Josh Lanier

Assistant Managing Editor

[email protected]

Josh Lanier started his reporting career in high school for his local newspaper. Many — many — years later, he’s still chasing leads for compelling stories. During his time writing for newspapers, magazines, and online publications, he’s covered everything from murderers to mommy bloggers, but his most interesting story is always the next one.


Josh Lanier's Contributions

Wethersfield, CT
Breaking News
Enfield Man Forced Wethersfield Motel Clerk Into Office At Gunpoint During Robbery: Cops Enfield Man Forced Wethersfield Motel Clerk Into Office At Gunpoint During Robbery: Cops Enfield Man Forced Wethersfield Motel Clerk Into Office At Gunpoint During Robbery: Cops
Enfield Man Forced Wethersfield Motel Clerk Into Office At Gunpoint During Robbery: Cops A Connecticut man faces kidnapping and robbery charges after two armed men forced a clerk into an office during a robbery at a Wethersfield motel, police said. Francisco Perez, 45, of Enfield, was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 22, in connection with the July 28 robbery at the Motel 6 on Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield police said.  Officers went to the motel around 10:16 p.m. after someone reported that two masked men entered the lobby, jumped the counter, and demanded cash from the clerk, police said.  The men forced the clerk into a back office at gunpoint and assaulted them, autho…

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by Josh Lanier
Glastonbury, CT
Breaking News
Texas Man Convicted In $1.4M Drug Scheme Tied To Glastonbury: Feds Texas Man Convicted In $1.4M Drug Scheme Tied To Glastonbury: Feds Texas Man Convicted In $1.4M Drug Scheme Tied To Glastonbury: Feds
Texas Man Convicted In $1.4M Drug Scheme Tied To Glastonbury: Feds A Texas man has been convicted in a nationwide prescription drug scheme he ran with a former Glastonbury resident in an operation that sent more than 10,000 parcels to customers and earned them over $1.4 million, prosecutors said. Ryan Fields, 52, of Port Neches, Texas, was found guilty on Friday, Sept. 18, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. The jury convicted him of two conspiracy charges involving illegal drug sales, smuggling, and money laundering. From September 2021 to June 2023, Fields and Lisa Mahan, who once lived in Glastonbury, sold …

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by Josh Lanier
Norfolk, MA
Breaking News
Rare 2-Headed Turtle Hatches On Cape Cod — Talk About A Double Take Rare 2-Headed Turtle Hatches On Cape Cod — Talk About A Double Take Rare 2-Headed Turtle Hatches On Cape Cod — Talk About A Double Take
Rare 2-Headed Turtle Hatches On Cape Cod — Talk About A Double Take Wanted: Judo rat to train a pre-teen mutant turtle recently hatched on Cape Cod, but crime-fighting can wait — for now.  Wildlife experts are caring for the diamondback terrapin that hatched with two heads at a protected nesting site in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Both heads are alert and showing interest in food — encouraging signs for the tiny turtle.  “We are monitoring and making sure they’re bright and alert; they’re reactive. We’re making sure that we’re offering food and that both heads are active and looking around and trying to eat. So far they are, which is awesome,” Zak M…

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by Josh Lanier
Vernon-Rockville, CT
Breaking News
Vernon Funeral Director Accused Of Gambling Away 170 People's Money Accepts Prison Deal Vernon Funeral Director Accused Of Gambling Away 170 People's Money Accepts Prison Deal Vernon Funeral Director Accused Of Gambling Away 170 People's Money Accepts Prison Deal
Vernon Funeral Director Accused Of Gambling Away 170 People's Money Accepts Prison Deal A former Connecticut funeral director accused of using families’ prepaid funeral money to bankroll casino trips has agreed to a deal that calls for seven-and-a-half years in prison. Phillip Pietras, 51, accepted the terms Friday, Sept. 18, in Rockville Superior Court before Judge Christopher Griffin. His formal guilty plea is scheduled for Oct. 23, with sentencing set for Jan. 22, authorities said.  The deal calls for a 15-year sentence, suspended after seven-and-a-half years. It covers one count of first-degree larceny and four counts of intent to defraud through a funeral contract. …

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by Josh Lanier
Norfolk, MA
Breaking News
Suspended Mass Officer, Husband Indicted On Child Rape, Physical Abuse Charges Suspended Mass Officer, Husband Indicted On Child Rape, Physical Abuse Charges Suspended Mass Officer, Husband Indicted On Child Rape, Physical Abuse Charges
Suspended Mass Officer, Husband Indicted On Child Rape, Physical Abuse Charges A Plymouth police officer and her husband face new charges after a grand jury indicted both on allegations of child rape late last week.  Samantha Pelrine, 31, and Daniel Forand, 37, remain free on bail following their March arraignments in Plymouth District Court, according to court records. The case stems from a March 17 restraining order request that alleged the couple sexually and physically abused their adopted son.  Pelrine faces three counts of aggravated child rape and two counts of child rape, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz’s office. Forand f…

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by Josh Lanier
Waterbury, CT
Breaking News
Waterbury Woman Charged With Murder After Man Found Dead In Apartment Waterbury Woman Charged With Murder After Man Found Dead In Apartment Waterbury Woman Charged With Murder After Man Found Dead In Apartment
Waterbury Woman Charged With Murder After Man Found Dead In Apartment A Connecticut woman faces a murder charge after police said they found a man dead inside an apartment with serious injuries and signs of a struggle. Guadalupe Ojeda, 39, of Waterbury, was arrested following the discovery at 13 Cherry Ave. in Waterbury shortly after 8:20 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, police said.  Waterbury officers said they found an unresponsive man on the floor. He was not breathing and had several serious injuries. Emergency medical workers pronounced him dead at the scene. Police described him as an unidentified adult. Investigators identified Ojeda as the main suspe…

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by Josh Lanier
East Hartford, CT
Breaking News
17 Years After East Hartford Shooting, State Clears Officers, Blames Missing Report For Delay 17 Years After East Hartford Shooting, State Clears Officers, Blames Missing Report For Delay 17 Years After East Hartford Shooting, State Clears Officers, Blames Missing Report For Delay
17 Years After East Hartford Shooting, State Clears Officers, Blames Missing Report For Delay Connecticut’s inspector general has cleared three officers in a fatal East Hartford shooting, 17 years after the encounter left a family waiting for answers. The report released Tuesday, Sept. 22, finds that East Hartford officers Keith Ledoux and Frederick Paquette and West Hartford officer Eric Rocheleau lawfully used deadly force against Robert Gilbert, 52, on May 24, 2009. Inspector General Eliot D. Prescott concluded that the officers reasonably feared Gilbert would shoot when he pointed a shotgun toward them. But the report also reveals a major failure: State police largely completed…

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by Josh Lanier
Norwich, CT
Breaking News
After 16 Years Apart, CT Son Discovers How Deeply His Norwich Dad Was Loved In His Final Days After 16 Years Apart, CT Son Discovers How Deeply His Norwich Dad Was Loved In His Final Days After 16 Years Apart, CT Son Discovers How Deeply His Norwich Dad Was Loved In His Final Days
After 16 Years Apart, CT Son Discovers How Deeply His Norwich Dad Was Loved In His Final Days Connecticut resident Dylan Sanborn said he gained a much deeper understanding of his father 16 years after they became estranged. Tragically, that understanding came only weeks before Jack Sanborn died following a hit-and-run crash. "Everybody loved Jack," Dylan said. "... I sat in that hospital and saw all walks of life come through that door." Click here for more information on the GoFundMe to pay for Jack Sanborn's funeral Jack was on his way home from the store in Norwich after buying milk on Aug. 21 when a driver struck his e-bike, sending him headfirst onto the pavement. The impact…

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by Josh Lanier
Hartford, CT
Breaking News
Fugitive CT Official Kosta Diamantis Seeks Trump Pardon After Fleeing To Greece Fugitive CT Official Kosta Diamantis Seeks Trump Pardon After Fleeing To Greece Fugitive CT Official Kosta Diamantis Seeks Trump Pardon After Fleeing To Greece
Fugitive CT Official Kosta Diamantis Seeks Trump Pardon After Fleeing To Greece Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis fled the United States for Greece before sentencing for public corruption. Now he hopes President Donald Trump will pardon him so he can return home without being arrested, he told WTNH during a video call on Monday, Sept. 21. A federal jury convicted Diamantis in October 2025 on 21 felony counts, including bribery, extortion, conspiracy and making false statements to federal investigators. Prosecutors said Diamantis demanded and accepted payments from contractors while leading Connecticut’s Office of School Construction Grants and Review. The companies so…

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by Josh Lanier
Killingly-Danielson, CT
Breaking News
Killingly Residents Dig In Against Amazon Warehouse Over Water, Traffic Fears: 'Keep It Rural' Killingly Residents Dig In Against Amazon Warehouse Over Water, Traffic Fears: 'Keep It Rural' Killingly Residents Dig In Against Amazon Warehouse Over Water, Traffic Fears: 'Keep It Rural'
Killingly Residents Dig In Against Amazon Warehouse Over Water, Traffic Fears: 'Keep It Rural' Many residents of Killingly will tell you they love the quiet, rural, friendly community they've spent decades building, but some now say all that is at stake as they dig in to fight a proposed 1.3 million-square-foot Amazon warehouse A group of residents calling themselves "Keep Killingly Rural" has launched a GoFundMe with an initial $15,000 goal. Organizers say donations will pay for advocacy, protection and public awareness as the permit process moves ahead.  They fear that the massive warehouse could pollute the waterways, add hundreds of additional trucks and vehic…

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by Josh Lanier
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