Pyrotechnician Accused Of Having 'Large Cache' Of Commercial Grade Fireworks In CT Basement Pyrotechnician Accused Of Having 'Large Cache' Of Commercial Grade Fireworks In CT Basement
Pyrotechnician Accused Of Having 'Large Cache' Of Commercial Grade Fireworks In CT Basement A Connecticut man was busted with a large trove of commercial grade fireworks in his basement, police said. Hartford County resident Richard Valuk, age 47, of Berlin, turned himself in to Connecticut State Police on an active arrest warrant Friday, Sept. 6. According to police, troopers with the agency’s Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit responded to Valuk’s residence on Friday, Feb. 2, hours after he was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue. While at the scene, investigators discovered a “large cache” of illegal, commercial and consumer grade fireworks that were stored in h…
Trio Caught With Over $1K In Counterfeit Bills After Using Them At CT Store, Police Say Trio Caught With Over $1K In Counterfeit Bills After Using Them At CT Store, Police Say
Trio Caught With Over $1K In Counterfeit Bills After Using Them At CT Store, Police Say Three people were apprehended after using counterfeit money to buy items at a retail establishment in Connecticut and trying to use it at several more stores, police announced.  The arrests resulted from an incident in New Haven County on Monday, Sept. 9 that began around 2 p.m., when detectives witnessed suspicious activity involving two cars in the parking lot of a retail establishment in the area of Union Street in Waterbury, Connecticut State Police said on Tuesday, Sept. 10.  With the help of store employees, detectives pieced together that two people connected with the suspi…
CT Woman Let Family's Dog Die, Dumped It On Side Of Highway, Lied To Owners: Police CT Woman Let Family's Dog Die, Dumped It On Side Of Highway, Lied To Owners: Police
CT Woman Let Family's Dog Die, Dumped It On Side Of Highway, Lied To Owners: Police A Connecticut woman accused of promising to train a dog for a family, allowing it to die under her care, lying to the owners, and leaving it on the side of the road has been arrested a year after the alleged incident, authorities said.  Middlesex County resident Jacqueline Witt, age 64, of Haddam, is charged with four counts of animal cruelty and tampering with physical evidence, the Connecticut State Police said on Tuesday, Sept. 10.   A Massachusetts family from North Reading reached out to a company on the website Thumbtack to find a dog trainer in September 2023, pol…
Plane Crash: 4 CT Residents Killed In Vermont Including Student Plane Crash: 4 CT Residents Killed In Vermont Including Student
Plane Crash: 4 CT Residents Killed In Vermont Including Student Four Connecticut residents killed in a small plane crash in Vermont as they returned home from a luncheon have been identified. The Vermont State Police said the incident occurred in Addison County, Vermont, in Ferrisburgh on Sunday, Sept. 8. The victims, whose bodies were recovered on Monday, Sept. 9, have been identified as: Paul Pelletier, age 55, of Columbia, in Tolland County  Frank Rodriquez, age 88, of Lebanon, in New London County  Susan Van Ness, age 51, of Middletown, in Middlesex County  Delilah Van Ness, age 15, of Middletown, in Middlesex County . Middletown Po…
1 Killed, 2 Seriously Injured In Head-On CT Crash 1 Killed, 2 Seriously Injured In Head-On CT Crash
1 Killed, 2 Seriously Injured In Head-On CT Crash A Connecticut man was killed after allegedly driving erratically through several towns before crossing over the centerline and slamming head-on into another vehicle. The crash occurred in New Haven County around 3:50 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 8, on South Turnpike Road in Wallingford. According to Connecticut State Police, 42-year-old Jonathan Garcia of Wallingford was followed by troopers after receiving multiple reports that his 2023 Cadillac Escalade was being driven erratically. While attempting to negotiate a right curve in the roadway, the Escalade crossed over the double yellow centerline …
New Update - Fatal CT House Fire: Elementary School Student ID'd As Victim New Update - Fatal CT House Fire: Elementary School Student ID'd As Victim
New Update - Fatal CT House Fire: Elementary School Student ID'd As Victim A student of a Connecticut elementary school has been identified as the victim of a house fire in a quiet neighborhood. Related: Person Found Dead After House Fire Breaks Out In Quiet Middlefield Neighborhood The incident occurred in Middlesex County around 1 a.m., Friday, Sept. 6, on Dwight Drive in Middlefield.  According to Doug Schuch, the superintendent of Regional School District 13, the child, whose name has not yet been released, attended John Lyman Elementary School. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of this child in this most difficult time, Schuch w…
Person Found Dead After House Fire Breaks Out In Quiet CT Neighborhood Person Found Dead After House Fire Breaks Out In Quiet CT Neighborhood
Person Found Dead After House Fire Breaks Out In Quiet CT Neighborhood One person was killed, and another escaped, along with a dog, during a fire at a single-family home in a quiet Connecticut neighborhood. New Update - Fatal Middlefield House Fire: Elementary School Student ID'd As Victim The incident occurred in Middlesex County around 1 a.m., Friday, Sept. 6, on Dwight Drive in Middlefield. According to Middlefield Fire Chief Peter Tyc, the first arriving crews encountered heavy fire. The entire front of the home was engulfed in flames, and one person was reported inside the house. Firefighters initiated an aggressive fire attack and search for th…
CT Kennel Owner Facing Animal Cruelty Charges CT Kennel Owner Facing Animal Cruelty Charges
CT Kennel Owner Facing Animal Cruelty Charges A Connecticut kennel owner turned herself in to police earlier this week after being charged with animal cruelty, authorities said.  Litchfield County resident Jennifer Ornelli, age 47, of Bethlehem, was ordered held on a $10,000 bond on Tuesday, Sept. 3, Connecticut State Police said.  Ornelli runs the Home Away From Home kennel in Bethlehem. In July, a customer filed a complaint with state authorities that their dog had been mistreated and neglected while in Ornelli's care, police said.  The owner said her dog had injuries that it didn't have when she dropped it …
Ex-CT Prison Guard Who Smuggled In Drugs For Inmate Sentenced To 5 Years Ex-CT Prison Guard Who Smuggled In Drugs For Inmate Sentenced To 5 Years
Ex-CT Prison Guard Who Smuggled In Drugs For Inmate Sentenced To 5 Years A former prison guard who was caught bringing drugs into a Connecticut prison for an inmate will join them on the other side of the bars, authorities said.  New Haven County resident, Nicholas Kosa, age 29, of Cheshire, was sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the charge of sale or possession with intent to sell a controlled substance, Connecticut authorities said. His sentence will be suspended after three years. Kosa worked as a prison guard at New Haven Correctional Center at 245 Whalley Ave. Administers became suspicious that he was bringing drugs …
Norwalk Man Accused Of Threatening To Assassinate Judge Norwalk Man Accused Of Threatening To Assassinate Judge
Norwalk Man Accused Of Threatening To Assassinate Judge A Fairfield County man is behind bars for allegedly making a threat to assassinate a Superior Court judge. Norwalk resident Nicholas Supple, age 48, was arrested by the Connecticut State Police at his place of work on Saturday, Aug. 31. Troopers were made aware of the threat made during a phone conversation between Supple and a call taker from a Judicial Call Center in Hartford. The investigating trooper contacted the initial call taker, who said that a call was received from a disgruntled man earlier in the afternoon. The man was trying to obtain body camera and motor vehicle footag…
CT Man Blows By Trooper At More Than 100 MPH — Double Speed Limit CT Man Blows By Trooper At More Than 100 MPH — Double Speed Limit
CT Man Blows By Trooper At More Than 100 MPH — Double Speed Limit A Connecticut man must have been in a mighty hurry early Monday morning, Sept. 2, because police clocked him at over 100 mph — double the speed limit — more than once on I-95.  New London County resident Joseph Jankovich, age 46, of Old Lyme, faces reckless driving charges from the incident just after 12:30 a.m., Connecticut State Police said.  A trooper first spotted Jankovich's black Mercedes-Benz SUV near the northbound Exit 17 in East Lyme as it zoomed past a patrol car at 105 mph in a 65 mph zone, police said. Police couldn't pull him over because he entered a constructi…
Wanted Arsonist Found Walking In CT: Police Wanted Arsonist Found Walking In CT: Police
Wanted Arsonist Found Walking In CT: Police A man wanted for starting a fire on the West Coast was found walking along a Connecticut highway on Tuesday, Aug. 27, authorities said.  Robert Parmalee, age 40, of Ritzville, Washington, was arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant and is expected to be extradited to Oregon, where he is wanted on an arson charge, Connecticut State Police said.  Police stopped Parmalee in Hartford County just after 11 a.m. walking alongside Route 20 in Windsor Locks. Officers said they spoke with him out of safety concerns considering where he was walking.  A judge ordered him h…