties, average height and build. Black kinky hair with sideburns and a large nose. Below is a picture of the type of van he might have driven.

Bianca is hispanic and is described as being 4'11, 115 pounds, black hair with hazel eyes. She has a mole/birthmark on her forehead. Her picture is shown at the left. Police do have a strong suspect and for additional information about this case and suspect please click here.

If you have any information on the disappearance of Bianca LeBron please contact the Bridgeport Police Department at (203)332-5533.

Looking For Leads In 16 Year Old's Murder

On June 1, 2004, 16 year old Jessica Rose Keyworth, was found strangled and found down stairs in an old abandoned house located at 23-25 Pearl St in Waterbury, CT.

On May 30, she had taken a local train from Bridgeport, CT to Stratford, CT and then another train to Waterbury alone. She was supposed to meet friends at their house and then they were to all drive together back to Job Corps in Devens, Massachusetts.

Police are trying to find out what happened in the 24 hours prior to her being found deceased. A picture of Jessica as well as a shirt she was last wearing are attached. Her family is filled with grief and are looking for answers.

There is $50,000.00 reward being offered and you can contact the Waterbury Police Department at 203-574-6941 if you have vital information.

Suspected Carjackers Appear in Court

This is of particular interest to me because my mother and I heard it all go down as it happened on the online police scanner. It's public information to hear, and *almost* better than watching Cops!

They were said to have a large number of weapons in the car that they ditched, and they all spread out and gave the cops a good run for their money locating them. One fell into a pond and got sucked in by the mud- making him helpless!

I'd like to see how the trial goes, especially this one below who seems to have Zach Galifianakis representing him!

(11/01/10) BRIDGEPORT - Three people accused in a Bridgeport carjacking appeared in court today.

Police say Nicole Bowen, 27, of Bridgeport, Tye Thomas, 20, of the Bronx, and Dashawn Perry, 18, of Yonkers, forced someone to drive them to New York. As the car neared the state line, police say the victim tried to get out of the car and crashed the vehicle.

Investigators say the suspects jumped out of the car and ran, but were later caught by Greenwich police.

-See News Video here-

Wake Held for Fatal Crash Victim

(11/01/10) BRIDGEPORT - Friends and family gathered today to attend the wake for the Easton woman killed in a crash in Stamford Friday.

Jessica Martucci, 20, died when the car she was riding in flipped on I-95.

The wake was held at the Parente-Lauro Funeral Home in Bridgeport.

Her funeral will be held tomorrow morning at St. Jude Church in Monroe.

VIDEO: Fatal crash on I-95 in Stamford

Bridgeport Woman Killed in I-95 Car Crash

BRIDGEPORT - A former Bridgeport high school student is dead after she crashed her car in Norwalk yesterday.

Officials say it happened around noon when Liset Santos, 19, was trying to merge onto the southbound side of the highway between exits 14 and 15.

Police say Santos lost control of her car and collided with an SUV, then a tractor-trailer.

Santos graduated from Kolbe Cathedral High School in 2008 and teachers say she was known for her heart of gold. She was a junior at Monroe College in New Rochelle.

Bridgeport 'Inspirational Speaker' Charged with Masterminding Area Robberies

Stamford Advocate- One day after a Bridgeport man was arrested and charged in a scheme to coerce troubled teens into a life of crime through a questionable foundation, the state attorney general has launched a probe into his organization.

"We are investigating because this supposed charity is not registered with my office or currently with the Internal Revenue Service," said Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

By law, all charitable organizations must register with both agencies to solicit donations.

"We will take action to return money to contributors who may have been victims of deceptive or misleading claims when they donated money," added Blumenthal.

Blumenthal's comments came the same day that Gregory Jetter, 48, of 182 Wheeler Ave., Bridgeport, was arraigned in state Superior Court on robbery, larceny and conspiracy to commit robbery charges.

Jetter was arrested by Greenwich police Monday and held overnight at police headquarters on a $250,000 bond. The bond remained set at $250,000 during the proceeding.

Greenwich police said Jetter labeled himself as the director and inspirational speaker for the Bridgeport-based McCree Foundation Inc., a registered business with the state. Although the foundation's mission statement said its goal "focused on the improvement of the inner-city minority areas," police said they soon learned Jetter was using it to recruit youths to help him with robberies throughout the area.

Detectives discovered the situation after investigating a July 2009 robbery of Estate Treasures consignment shop in Riverside. During the incident, Lakeem Jetter, 19, and Moses McCree, 20, were charged with stealing more than $250,000 worth of jewelry at gunpoint.

However, police said cell phone records indicated Gregory Jetter was also in the vicinity and, they later determined he acted as the getaway driver and disposed of the jewelry after the robbery. Gregory Jetter is related to Lakeem Jetter and has ties to McCree as well. Moses McCree is listed as the president of the McCree Foundation and Lakeem Jetter as another director.

Jetter and family registered the foundation on April 27, 2009, with the state's commercial recording division. The business was listed as active as of Tuesday, and the foundation's Web site, which solicits charitable donations, remained up and running.

Senior Assistant State's Attorney Paul Ferencek told the court that Gregory Jetter had an "extensive criminal record dating back to 1980," which included larceny and armed bank-robbery convictions.

Jetter was released from federal prison in 2007 after serving a 16-year sentence, according to records. Jetter was in federal custody for a violation of probation stemming from a 1994 bank robbery when he was arrested by Greenwich police Monday afternoon.

Court records show Jetter has one child and worked as a salesman. The bail commissioner said he had no history of mental health or medical issues.

According to Lakeem Jetter's arrest warrant, the Estate Treasures robbery was the second in a string of five similar incidents believed to have been planned by Gregory Jetter and others in Greenwich, Fairfield, Orange, Stratford and Monroe.

Police believe Gregory Jetter may face additional charges in the coming weeks. Prosecutors said he was being detained by federal authorities in Rhode Island, but they were making arrangements to have him transferred to Connecticut permanently. Gregory Jetter's arrest warrant was sealed Tuesday.

Jetter is due back in court on March 23. Lakeem Jetter and Moses McCree are due back in court March 8.

L'Ambiance Plaza

I was two when it had happened, but never heard of this happening until today, randomly finding this wikipidia article on it:




"The L'Ambiance Plaza collapse was one of the worst disasters in modern Connecticut history. L'Ambiance Plaza was a 16-story residential project under construction in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Its partially erect frame completely collapsed on April 23, 1987, killing 28 construction workers.[1]

Failure was possibly due to high concrete stresses on the floor slabs by the placement process resulting in cracking ending in a type of punch through failure.[2][3][4][5][6] There was a school of thought that this accident highlighted the deficiencies of the lift slab construction technique[clarification needed]. This accident prompted a major nationwide federal investigation into this construction technique as well as a temporary moratorium of its use in Connecticut."

Video of Church's 'Casting Out' Gay 'Demon' in Teen Sparks Anger

(CNN) -- The boy writhes uncontrollably on the floor, but the church members remain calm, if increasingly loud. They're trying to drive a "demon" out of him.

"You homosexual demon, get up on outta here!" they say. "You demon, lose yourself!" "You sex demon ... you snake!"

The shouts, the convulsions, the references to homosexual spirits -- they are all captured on a video posted on YouTube by the Manifested Glory Ministries. The video has sparked anger among gay youth advocacy groups and put the small church from Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the middle of an ongoing national debate on gay issues.

Patricia McKinney, pastor of the nondenominational church who describes herself as a prophet, said she has even been receiving death threats as a result of the video, but doesn't understand the outrage.

"I believe in deliverance, I believe in anointing, I believe in the power of Jesus," she said in a phone interview with CNN. "I've been threatened already, I've been attacked, and it doesn't make any sense to us. Really, what they're doing, they're putting me out there on the mat."

McKinney says she doesn't refer to the events of the video as an exorcism, but rather a "casting out of unclean spirits." She said this isn't the first time that an event like this has taken place at her church, but it is the first one centered around homosexuality.

McKinney said the boy approached the church and told her he wanted to be a pastor, but was struggling with his sexuality. "We allow [gay people] to come into our church. We just don't allow them to come in and continue to live that lifestyle," she said.

"God made Adam and Eve," she said. "He made a woman to be with a man, and a man to be with a woman."

Robin McHaelen, who worked with the 16-year-old boy at the center of the video in her position as executive director of True Colors Inc., a gay youth advocacy and mentoring program in Connecticut, said the video was taped in March. She would not identify the teen.

McHaelen said she doesn't think the church acted maliciously -- but that's part of her problem with the video.

"None of the people in this video were intending to hurt this kid," she said. "They performed this ritual in an attempt to rid him of feelings that he didn't want to have."

The boy is the fifth teen True Colors is aware of that has undergone an event like the one documented in the video. But unlike the boy, not all the teens approached a church or religious organization.

The event, McHaelen said, reflects a culture and society that doesn't believe a person can be both Christian and gay.

"That's what makes me so sad and so mad," she said.

McHaelen said she talked to the boy since the incident and said he's feeling very conflicted and confused in trying to reconcile who he is with his religion.

"He's 16 and having the feelings that he's having, the relationships he's having, and then [he's] being tormented by 'What if I'm going to go to hell because of what I feel and who I am?'" she said.

McHaelen notified the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, as she's mandated to do in her position when she suspects abuse or neglect of a minor. However, she told CNN the department will be looking into whether or not abuse or neglect occurred by the parents and family of the boy, not the church. The department declined to comment Thursday.

Isaiah Webster, Director of Communications for the National Youth Advocacy Commission, said he was deeply saddened by the timing of the video and the accompanying uproar.

"It's very, very sad that this still takes place in society," he said. "It's also very sad that it comes about during this week, [as the] 40th anniversary of Stonewall is this weekend."

The so-called "Stonewall Riots" are believed by many to have kicked off the gay liberation movement.

"That is really something to celebrate," Webster continued, "and it's unfortunate that young people still have to endure things like this."

McHaelen said that as an advocacy group, she doesn't think True Colors can take any legal action against the church, and said she would rather engage in an open dialogue with its members.