Fair 83°
Police & Fire
Ex-CT Mayor Sought $205K Severance Payout; Report Says She May Have Broken Laws Ex-CT Mayor Sought $205K Severance Payout; Report Says She May Have Broken Laws
Ex-CT Mayor Sought $205K Severance Payout; Report Says She May Have Broken Laws Former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart sought more than $200,000 in severance pay she was not entitled to receive when she left office, according to a new investigative report that accuses her of a pattern of seeking taxpayer-funded benefits beyond what city rules allowed. The Hartford-based Crumbie Law Group released a 91-page final report on Thursday, June 4, alleging that Stewart repeatedly bypassed required approval processes while seeking compensation and benefits far above what she was owed. Investigators called her actions "shocking" and "egregious" and urged New Britain leaders to tig…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
2 Men Charged With Stealing $300K Check For New Police HQ In CT: Cops 2 Men Charged With Stealing $300K Check For New Police HQ In CT: Cops
2 Men Charged With Stealing $300K Check For New Police HQ In CT: Cops Two New York men are facing felony charges after police say they stole a $300,000 check intended to help pay for the construction of a police department's headquarters in Connecticut.  Davis Segui, 62, of Brooklyn, and Mahamadou Sillah, 26, of the Bronx, allegedly stole the $300,000 payment after a town-issued check meant for work on Wilton's new police headquarters was diverted into an account Segui allegedly opened while posing as the intended recipient, police said. The check was issued in March 2024 as a partial payment for construction work on the new police building on Danbury Ro…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
CT Man Living In Home Of Woman's Suspicious Death Faces New Domestic Violence Charges CT Man Living In Home Of Woman's Suspicious Death Faces New Domestic Violence Charges
CT Man Living In Home Of Woman's Suspicious Death Faces New Domestic Violence Charges A Connecticut man who lives in the home where a woman was found dead earlier this year has turned himself in to police after being charged with strangling and threatening a woman he met on a dating app. Cole Werhan, 28, of Burlington, turned himself in to police on Wednesday, June 25, and was charged with disorderly conduct, second-degree threatening, and second-degree strangulation/suffocation, according to Connecticut State Police. His bond was initially set at $100,000 before a judge raised it to $750,000. This is Werhan's third domestic violence case since 2024, according to authorities…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
6th Child ID'd In CT Daycare Sex Abuse Probe As Former Employee Faces More Charges 6th Child ID'd In CT Daycare Sex Abuse Probe As Former Employee Faces More Charges
6th Child ID'd In CT Daycare Sex Abuse Probe As Former Employee Faces More Charges Police investigating a Connecticut daycare worker accused of sexually assaulting multiple children have identified a sixth alleged victim in the case. Avon police filed a new arrest warrant against Jan Carlos Berrios-Otero, alleging he sexually assaulted a 4-year-old boy who attended the BrightPath Avon Early Learning and Child Care Center. Authorities say the warrant would add charges of fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child against the 29-year-old already facing multiple counts of abuse.  Related: Jan Carlos Berrios-Otero Worked At Multiple Connecticut …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Mass Woman Killed In Virginia Bus Crash Was Headed To Long-Awaited Vacation; Among 5 Dead Mass Woman Killed In Virginia Bus Crash Was Headed To Long-Awaited Vacation; Among 5 Dead
Mass Woman Killed In Virginia Bus Crash Was Headed To Long-Awaited Vacation; Among 5 Dead A Massachusetts woman killed in the deadly Virginia charter bus crash was looking forward to a long-awaited Florida vacation and promised a friend she would call when she arrived.  That call never came. Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, was identified as the fifth victim killed in the crash on I-95 near Quantico, Virginia. The wreck happened early Friday morning as travelers made their way south. A family of four from Greenfield, Massachusetts, was also killed.  The day before the crash, Mafalda shared her excitement about the trip in a text message to her friend and c…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
CT Painter's Body Found Hidden Under Mattress In Mass Greenhouse; Friend Charged In Killing CT Painter's Body Found Hidden Under Mattress In Mass Greenhouse; Friend Charged In Killing
CT Painter's Body Found Hidden Under Mattress In Mass Greenhouse; Friend Charged In Killing A dead body hidden beneath a mattress in a greenhouse led police to arrest a Massachusetts painter now charged with murdering a Connecticut man after he returned to the scene covered in blood, officials said.  Cole Bushnell, 41, of Sheffield, was arraigned Tuesday, June 2, in Great Barrington District Court on a murder charge in the death of Michael Moore, a 40-year-old from Winsted, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said. Bushnell is being held without bail and was ordered to have no contact with witnesses in the case. Police began investigating on Monday after a worker …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Teen Accused Of Injuring 2 CT Troopers In I-91 Crash Won't Face Charges After Deportation: Feds Teen Accused Of Injuring 2 CT Troopers In I-91 Crash Won't Face Charges After Deportation: Feds
Teen Accused Of Injuring 2 CT Troopers In I-91 Crash Won't Face Charges After Deportation: Feds A teenager accused of crashing into two Connecticut State Police troopers on I-91 and seriously injuring them will no longer face charges in Connecticut after being deported from the United States, authorities said. Joel Alexander Caiza Nishve, 18, was charged following a crash on the interstate in Enfield that injured Troopers Christopher Genovese and Matthew Cerri last summer.  The Ecuador native had entered the United States illegally in 2023, according to federal authorities. ICE officials told reporters that Caiza Nishve was taken into custody on Aug. 8 in Hartford.  His ICE…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Man Admits Role In CT Lamborghini Kidnapping Plot Tied To Stolen Bitcoin Fortune: Feds Man Admits Role In CT Lamborghini Kidnapping Plot Tied To Stolen Bitcoin Fortune: Feds
Man Admits Role In CT Lamborghini Kidnapping Plot Tied To Stolen Bitcoin Fortune: Feds A plot to steal cryptocurrency worth millions ended with a brutal carjacking and kidnapping in Connecticut, and one of the men accused of helping organize the scheme has now admitted his role in federal court. Adam Iza, 25, of California, pleaded guilty Monday, June 1, in federal court to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, also known as Hobbs Act robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. He faces up to 20 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 12. Federal authorities said the case stems from a brazen kidnapping and carjac…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Murder Charge Filed After Body Found In Home Near CT Border, Suspect Returns To Scene: DA Murder Charge Filed After Body Found In Home Near CT Border, Suspect Returns To Scene: DA
Murder Charge Filed After Body Found In Home Near CT Border, Suspect Returns To Scene: DA Authorities have arrested a 41-year-old man and accused him of murder after police say they found a body inside an Ashley Falls home in Western Massachusetts. Cole Bushnell, 41, of Sheffield, was arrested after police found the body on Monday, June 1, at a home in Ashley Falls, a village in Sheffield. The Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said Bushnell was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on a murder charge. Witnesses called police shortly after 1:30 p.m. to report finding a dead body at 546 Polikoff Road. While Sheffield police were investigating, Bushnell returned to …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Bomb Squad Called After Police Find WWII-Era Mortar In CT During Threat Investigation Bomb Squad Called After Police Find WWII-Era Mortar In CT During Threat Investigation
Bomb Squad Called After Police Find Wwii-era Mortar In CT During Threat Investigation A threat investigation involving workers at a new Amazon facility led police to a Connecticut home where officers found what appeared to be a World War II-era mortar round, prompting a bomb squad response and a temporary shelter-in-place order. Officers were called to a man's name on Lake Drive in Enfield on Monday, June 1, after authorities said he had threatened violence toward workers at a nearby Amazon jobsite, police said. Authorities have not released his name.  Enfield officers went to the man's home, but he initially refused to cooperate with investigators.  However, he e…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
5-Year-Old Connecticut Girl Dies After Fall From Backyard Playscape: Police 5-Year-Old Connecticut Girl Dies After Fall From Backyard Playscape: Police
5-Year-Old Connecticut Girl Dies After Fall From Backyard Playscape: Police A Connecticut community is grieving after a 5-year-old girl died from injuries suffered in a fall from a playscape at a home in Harwinton, according to Connecticut State Police. Olivia Videtto, a kindergarten student at Harwinton Consolidated School, was injured around 1:45 p.m. Sunday, May 31, authorities said. She was airlifted to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for treatment.  State police learned early Monday, June 1, that Olivia had died from her injuries. The incident remains under investigation. Region 10 Public Schools Superintendent Fran Thompson shared a message with famil…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
47 Families Lose Homes In Major CT Apartment Fire; Town Launches Donation Drive 47 Families Lose Homes In Major CT Apartment Fire; Town Launches Donation Drive
47 Families Lose Homes In Major CT Apartment Fire; Town Launches Donation Drive More than four dozen families are scrambling to recover after a destructive Connecticut apartment fire forced them from their homes, and town officials are asking the community to step up and help. The Town of Groton is collecting donations for the 47 families displaced by the fire at the Ledges apartments early Sunday morning, May 31. In a social media post, the town said its Human Services Department is accepting donations of food, gift cards, cash, and cleaning supplies. Officials said clothing donations are not being accepted at this time until specific needs are identified. The fir…

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by Josh Lanier