Cop Arrested On Family Violence Charge

He grabbed a gun. ​“You don’t know what I’m gonna do to you,” he allegedly told his fiancee. ​“You’re not leaving.”

That’s how the fiancee of New Haven police Sgt. Louis DeCrescenzo described one of multiple alleged alcohol-fueled interactions she had with him.

The woman told the stories to the police. As a result, the state police arrested DeCrescenzo Tuesday on domestic-violence-related second-degree threatening and breach of peace charges. Crescenzo, 50, has been a New Haven cop since 2009.

A state Superior Court judge Wednesday continued DeCrescenzo’s case until Jan. 31. He remains free on a previously posted $5,000 non-surety bond. He did not enter a plea in court and could not be reached for comment. Nor could his attorney, RJ Weber. DeCrescenzo refused to meet with state police investigators to answer questions about the case or respond to the allegations, according to his arrest warrant affidavit.

The woman in the case told her story to the police department’s internal affairs (IA) division on May 24. The division commenced an investigation, and the department has placed DeCrescenzo on paid administrative leave. He has been on leave ever since.

On June 28 the state’s attorney asked the state police to commence a criminal investigation, which it did, leading to Tuesday’s arrest.

The New Haven internal investigation, which had been put on hold pending the state criminal investigation, will now resume, according to Police Chief Karl Jacobson. He said he’ll wait to see the results before deciding on any potential disciplinary action against DeCrescenzo.

“When an officer is arrested we take it seriously, especially in domestic violence cases,” Jacobson said.

"You're Not Going Nowhere"

State police Detective Justin Clachrie wrote the arrest warrant affidavit laying out the case against DeCrescenzo.

The case does not allege any physical violence.

He wrote that he based the investigations on ​“screen shot images of text-email conversations, a court transcript, and a risk protection order” as well as the New Haven IA interview with a woman with whom DeCrescenzo had a romantic relationship, referred to in the report as ​“the victim.” The woman told the state police investigator she did not want to see DeCrescenzo criminally charged.

The report states they ​“started dating in 2021 and became engaged on Christmas 2022.” They didn’t live together but did stay at each other’s residences. The relationship ​“deteriorated” and turned ​“tumultuous” in part because of ​“DeCrescenzo’s substance abuse,” the report stated.

His ​“verbally/emotionally abusive, obsessive, and controlling behaviors … exacerbated by his increasing use of alcohol” made his fiancee fear he would ​“snap and kill” her, the report quotes her as saying.

The report quotes the woman citing eight instances when ​“DeCrescenzo had been drinking” and ​“retrieved his firearm during an argument” and would ​“either walk around with it or put it in his pocket. She said he never pointed it at her or verbally threatened to use it, but it caused her fear.”

“I want to go home,” she told him during one such incident, according to the report, which quotes his reply as: ​“You’re not going nowhere.”

Another incident involved an argument in the bedroom of his East Haven home. It concerned ​“a house she was buying,” which he complained was too near ​“her ex’s house,” the report states.

“During the argument, the victim said DeCrescenzo would stand in front of the doorway, causing her to feel he was blocking her from leaving. She said he also went into his closet and retrieved his gun, which he then put in his pocket. Next, he reportedly told the victim, ​‘You don’t know what I’m gonna do to you,’ ” the report states.

“She said this made her nervous especially because her 8‑year-old daughter was in the other room. She said she started yelling and screaming, telling DeCrescenzo, ​‘Move. Like, please, like move.’ In response, she said he moved, allowing her to walk out of the bedroom where she told her daughter they were leaving.

“However, the victim said DeCrescenzo followed her and said, ​‘You’re not leaving.’ She said they both went back to the bedroom where DeCrescenzo put his gun on a nightstand and said, ​‘We’re gonna talk.’ ”

The report states the victim did not provide further ​“specifics” about the encounter, after which ​“DeCrescenzo brought her and her daughter home.”

Protected In Past

DeCrescenzo avoided discipline in a previous domestic violence-related incident, under a different (acting) police chief, Renee Dominguez, for whom he publicly organized support.

In the previous incident, Dominguez moved to suspend a different sergeant for six months for mishandling a call involving a firefighter who broke into a woman’s home and later that night killed himself. Before taking action on the call, the sergeant consulted by phone with DeCrescenzo, the shift commander to whom she reported on the night shift. She later said she acted based on DeCrescenzo’s advice to go easy on the firefighter because he was a fellow public safety officer.

DeCrescenzo denied her account; a recording of their conversation could not be located. Dominguez took his word and did not recommend discipline against him. A union attorney subsequently accused Dominguez’s team at a 2021 Board of Commissioners meeting of ​“whitewashing” the case out of favoritism toward DeCrescenzo. (Read all about that here.)

One week later, DeCrescenzo returned the favor: He used the police department’s email system to organize fellow officers to turn up in support to a City Hall Board of Alders meeting for a vote on whether to confirm the mayor’s nomination of Dominguez to serve as police chief. The troops turned out. Dominguez lost the vote. She was long gone by the time internal affairs received the subsequent complaint about DeCrenzo’s alleged harassment and referred the matter to state police.