Branford Eagle

Legal Writes

Fowler Heads North

by marcia chambers | Jan 26, 2012 8:48 am | Comments (4)

Branford Deputy Police Chief Tom Fowler (pictured) has been chosen to be the new police chief of Windsor Locks, a small department in need of a major restructuring.

Fowler steps in at a time of upheaval—- a police cover-up that began with the death of a teenage boy riding a bike and ended with the eventual firing of two police officers, a father who was a sergeant and his son, then a patrolman who allegedly struck and killed the teen after a night of drinking. The former police chief retired before an independent investigation highly critical of the department was released.

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Teacher Suspended After Wielding Knife In Classroom

by marcia chambers | Jan 16, 2012 8:23 am | Comments (10)

A tenured social studies teacher at Branford High was put on administrative leave last week after she allegedly brandished a knife in front of her students.

Within hours of the incident, the school’s principal and the superintendent’s office removed the teacher from this class and all others she taught and told parents why. 

The teacher, who has been at Branford High for a decade, was placed on administrative leave after she displayed the knife last Thursday in a freshman history class. The circumstances that led her to display what was described as a long cutting knife have not been disclosed.

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Alleged Online Predator Arrested

by marcia chambers | Jan 9, 2012 12:16 pm

A 24-year-old man was arrested on felony charges over the weekend at the Branford home of his grandparents and charged with using the internet, believed to be Face book, to sexually stalk about a dozen underage teenage girls, all under the age of 16. They live in Guilford.

The man, Michael J. Azzaro, Jr. has a history of prior arrests in Branford and has lived in a variety of places, including Guilford and New Haven, police said. 

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Branford’s Night Before Christmas

by marcia chambers | Dec 28, 2011 11:21 am | Comments (3)

T’was early Christmas Eve morning, and there was no one in sight.
So two perps dropped from a roof vent, hoping for a bite.

They landed in United Shoreline Federal Credit Union, another name for a bank,
Where they studied the vault they were hoping to thank.

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Saturday Night Alcohol Alert

by marcia chambers | Dec 14, 2011 1:41 pm

As holiday party goers get ready for a Saturday night on the town, Branford cops will be checking drivers with breathalyzers to see how much they have imbibed.

Police will set up a DUI sobriety checkpoint this Saturday, Dec. 17, beginning at 6 p.m. and going to the wee hours of the morning. They are expected to be in the vicinity of Route 1, in and around the area of Business Park Drive, near exit 56 off I-95.

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Police Make Arrest In Kidnapping, Assault Case

by marcia chambers | Nov 17, 2011 3:28 pm

A 39-year-old man, awaiting sentencing next month in another criminal case, was charged today with assaulting and kidnapping his former girlfriend after he took her on a harrowing ride that ended when the Yale University police found her in a car in a Crown Street parking lot in New Haven.

The man, David W. Butler, was expected to be sentenced Dec. 5 on larceny and violation of probation convictions stemming from an April 2011 arrest.  He has a long criminal record, authorities said. According to court records, he was not released from custody on his latest case. Why he was free and on the street is not yet known.

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Stakeout Ends Spree

by marcia chambers | Oct 10, 2011 1:00 pm

It was a really bad Saturday night for Mario Simmons, who Branford police say went on a crime spree that involved two assaults, a kidnapping and a mysterious trip to New Haven during which he shot himself in the hand and the leg. The circumstances that led to his self-inflicted wounds have not been disclosed. 

By the time it was over three police departments—in New Haven, West Haven and North Branford—-along with the New Haven State’s Attorney Office—-all joined the Branford police in what they termed an “intense investigation.” Capt. Geoffrey Morgan told the Eagle that Simmons has a long criminal arrest record and had violated probation in West Haven. 

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9 Months, 176 Calls

by marcia chambers | Oct 7, 2011 12:15 pm | Comments (3)

Back on Sept.4, Police Officer Joseph Peterson was attacked by a 39-year-old Bridgeport man in the parking area of the Branford Motel at 470 East Main St.  Police say the man attacked Officer Peterson as he was inspecting a suspicious jeep in the lot. The time was 3:30 a.m. 
       
Police arrested Leonardo Finelli, a guest at the motel, after he allegedly grabbed Peterson around the waist, tried to push his way into Peterson’s police car and attempted to take his gun. The driver of the jeep, who was not identified, came to the officer’s aid as backup was summoned, they said.  Police believe Finelli was under the influence of PCP at the time of the assault.  Finelli was charged with a variety of crimes, including attacking a police officer.

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Zimmerman: Justice Accomplished

by marcia chambers | Sep 9, 2011 7:15 am | Comments (7)

A state Superior Court judge Wednesday granted accelerated rehabilitation to two men and a woman who in June shot rounds of bullets from a porch at Bear Island, thinking the bullets would go into the water. One bullet traveled three-tenths of mile across the water, piercing the second-floor bedroom window (pictured above) of Marvin and Beverly Zimmerman.  Had Beverly Zimmerman been seated at her dressing table, the bullet could have hit her in the head or the chest.

The judge ruled from the bench at the Elm Street courthouse, after hearing Marvin Zimmerman’s statement and viewing his photographs and after listening to the arguments of defense attorneys. He also listened to Karen Roberg, the prosecutor, and ruled over her objection.

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Melee In Pine Orchard

by marcia chambers | Aug 24, 2011 12:33 pm | Comments (2)

James Eberg, who lives with his mother Vicki in the upscale community of Pine Orchard, had a hankering to go to New Haven last Saturday night.  But he wasn’t legally allowed to drive because he had been arrested last month for driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, court records show.

His arrest allegedly didn’t stop him.  What he needed was a car. And for some reason he didn’t have one.  To solve that problem, Eberg, 28, and a friend, Jonathan Gargano, 23, allegedly stole a Mercedes SUV from a local resident who lives a few blocks away on Yowago Avenue, police said.  Then the pair switched license plates, putting Eberg’s plates from a family car onto the Mercedes. They took off for New Haven. Police believe that Gargano drove. 

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