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Former CT Police Chief, Decorated Military Veteran Dies Former CT Police Chief, Decorated Military Veteran Dies
Former CT Police Chief, Decorated Military Veteran Dies A former Connecticut police chief remembered for his compassion, military service, and decades of dedication to protecting his community has died.  George Marinelli, who served as Rocky Hill’s police chief for 10 years, died Sunday, May 24, at 81, according to the Rocky Hill Police Department. Authorities did not release his cause of death.  Marinelli spent more than three decades in law enforcement in Rocky Hill. During that time, he worked as a patrolman, youth officer, and K-9 officer before becoming chief. He retired in 2002. The department said Marinelli “continued his dedic…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
CT Man Accused Of Secretly Taking, Sharing Nude Photos Of Woman: Police CT Man Accused Of Secretly Taking, Sharing Nude Photos Of Woman: Police
CT Man Accused Of Secretly Taking, Sharing Nude Photos Of Woman: Police A Connecticut man secretly took nude photos of an ex and shared them without her consent, police said.  Bryan Andrade-Espinosa, 23, of Norwalk, was arrested Thursday, May 21, after police officers located him on a family violence arrest warrant, authorities said.  The investigation began earlier this week after the victim reported ongoing harassment, Norwalk police said.  The alleged victim told police that Andrade-Espinosa sent intimate photos of her that she “was unaware had even been taken.” They were then sent without her knowledge. Andrade-Espinosa was charged with fel…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Ex-East Lyme Police Chief Arrested Again After Domestic Dispute, Adding To Troubling History Ex-East Lyme Police Chief Arrested Again After Domestic Dispute, Adding To Troubling History
Ex-East Lyme Police Chief Arrested Again After Domestic Dispute, Adding To Troubling History A former Connecticut police chief with a history of domestic violence arrests is facing yet another criminal charge after police said officers responded to a domestic dispute at his home. Michael Finkelstein, the former East Lyme police chief, was arrested Friday morning, May 22, on a charge of disorderly conduct, according to East Lyme police. Police were called to a Marion Drive home in East Lyme for a reported domestic dispute. After speaking with family members who were there during the incident, officers arrested Finkelstein and took him into custody. Authorities did not release detai…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Connecticut Man Arrested In 1986 Rape, Stabbing Murder Of Virginia Beach Woman: Police Connecticut Man Arrested In 1986 Rape, Stabbing Murder Of Virginia Beach Woman: Police
Connecticut Man Arrested In 1986 Rape, Stabbing Murder Of Virginia Beach Woman: Police A Connecticut man has been arrested decades after police say he raped and murdered a 22-year-old Virginia Beach woman whose body was found with fatal stab wounds in a field in 1986. Charles Berry, 66, was taken into custody this week in Newington in connection with his alleged role in the brutal murder of Roberta Walls 40 years ago, according to Virginia Beach Police. Walls’ body was discovered just after sunrise on May 15, 1986, in a field along Ferry Plantation Drive in Virginia Beach. Roberta Walls Virginia Beach Police Investigators determined the young woman had been sexually …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
CT Inmate Stabbed With Makeshift Weapon During Fight At Prison CT Inmate Stabbed With Makeshift Weapon During Fight At Prison
CT Inmate Stabbed With Makeshift Weapon During Fight At Prison A fight inside a Connecticut prison ended with one inmate rushed to the hospital after he was stabbed with a makeshift weapon, the Connecticut Department of Correction said. The incident happened around 6:40 p.m. Thursday at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, authorities said**.** Correctional staff found five incarcerated people fighting in the in-unit recreation area inside the Walker building. As staff members broke up the altercation, they noticed one of the inmates had been stabbed. The injured man was taken to an outside hospital for treatment. He was later relea…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Armed & Dangerous Heavily Tattooed Man Wanted In Multiple States Back On Run After Release Armed & Dangerous Heavily Tattooed Man Wanted In Multiple States Back On Run After Release
Armed & Dangerous Heavily Tattooed Man Wanted In Multiple States Back On Run After Release A heavily tattooed Downingtown fugitive once captured in Texas after a four-state manhunt is back on the run after being released from custody in Pennsylvania earlier this week, according to information shared with Daily Voice and newly filed court records. Kevin James Kistler, 35, was released Monday, May 18, with the understanding that he would surrender himself to authorities in Cecil County, Maryland, according to information provided to Daily Voice by a person familiar with the ongoing cases. Instead, new fugitive warrants have since been issued in Maryland and New Jersey, the source sa…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Deported 3 Times, Mexican National Admits To Illegal Reentry After CT DUI Arrest Deported 3 Times, Mexican National Admits To Illegal Reentry After CT DUI Arrest
Deported 3 Times, Mexican National Admits To Illegal Reentry After CT DUI Arrest A Mexican national who had already been deported three times has admitted to illegally reentering the United States again after police say he was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Connecticut.  Julio Cesar Fernandez-Salazar, 44, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Bridgeport to unlawful reentry of a removed alien, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. Federal prosecutors said Fernandez-Salazar has used several aliases over the years, including Julio Fernandez, Paulo Cesar Salazar, Alejandro Lugo, Jorge Ortigoza, and Julio C. Fernandez-…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Ex-Bethany Youth Worker Pleads Guilty In Child Sexual Assault Case That Sparked Town Fallout Ex-Bethany Youth Worker Pleads Guilty In Child Sexual Assault Case That Sparked Town Fallout
Ex-Bethany Youth Worker Pleads Guilty In Child Sexual Assault Case That Sparked Town Fallout A former Connecticut after-school counselor has admitted to sexually assaulting children in a case that shook the town and led to sharp criticism of local leaders over how they handled the allegations. Anthony Mastrangelo, 26, of Bethany, pleaded guilty to 10 criminal charges nearly two years after his arrest, according to court documents. The plea includes five counts of fourth-degree sexual assault of a victim under age 13 and five counts of risk of injury to a child. Mastrangelo was arrested in June 2024 following what authorities described as a lengthy sexual assault investigation. At …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Stolen BMW From Avon Found In Waterbury Sparks Chase, Arrests, Police Say Stolen BMW From Avon Found In Waterbury Sparks Chase, Arrests, Police Say
Stolen BMW From Avon Found In Waterbury Sparks Chase, Arrests, Police Say Police arrested two men after spotting a stolen BMW tied to an investigation in Waterbury, authorities said. Jadyn Dejesus and Stephan Mason were arrested earlier this week after Waterbury police located a stolen 2026 gray BMW X5 MGOi near Burr Street, according to police.  Investigators said the SUV had been stolen from Avon. Officers tried to pull the vehicle over, but police said the driver attempted to run away before they caught him.  Police identified the driver as 18-year-old Dejesus, of Stratford. He was removed from the SUV and taken into custody, authorities said. Pol…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
CT Woman Wakes To Naked Neighbor Masturbating Over Her During Break-In: Police CT Woman Wakes To Naked Neighbor Masturbating Over Her During Break-In: Police
CT Woman Wakes To Naked Neighbor Masturbating Over Her During Break-In: Police A woman sleeping on her couch woke up to find her naked neighbor standing over her and masturbating inside her apartment, according to state police. Laramie Briggs Jr., 44, of Ashford, is accused of breaking into the apartment on Ashford Center Rd. on Tuesday, May 20, Connecticut State Police said. The woman told troopers she woke up and found Briggs naked inside her home. Police said Briggs then began masturbating over her while she was lying on the couch. The woman shoved him out of the apartment, investigators said. Troopers later learned Briggs lived in the same apartment complex on th…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
CT Strip Club Owner Admits Running Prostitution Ring, Hiding Millions From IRS: Feds CT Strip Club Owner Admits Running Prostitution Ring, Hiding Millions From IRS: Feds
CT Strip Club Owner Admits Running Prostitution Ring, Hiding Millions From IRS: Feds A Massachusetts man admitted in federal court that he ran a prostitution operation out of a Connecticut strip club while hiding millions of dollars from the IRS, authorities announced.  Kenneth Denning, 69, of Holland, pleaded guilty Tuesday, May 20, to multiple federal crimes tied to the operation of the Electric Blue strip club in Tolland, prosecutors said. Federal investigators said Denning controlled the club for decades through a holding company called Denning Enterprises. The business was officially owned by his wife but operated under Denning’s direction until it was sold in Jan…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
East Haven Caretaker Charged In Sister’s Killing Amid Alzheimer’s Struggles East Haven Caretaker Charged In Sister’s Killing Amid Alzheimer’s Struggles
East Haven Caretaker Charged In Sister’s Killing Amid Alzheimer’s Struggles A Connecticut man accused of killing his older sister while serving as her caretaker is being held on a $2 million bond after police said tensions tied to her Alzheimer’s disease had built for months. Donna Caponero, 69, was killed Friday, May 16, inside her Edgemere Road home in East Haven, according to police. Her brother, Sean McCormack, 56, is now charged with killing her. McCormack made his first court appearance on Wednesday, and a judge ordered him held on a $2 million bond, WTNH reported. He did not speak at the arraignment hearing. McCormack had been caring for his sister after he…

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by Josh Lanier