DERBY — Small amounts of tainted soil have been found close to the surface on O’Sullivan’s Island, a public park in Derby that was closed in January over fears of soil contamination.

The Valley Independent Sentinel reports that the low-level chemical contamination is within the first six inches of soil, but that the amounts are below the threshhold that would indicate a danger to the public.

Read the Valley Indy story here.

The city and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached a tentative deal this summer that would require Derby to pay a small percentage of the estimated $4.6 million cleanup cost.

Read earlier Connecticut Post coverage of the O’Sullivan’s Island contamination here and here.

Grassy areas on O’Sullivan’s Island were closed in January.

MILFORD — An 18 year-old man who allegedly had non-consensual sex with a minor will be arraigned later today in Milford Superior Court on charges related to the Sept. 21 incident.

Henry Goerig of Fairfield Street was arrested Friday and held on a $150,000 bond. The assault allegedly occurred on Fairfield Street, Officer Jeff Nielsen said.

He is charged with first-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor, third-degree assault and unlawful restraint.

MILFORD — A 21 year-old North Haven man used various social media sites to establish an inappropriate relationship with a minor, and then exchanged “unlawful conversations and photographs with the victim, police say.

Christopher Burr was arrested on a warrant in connection with the September, 2013 incident, Officer Jeff Nielsen said.

Burr was released on his promise to appear Oct. 21 in Milford Superior Court for arraignment on charges of using a computer to entice a minor and risk of injury to a minor.

Juan Santiago. Photo: B.K. Angeletti/Connecticut Post.

BRIDGEPORT – A 29-year veteran of the police force, who shot himself in the leg while examining a gun in a crowded restaurant, has been granted a special probation program.

Following a short hearing Tuesday morning , Superior Court Judge Earl Richards granted accelerated rehabilitation for  56-year-old Juan Santiago.

Accelerated rehabilitation is a program for first time, nonviolent offenders. Under the program Santiago who was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm - a misdemeanor –  did not plead guilty to the charge but was placed on six months’ probation. If he commits no other crimes during that probation the original charge against him is dismissed.

“He wasn’t given preferential treatment. He was charged following an investigation,” said Santiago’s lawyer, John Gulash. “He has had a distinguished career with the Bridgeport Police Department and has led an exemplary life including being involved in the community.”

Since his arrest in February Santiago has retired from the police department.

On Dec. 17, police said Santiago was examining a handgun in the Bagel King restaurant on Main Street when the gun went off, wounding him in the leg and shattering a window in the crowded restaurant.

In his statement to police, Santiago states that after taking the pouch containing the gun from another officer, he unzipped the pouch and took hold of the gun.

“I immediately pointed the firearm downward. In an attempt to make the weapon safe, I pulled the slide to the rear in order to check the chamber for any live rounds. As I did so, the slide slid forward. At this time, I observed that the hammer was pulled to the rear of the firearm. I placed my thumb on the hammer in (sic) attempt to safe guard the firearm, the hammer slipped from my thumb, hitting the firing pin, accidentally discharging the firearm. I was struck in my left thigh. I was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital for treatment.”

The shooting incident sparked protests after Santiago was not immediately arrested. Instead, Police Chief Joseph Gaudett turned the investigation over to state police.

HARTFORD – The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on Tuesday announced it had begun the annual stocking of broodstock Atlantic salmon.

DEEP’s Inland Fisheries Division last week released 500 salmon into the Naugatuck River (150 fish), Mount Tom Pond (100 fish), Crystal Lake (Ellington – 125 fish) and Beach Pond (125 fish).

“Atlantic salmon are renowned for their size, beauty and fighting ability,” said Peter Aarrestad, Director of DEEP’s Inland Fisheries Division. “The Atlantic salmon recreational fishery has become quite popular, and catching one of these large leapers provides a thrilling experience for anglers”

In the Naugatuck and Housatonic Rivers angling for Atlantic salmon is restricted to catch-and-release only from September 1 through November 30.
From December 1, 2014, through March 31, 2015, the daily creel limit for Atlantic salmon will be one.

During the open season in the rivers, the legal method for taking Atlantic salmon is limited to angling using a single fly, or an artificial lure with a single free swinging hook and no additional weight can be added to the line above the fly or lure.

Also, from October 1st through March 31st, fishing for other species in the designated Atlantic Salmon Broodstock Areas is restricted to the gear legal for Atlantic salmon. Anglers are reminded that the same regulations also apply to the Shetucket River and that this river’s designated Broodstock Area is from the Scotland Dam (Scotland) to the Occum Dam (Norwich).

The group of Atlantic salmon released last week range in weight from 2-5 pounds each. In early October, approximately 500 additional fish in the same size range and more than 50 larger fish in the 3 to 14 pound range will be available for stocking. Following spawning later this fall, DEEP expects another150 salmon from the Kensington Hatchery will be available for stocking in November. These fish will also range in weight from 3 to 14 pounds each.

BRIDGEPORT – A 65-year-old Monroe man, whose violent crimes have spanned three decades and as many states, was ordered Tuesday held in lieu of $1 million in connection with a Trumbull bank robbery and carjacking.

George Bratsenis, of Spinning Wheel Road, tall, bespectacled with white hair and a white beard, stood smiling before Superior Court Judge Robin Pavia.

He gasped in apparent disbelief, his mouth open, as the bail commissioner read aloud Bratsenis’ record.

There was the 20 years for the attempted murder conviction in 1984 in Meriden; the bank robbery convictions in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“It’s clear from his background he has a propensity for violent crimes,” Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Dunn told the judge in asking for a high bond.

The judge then continued the case to Oct. 21.

“Thank you judge,” Bratsenis said as he was led away.

On Friday police said Bratsenis was one of two men who robbed the People’s United Bank on Madison Avenue in Trumbull.

On Monday afternoon Bratsenis was stopped in the city driving a white pickup truck witnesses have identified as the getaway vehicle, police said. In his wallet police found more than $600 in 20-dollar bills that police said was part of the loot from the robbery.

Police said two men wearing ski masks earlier Friday had carjacked a Ford Fusion sedan from the Trumbull Marriott hotel parking lot. They had then used that car to get to the bank. It was later found abandoned and burning.

Police said the two men had entered the bank. While one, who they have identified as Bratsenis, stood watch, police said the second, dressed in a yellow neon hooded sweatshirt, jumped over the bank’s counter and demanded at gunpoint that the tellers empty the cash drawers.

Police said they are still seeking the second man.

STRATFORD — A local couple used the names of minor children to open an account with the United illuminating Co. and defrauded the utility of $3,492, police said Wednesday.

Autumn Frimpter and Travarus Jones, both 40, were arrested on a warrant after a joint investigation by Stratford police and UI employees, said Lt. Frank Eannotti, the police spokesman. 

Each was charged with third-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny, and held on $20,000 dollars bond.

A Rhode Island child has died as a result of an infection that was associated with enterovirus D68, the Rhode Island Department of Health has confirmed.

The child died from Staphylococcus aureus sepsis — which, when accompanied by enterovirus D68 — is a rare combination that can cause severe illness in both children and adults.

Enterovirus D68 has been confirmed in 472 people in 41 states. In Connecticut, 13 people have been diagnosed, treated, and returned home. 

Read the statement from the Rhode Island health department here.

Update: State Police have identified the woman as 72-year-old Carolee Bentley of White Plains who also had a residence in Westbrook.

Original Post: 

State Police are investigating a suspicious death, after a Westbrook resident reported at 7:15 a.m. that a female body had washed up on the beach.

 When State Police arrived, they located the body of a white female at the end of Broadway South in Westbrook.

The State Police Major Crime Squad was called to the scene to investigate.  The Office of the State Medical Examiner was also called to the scene.

No identification has been made on the body.

State Police are continuing their investigation.

Peter Lumaj, the Republican candidate for Secretary of the State, says enough-is-enough when it comes to Santa Ayala, Bridgeport’s Democratic Registrar of Voters:

Lumaj Calls For Immediate Resignation of Santa Ayala Southington, CT, September 30th, 2014 –Peter Lumaj, the Republican and Independent Party Nominee for Connecticut Secretary of the State is calling on Secretary Denise Merrill to join with him in demanding the immediate resignation of Bridgeport Democratic Registrar and mother of charged State Representative Christina Ayala, Santa Ayala. The recent arrest of State Representative Christina Ayala (D-128) on 19 counts of voter fraud as well as the ongoing co-conspirator investigation into Santa Ayala’s office reveal a pattern of corruption in Bridgeport elections and a culture of complacency in the Office of the Secretary of the State.
“How can Denise Merrill say the ‘system works’ if she will continue to allow Santa Ayala to be involved in conducting elections in Bridgeport,” Lumaj stated. “In a year where the Governor’s race may be decided by a few thousand votes, it is imperative that people of Connecticut have faith in the integrity and outcome of their elections; Santa Ayala has obviously broken the public’s trust and should resign immediately. I am shocked that our state’s chief election official, Secretary Merrill, has yet to address this concern and am outraged by her complacency regarding this issue.”
Lumaj2014 Campaign Manager, Brock Weber, echoed Lumaj’s sentiments. “Santa Ayala has a duty to the voters of Bridgeport and should step down as Registrar. It is the job of Secretary Merrill to ensure the integrity of our elections – up to this current point she has failed to do so. It is our sincere hope that Secretary Merrill will join with Peter and step up to fulfil her oath of office. Ms. Ayala’s job is to oversee and officiate the election process in Bridgeport. The current circumstances prove that she is not someone voters can trust and not capable to perform her duties without predisposition. Secretary Merrill and the Connecticut Democratic Party have a duty to the voters of our state – they need to demand her immediate resignation.” Weber continued, “The integrity of the process is more important than one official’s ego and party politics – ignoring this issue is the same as condoning it.”

EASTON – Troubles afoot at a local horse farm.

Police said they have received allegations that the owner of the Lion Hill Farm on Sport Hill Road has not been properly caring for his 10 horses properly and that the farm is in financial trouble.

On Tuesday, the owner of the farm, John Shepherd, 60, was charged with second-degree criminal mischief after police said he cut the phone line being used by a tenant on the farm.

Police said the situation is under investigation.

BRIDGEPORT – Author William J. Hall will present his latest book, The World’s Most Haunted House, The True Story of the Bridgeport Poltergeist on Lindley Street, at the Bridgeport Public Library this Saturday.

The library History Center, located at 925 Broad Street, will host the special event which includes raffle prizes, a book signing, and a Q&A with the author on his book.

The book details the events that occurred in 1974 at the infamous Lindley Street home, which national media at the time reported jumping furniture, floating refrigerators, and attacking entities, according to a press release.

Hall reveals more than 40 hours of never-before-released interviews with police officers, firefighters, and others to tell the story as it actually unfolded.

Attendees will  get to hear some of those rare interviews during the event.

The event will run from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information click HERE.

HARTFORD-His criminal record includes burglaries, robbery, assaults, escapes even an attempted riot in prison.
But it was police chase and a gun that landed Jose Roque in federal prison for 15 years.
U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant imposed the sentence on the 47-year-old Bridgeport resident Wednesday. That stemmed from his May 16 jury conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Back on Sept.1, 2010, Bridgeport Police investigating a residential break-in spotted a car believed to be driven by the suspected burglar. A chase ensued that ended with police stopping the car, kicking in the passenger window and arresting Roque after allegedly seeing him make a move toward a gun tucked under the driver’s seat. He was electronically shocked by police when he resisted.
Their search of the car uncovered a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun alongside the driver’s seat.
Roque’s criminal history includes dates back to 1984 when he was convicted of robbery, burglary. That was followed by convictions for assault and burglary in 1991; escape in 1992; burglary in 1993, and assault, attempted assault of an officer, attempted escape, attempted riot in an institution, and conspiracy to commit assault in 1994.
Those convictions led to Bryant sentencing Roque under the Armed Career Criminal act which carries a sentencing range between 15 years and life for anyone who has three prior violent felony convictions and is then caught with a gun.
Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a crime carrying more than a year in prison from ever again legally possessing a firearm or ammunition that crosses state lines.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Rombeau. Bridgeport Police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive Devices conducted the investigations.
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The person who was struck and killed by a New Haven bound Metro-North train just past the Fairfield Metro station on Saturday has been identified by MTA Police as Gregory Curr.

Curr, 37, had a last known address in West Haven according to an MTA spokesman.

Curr was struck and killed by a New Haven bound train just before 8 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 27. just past the Fairfield Metro station in Bridgeport.

The accident sent delays up and down the system Saturday and stranded passengers on the train which struck Curr for more than an hour.

“At this stage in the investigation which is fairly preliminary there is no criminality involved,” said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan.

At the time MTA said a trespasser had been struck by a the train.

Another person was struck by an Amtrak train at the Fairfield station Sept 6. The identity of the person killed in that incident was never released due to family not positively identifying the body, according to an MTA spokesperson, who is handling the investigation.

TRUMBULL – A man who was arrested in July for sexually assaulting numerous minors, was served with a warrant Saturday charging him with additional similar charges.

Javier Valdovinos, 54, was arrested in July and held on half a million dollar bond in connection with the sexual assault of four minors.

Detectives from the Trumbull Police Department served Valdivinos with another warrant Saturday charging him with two counts of sex assault in the first degree, six counts of sex assault in the fourth degree and eight counts of risk of injury to a minor.

An additional $200,000.00 bond was placed on Valdovinos who is currently incarcerated from previous warrants stemming from the same investigation, according to a press release.

Mayor Harkins

STRATFORD — Jody L. Harkins, wife of Mayor John A. Harkins, has filed for divorce in Bridgeport Superior Court.

The case was filed on Sept. 29. No other details were immediately available.

Harkins, 51, a Republican, has been Stratford’s mayor since December 2009 and is the town’s second mayor. Previously, he was the representative from the 120th Assembly district.

The mayor and his wife have two girls together. The couple’s home is on Whippoorwill Lane. According to state records, Mrs. Harkins is being represented by the Westport law firm of Broder & Orland.

No further hearings have been scheduled.

Cindy Wolfe Boynton knows where all the bodies are buried.

No, really. The historian and author will lead lantern-lit ghost tours on various weekend nights in October and November, covering 1.15 miles in the oldest part of the 375 year-old city. Through the years native Americans, pirates, Puritans and some certifiably spooky creatures have wandered the same area. They may be there still….

Boynton will weave tales of the macabre in with Milford history during the 60-90 minute walks. The program is suitable for all ages.  Local lore and a chance to try out some of the tools ghost hunters use to investigate haunted locations will be part of the fun, she said.

Space on walks is limited, and tickets must be purchased online, in advance. Cost is $15 for adults and $10 for children 5-12. Children 4 and under are free. Details at http://www.spiritsofmilford.tumblr.com/

ANSONIA — A 48 year-old man was taken into custody and a half-pound of cocaine and other drugs were seized in a raid this week on a Beaver Street home.

Dominick Sarracco of 195 Beaver Street was charged with 4 counts of possession of narcotics, one count of ossession of narcotics with intent to sell, 6 counts of possession of narcotics or a controlled substance within 1, feet of a day care center; 2 counts of possession of marijuana; 3 counts of failure to keep narcotics in original container; one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia within 1,500 feet of a day care center and one count of possession of marijuana with intent to sell.

Police using a search warrant seized the cocaine, marijuana, prescription narcotics, drug packaging material and paraphernalia and $1,500 in cash, said Lt. Andrew Cota, the department spokesman.

“This arrest stemmed from information received from various sources as well as proactive investigation by the Ansonia police Anti Crime Unit,” Cota said.

Dominick Sarracco. Photo courtesy of Ansonia police.

The following items were seized during the search:

Approx. 1/2 pound of Cocaine

Marijuana

Multiple Prescription narcotics

Packaging Material/Paraphernalia

$1,500 in cash

Sarracco was charged with:

4 counts of Possession of Narcotics

1 count of Possession of Narcotics with Intent to Sell

6 counts of Possession of Narcotics/Controlled Substance within 1500′ of a Daycare

2 counts of Possession of Narcotics/Controlled Substance with Intent to Sell within 1500′ of a Daycare

2 counts of Possession of Marijuana/Controlled Substance

3 counts of Failure to Keep Narcotic in Original Container

1 count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

1 count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia within 1500′ of Daycare

1 count of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Sell

This case was investigated by the Ansonia Police Department’s ACU with the assistance of the Detective Division and the uniformed patrol division. This arrest stemmed from information received from various sources as well as proactive investigation by the ACU.

BRIDGEPORT — It was the worst case of child abuse local police and state experts said they had ever seen. The 5-year-old boy had numerous scars on both legs, his back and chest; his lip had been split, healed over and split again.

His father now faces 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to the abuse Thursday.

“This young child was flogged with a cord over and over again during an extended period of time. A portion of his ear is missing and we still don’t know how that occurred,” State’s Attorney John Smriga told Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin.

But 23-year-old Daquon Gomillion appeared oblivious to it all. He stood before the judge looking around the courtroom with no signs of concern.

Asked by the judge if he had ever held a job he quipped: “babysitting.”

During the brief hearing Gomillion pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and risk of injury to a child under the Alford Doctrine which means he doesn’t admit his guilt but concedes there is a good chance he could be found guilty if he went to trial.

He is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 12.

A large group of his family sat in the back of the courtroom during the proceeding. They declined comment as they left the courtroom.

In September 2013, the boy’s mother brought the boy to a dentist on East Main Street for a pre-school checkup, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The dentist called the state Department of Children and Families after noticing the boy had several broken teeth, scarring from a split lip and numerous crescent-shaped scars on both arms, the affidavit states.

The boy was subsequently examined by Dr. John Leventhal, of Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, a leading expert in child-abuse treatment.

“This 5-year-old boy has extensive scarring over most of his body” Leventhal said. “The number of scars is too numerous to count and the number exceeds the number that I have ever seen on any other child.”

During an interview at the Center for Children and Families, the boy told investigators that he had been beaten by Gomillion with a brush and electric cords since he was a baby, the affidavit states. He said the beatings “hurt very bad” and he was made to apologize to Gomillion after each beating.

The mother, Jarelis Lugo, was subsequently arrested after police said she admitted Gomillion had been abusing the boy for years. She is awaiting trial on risk of injury charges.

Smriga said the boy is currently living with his grandparents but under the supervision of the state Department of Children and Families.

NORWALK-DEA busted a city man and his two New York suppliers following a 2.2 pound heroin deal with an undercover agent.
Omar Andrade, 29, of Norwalk and Joeal A. Estrella-Disla,24 and Wilmer Antonio Gomez-Rodriguez, 28, both of New York City are charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing heroin. The charge carries a maximum life sentence.
The trio was brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel who ordered them detained without bond.
The arrests stem from a DEA and Norwalk Police Department probe of Andrade’s role in cocaine and heroin trafficking. As part of the investigation an undercover agent agreed to purchase 2.2 pounds of heroin from Andrade. The trio was arrested on Sept. 30 after they delivered approximately one kilogram of heroin to a pre-arranged location in Norwalk.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force which includes police officers from Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford and Milford investigated the case with the Norwalk Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall will be seeking an indictment.