Teen Turns Himself In Months After Repeatedly Stabbing Man During CT Bar Brawl: Police Teen Turns Himself In Months After Repeatedly Stabbing Man During CT Bar Brawl: Police
Teen Turns Himself In Months After Repeatedly Stabbing Man During CT Bar Brawl: Police A violent fight inside a Connecticut bar left one man seriously wounded and sparked a months-long police investigation that ended with an 18-year-old turning himself in, authorities said. Cristofer Isreal Vasquez-Lequi, 18, is charged with first-degree assault in the Aug. 31, 2025, stabbing at El Imperio Disk Bar on Springdale Avenue in Meriden, according to police. Police said officers began investigating around 1:20 a.m. after a man arrived at MidState Medical Center with several serious stab wounds. Investigators later determined the stabbing happened during a physical altercation invol…
CT Doctor Charged After Son’s Suicide; Ghost Gun, Unsecured Weapons Found In Bedroom: Cops CT Doctor Charged After Son’s Suicide; Ghost Gun, Unsecured Weapons Found In Bedroom: Cops
CT Doctor Charged After Son’s Suicide; Ghost Gun, Unsecured Weapons Found In Bedroom: Cops A 70-year-old Connecticut doctor with a tragic family history is facing criminal charges after police said unsecured guns were found inside the home where his son died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It's the second son he's lost to gun violence. His 8-year-old son died following an accident at a Massachusetts gun show in 2008.  The Connecticut investigation began shortly after midnight on March 13, when troopers responded to a home on Hillside Road in Ashford for a reported shooting. Police found a 28-year-old man dead inside a first-floor bedroom, according to Connecticut State P…
'Inattentive' Driver Charged In Fatal Connecticut Crash That Killed Veteran, Father Of 4: Cops 'Inattentive' Driver Charged In Fatal Connecticut Crash That Killed Veteran, Father Of 4: Cops
'Inattentive' Driver Charged In Fatal Connecticut Crash That Killed Veteran, Father Of 4: Cops Authorities say the man accused of causing a fatal Connecticut head-on collision last year wasn't paying attention when he crashed into a 63-year-old US Navy veteran and father of four. Ryan Pulcini, 33, of Middletown, was charged Wednesday, May 27, with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle in the June 2025 death of Robert Jones, of Chester, Connecticut State Police said. The collision happened around 6:27 a.m. at the intersection of Essex Road/Route 153 and Pettipaug Road in Westbrook. Pulcini's Jeep Wagoneer was traveling south when it crossed the center line and struck Jones' Nissan A…
Naugatuck Woman Admits Role In Stolen 'Check Washing' Bank Fraud Scheme, Feds Say Naugatuck Woman Admits Role In Stolen 'Check Washing' Bank Fraud Scheme, Feds Say
Naugatuck Woman Admits Role In Stolen 'Check Washing' Bank Fraud Scheme, Feds Say A 23-year-old Connecticut woman admitted to her role in a bank fraud scheme tied to stolen checks taken from the U.S. Mail, federal prosecutors said. Gianna Parente, of Naugatuck, waived her right to indictment and pleaded guilty to bank fraud on Tuesday, May 26, according to US Attorney David X. Sullivan and the US Postal Inspection Service Boston Division. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Authorities said the scheme ran from about July 2022 through February 2023. According to court documents, Parente and others recruited people known as “runners” to hand over …
Gunman Who Terrorized CT Gas Stations During COVID Pandemic Sentenced To Decades: Feds Gunman Who Terrorized CT Gas Stations During COVID Pandemic Sentenced To Decades: Feds
Gunman Who Terrorized CT Gas Stations During COVID Pandemic Sentenced To Decades: Feds A convicted felon who terrorized Connecticut gas station workers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic will spend nearly three decades behind bars after a violent robbery spree that stretched across multiple towns. William Rosario Lopez, 40, of New Haven, was sentenced on Tuesday, May 26, to 29 years in prison and five years of supervised release, said U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David X. Sullivan. Federal prosecutors said the robberies happened in March 2020, when many workers were already facing fear and uncertainty during the pandemic. Investigators said Rosar…
Wethersfield Mom, Son Charged After ‘Rescued’ Abused Dog Turns Out To Be Their Own Wethersfield Mom, Son Charged After ‘Rescued’ Abused Dog Turns Out To Be Their Own
Wethersfield Mom, Son Charged After ‘Rescued’ Abused Dog Turns Out To Be Their Own A Connecticut mother and her son are accused of lying to police after claiming they found a badly abused dog on the side of a busy highway, authorities said. Investigators say they hurt the dog.  The case began on April 5, when 38-year-old Melanie Amaral drove to Wethersfield Police headquarters with her 20-year-old son, Jeremiah Santiago, according to the officers. The pair told officers they found the dog on Silas Deane Highway. Wethersfield Animal Control responded and discovered the dog was in terrible shape. Police said the animal showed signs of neurological distress, was underw…
2 Children Hurt During Boat Fire On Connecticut Lake On Memorial Day 2 Children Hurt During Boat Fire On Connecticut Lake On Memorial Day
2 Children Hurt During Boat Fire On Connecticut Lake On Memorial Day A boat caught fire on Candlewood Lake on Memorial Day, injuring two children and forcing six people to evacuate the vessel, officials said. Firefighters were called to the Danbury Boat Launch around 4 p.m. Monday, May 25, after reports of a boat fire, according to Danbury authorities.  All six people on board evacuated safely with help from the Candlewood Lake Authority, officials said. Two children were taken to the hospital. One suffered minor burn injuries. Another was evaluated as a precaution. Fire officials described the injuries as “very minor.” Crews extinguished the fire wit…
Motorcyclist Killed After Violent I-91 Windsor Crash Throws Him Into Opposite Lanes Motorcyclist Killed After Violent I-91 Windsor Crash Throws Him Into Opposite Lanes
Motorcyclist Killed After Violent I-91 Windsor Crash Throws Him Into Opposite Lanes A Massachusetts man was killed after being ejected from his motorcycle during a crash with a pickup truck on I-91 in Connecticut on Memorial Day, police said. Juan Miguel Martinez, 26, of North Hampton, Massachusetts, was killed following the 8:30 p.m. crash south of Exit 39 north in Windsor, Connecticut State Police said. According to investigators, Martinez's 2010 Ducati Streetfighter rear-ended a 2019 Toyota Tacoma, sending the motorcycle into a jersey barrier. The impact launched him from the bike, and he landed in the southbound lanes. Paramedics rushed him to Hartford Hospital, where…
Former Rocky Hill Police Chief, Decorated Military Veteran Dies Former Rocky Hill Police Chief, Decorated Military Veteran Dies
Former Rocky Hill 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…
CT Woman Convicted In 3rd OUI After Crashing Into House Days After Christmas CT Woman Convicted In 3rd OUI After Crashing Into House Days After Christmas
CT Woman Convicted In 3rd OUI After Crashing Into House Days After Christmas A Connecticut woman with two prior drunken driving convictions has now been found guilty in her third DUI case after prosecutors said she crashed into an occupied home.  Melissa Page, 44, of Willington, was convicted this week of operating under the influence as a third offender, according to Tolland Judicial District State’s Attorney Craig P. Nowak. Prosecutors said Page crashed her vehicle into a residence on Lakeview Drive in Coventry on Dec. 28, 2024. There were people inside at the time of the crash.  Page has two previous operating under the influence convictions from …
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…
Newington Man Arrested In 1986 Rape, Stabbing Murder Of Virginia Beach Woman: Police Newington Man Arrested In 1986 Rape, Stabbing Murder Of Virginia Beach Woman: Police
Newington 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 …