Greenwich Police Watch

05/02/09 The Latest Greenwich Police Reports

2009-05-02T23:09:00.004-04:00

This Just In ....

Greenwich, officers agree to settle over military lawsuit
Greenwich Time
By Debra Friedman

Two years after five Greenwich police officers sued the ... "At this point in time, all I can say is that the settlement conference was ...

Greenwich backpedals on plan to change addresses
Greenwich Time
At that time, it was a matter of when, not if, according to Fox. ... They expect to consult with Tesei, who also serves as the town's police and fire commissioner...

More Police Reports From Around The World:

New York police to start patrolling in Nissan Altima hybrids
By Sam Abuelsamid
The New York Police Department has just put its first alternative drive vehicles into patrol service with the arrival of 40 new Nissan Altima Hybrids. The department has assigned 18 of the Altimas as marked patrol cars while the rest ...
AutoblogGreen - http://www.autobloggreen.com/

Beat the Heat: Florida police battling street racing by... racing?!
By Chris Shunk
Police officers around the country routinely put their lives on the line in an effort to keep our streets safe. Officers in South Florida have come up with a way to make city streets a safer place and have a bit of fun at the same time; ...
Autoblog - http://www.autoblog.com/

Dar the Shaker Heights police dog among Northern Ohio Hero Dog ...
By Kaye Spector/Plain Dealer Reporter
Zeus and her partner, Officer Ronald Campbell III, are from the Fairport Harbor Police Department. Zeus has been in service for five years and had helped in narcotics detection for agencies including the Coast Guard and customs agents. ...
Metro - cleveland.com - http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/

Cleveland Police Investigate Eastside Homicide
Cleveland Police Investigate Eastside Homicide. Member Center: Create Account; Log In; Manage Account; Log Out. SITE SEARCH WEB SEARCH BY Google. News · Home; Job Link; Investigations · Business News; Obituaries; Contests ...
WOIO - NEWS - http://www.woio.com/global/category.asp?c=4397

Drag Racing the Police - Neatorama
By Miss Cellania
If you're over 18, can get to the Miami area, and have $25, you can race your car against police officers driving cruisers -legally! Officers from several local departments race at County Line Drag Way once a month in an event called ...
Neatorama - http://www.neatorama.com/

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05/01/09 The Latest Greenweich Police News

2009-05-01T22:43:00.004-04:00

The Greenwich Time Reports.....

Cos Cob merchants blast Post Road name change
Greenwich Time
Police Lt. Mark Kordick said it's not that simple. ... public officials were sensitive to property owners' request that the changes be phased in over time. ...

Cos Cob pushes for address change delay
Greenwich Time
Life safety is essential," said First Selectman Peter Tesei, who also serves as the town's police and fire commissioner. At the same time, Tesei said he ...

Google Blogs Alert for: Police source:"greenwich time"

In Test, Police Acquire Hybrid Patrol Cars - Wheels Blog - NYTimes.com
By Christine Hauser
Over the years, the police have worked the streets or chased down criminals in a variety of ways: on horseback, on motorcycles, scooters and in radio patrol cars. And don't forget good old-fashioned shoe leather, worn down by officers ...
Wheels - http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/

Police shoot axe-wielding maniac to free teenage hostage - The Local
Armed police officers shot a mentally-ill man several times after he injured a 13-year-old boy with an axe.
The Local - Germany's news in English - http://www.thelocal.de/

Jalopnik - Teen Crashes Audi S4 At 155MPH, Police Get Hold Of ...
By The Auto Insider
A Wisconsin teen survived unscathed after crashing his Audi S4 while joyriding at 155mph, then posting the video to YouTube. There's three things right there explaining why the cops weren't so happy.
Jalopnik - http://jalopnik.com/

The News-Gazette.com: UI police drug sweep hits campus; 25 arrests
In a sweep dubbed "Operation Thunder Strike," police on Tuesday and Wednesday picked up people who had been developed as suspects by UI police drug investigator Joe McCullough during the fall 2008 and the spring 2009 semesters, ...
The News-Gazette Politics and... - http://www.news-gazette.com/news/

UNHCR Refworld Moscow police candidate beaten to death
Refworld is the leading source of information necessary for taking quality decisions on refugee status. Refworld contains a vast collection of reports relating to situations in countries of origin, policy documents and positions, ...
UNHCR Refworld Latest Updates - http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain

More Police News:

Police say man, 72, tied to SoCal serial killings
Larry Manchester first saw the body on Feb. 18, 1976.

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04/29/09 The Latest Greenwich Police News

2009-04-29T19:16:00.005-04:00

The Greenwich Time Reports......

Slideshow: Greenwich educator named US teacher of the year
Greenwich Time
Mullen, a retired New York City Police Department captain, teaches special education at The ARCH School, an alternative education branch of Greenwich High school...

Police question fire department drill
Greenwich Time
Response time for fires in northwest Greenwich, which includes the King Street corridor, are more than double the recommended four minutes, according to ...

More Police News:

Police Uniforms Seized in Garment Factory Raid - City Room Blog ...
By By AG Sulzberger
Dangling on hangers, ready for delivery, were rows of dress uniforms — complete with the familiar insignia, the gold buttons, the deep blue fabric — intended for use for formal occasions by New York City police officers. ...
City Room - http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/

Five Democrats Arrested For Crossing Police Line - Right Wing News ...
Right Wing News is the best source on the net for conservative news, views, & interviews.
Right Wing News - http://rightwingnews.com/

Man Gassed Out Of Home After Police Standoff - News Story - WPTZ ...
BRISTOL, Vt. -- A Bristol Vermont man was gassed out of his home by state police early Wednesday morning after a more than 12-hour standoff that ended not long after the man fired a shot inside his home. Wednesday, April 29, 2009.
WPTZ.com - Local New - http://www.wptz.com/news/

Danish Police Hug Bicyclists Planetizen
By Tim Halbur
Full Story: Police in Denmark hug bicyclists without helmets, then give them helmets. Source: Boing Boing, April 28, 2009. » Login or register to post comments; Email this page ...
Planetizen - Urban Planning,... - http://www.planetizen.com/

Police officers protest Daley nephew pension investment deal ...
By Newsdesk
Dozens of Chicago police officers jammed a pension fund board meeting this morning to question a deal with a real estate investment firm involving Mayor Richard Daley's nephew. The Tribune recently reported that the city's inspector ...
Clout St - http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/

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04/28/09 The Latest From Greenwich Police Watch

2009-04-28T14:42:00.003-04:00

The Greenwich Time Reports.....

Warm weather brings mess to Greenwich Point
Greenwich Time
Greenwich Point also saw heightened police activity Friday morning, ... said one full-time maintenance worker at Greenwich Point was let go recently, ...

More Police News From Around The World:

Orlando police chief threatening to sue blogger who is critical of her
By Carlos Miller
It's a police abuse-of-power issue, and 'security' is no excuse for this sort of totally unacceptable and unconstitutional behavior by officers of the law. Carlos Miller is a great source of information about these unfolding stories. ...
Photography is Not a Crime - http://carlosmiller.com/

DutchNews.nl - Rotterdam police have hat cameras
A number of police officers in the Rotterdam region are being equipped with special hats fitted with cameras, Trouw reports on Tuesday.
News from DutchNews.nl - http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/

Ardmore Police go undercover to prevent alcohol sales to minors ...
KXII - HomePage - Headlines - http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines

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04/28/09 Police Tech In The News

2009-04-28T03:51:00.004-04:00

Here Is A Cool Idea

Upload Your Byram Crime Videos To The Greenwich Police Department:

Police eye tech for reporting live crimes via video :
By zdnews-asia@cnet.com (Nick Heath)
Police are looking into technology that will allow witnesses to report criminal activity simply by uploading videos taken from their mobile phones.
ZDNet Asia Latest Tech News - http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/

More Police News:

Family seeks $18.5 million in fatal police crash officer, police ...
Family seeks $18.5 million in fatal police crash

The Orange County Register -... - http://www.ocregister.com/rss/brea-la-habra-702173

Police Seek Gunman Who Killed Teen - Kansas City News Story - KCTV ...
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Police are looking for the gunman who shot and killed a 17-year-old over the weekend. Monday, April 27, 2009.
KCTV5.com - News - http://www.kctv5.com/news/

Mt. Pleasant Iowa police involved in fatal shooting : News : KHQA
Mt. Pleasant Iowa police shot and kill a man who was combative with a police officer inside a Mt. Pleasant hospital.
KHQA - Local News - http://www.connecttristates.com/news/

Police: One killed in crash near Firebird KBCI CBS 2 - News ...
Police: One killed in crash near Firebird ...
KBCI-TV RSS Feed - http://www.2news.tv/news

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04/25/09 Today's Greenwich Police Watch Report

2009-04-25T05:00:00.003-04:00

The Greenwich Time Is Reporting....

Wilbur Peck residents unite, ask for more police
Greenwich Time
"It's time for our community to come together, especially when there is this type of incident." Those at the meeting agreed that they did need to ...

More Greenwich Police Reports From Around The World:

LewRockwell.com Blog: Milwaukee's Criminal Police Chief ...
By William Grigg
Krause's next-door neighbor, the type of timorous busy-body upon whom the Homeland Security State's snitching apparatus depends, had called the police to complain that Krause was wearing a sidearm. Krause is a law-abiding and ...
LewRockwell.com Blog - http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/

Police Take Out Web Ad for Leads in Craigslist Killer Case ...
By Nathania Johnson
Police in Boston are looking for more clues in the Craigslist killer case. So, they've taken out an ad on Craigslist. They're hoping to find people who were attacked or robbed at a hotel in the Boston area after placing an ad on the ...
Search Engine Watch Blog - http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/

Federal Efforts to Address Police Brutality
By Saaret
I'm talking about the "how to act when the police stop you" talk. Rule 1. Don't talk back to the officer. Rule 2. It doesn't matter if you weren't doing anything wrong. Rule 3. And this is critical, don't reach for your wallet without ...
Site RSS Feed - http://www.theroot.com/siterss/feed

'Allow foreign police in Sweden': minister - The Local
Minister of Justice Beatrice Ask wants foreign police to be able to operate in Sweden. A committee of inquiry will be set up to look into ways in which this might work.
The Local - Sweden's news in English - http://www.thelocal.se/

Can Afghans regain lost valley? No way, police say McClatchy
GONDALABUK, Afghanistan — As their American trainers shouted out the drill, 15 bearded young Afghan police officers marched back and forth with their US-issue fake guns at an American outpost in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains ...
mcclatchydc.com: Homepage - http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/63282.html

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4/24/09 Greenwich Residents May Have Invested With L.I. man found dead with his family

2009-04-24T05:47:00.002-04:00

Financial papers reportedly found in the hotel room led local authorities to contact the FBI.

William Parente was a successful Manhattan lawyer who apparently had a side business lending money at high interest rates -- deals that may have cost investors as much as $20 million.

The revelations about his financial dealings came not long after the 59-year-old tax lawyer fatally beat and asphyxiated his family last weekend in a Baltimore hotel room, then took his own life, leaving few clues behind.

The bodies of William Parente, his wife, Betty Parente, 58, and their daughters, 19-year-old Stephanie and 11-year-old Catherine, were discovered Monday in a hotel north of Baltimore. The couple and their younger daughter were in Maryland to visit Stephanie, a sophomore at Loyola College in Baltimore.

The FBI and New York attorney general are looking into allegations that Parente was in a financial bind and may have owed millions to investors who are only now beginning to suspect they were scammed.

Some Greenwich Residents Wonder If Queens lawyer Bruce Montague's Hands Were 100% Clean In The Matter. Just How Much Did Montague Know Of Te Fraud And Why Didn't He Contact Authorities?

Queens lawyer Bruce Montague, 47, learned Tuesday that two of six checks he recently received from Parente had bounced. The losses from the two checks totaled $245,000. A short time later, Montague began hearing media reports about the deaths of Parente and his family, and he contacted authorities.

Montague declined media interviews, but another law partner, Craig Gardy, said the publicity has prompted several telephone calls to his office from others who suspect they may have been scammed. Drelich said three people quickly came forward saying they lost at least $4 million.

Everyone that calls knows at least another person involved. It's going to keep growing

William Parente's family lived in Garden City, a New York City suburb on Long Island, in a million-dollar house across from a golf course. The family attended St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Garden City, where the funeral will be held Tuesday. Sixth-graders from Garden City Middle School, where Catherine attended, held a candlelight vigil outside the home on Wednesday night following a memorial Mass

More On The Local Side Of This Story As It Unfolds.......

04/23/09 THE GREENWICH SUGAR DADDY CASE: Ohio couple plead not guilty to extortion plot

2009-04-24T05:30:00.003-04:00

Photo: Dawn Jessop, 28 of Mansfield, Ohio. Arrested last week for her alleged involvement with her husband Christopher Jessop, 29, in an extortion plot that took $100,000 from a Greenwich man. PHOTO COURTESY of GPD

STAMFORD -- An Ohio couple who allegedly bilked $100,000 from a Greenwich man they met through a "sugar daddy" dating Web site pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of extortion.

Christopher Jessop, 30, and Dawn Jessop, 28, both of Mansfield, Ohio, appeared separately in state Superior Court in Stamford. Both are charged with first-degree larceny by extortion and first-degree conspiracy to commit larceny......

.....Police said that Dawn Jessop had already received a substantial amount of money through her online relationship with the Greenwich man, but took it one step further in November 2008 when she demanded money by threatening to expose their online chats and pictures to his family and the community.

The victim's private investigator told police that Dawn Jessop also threatened to expose the victim for patronizing prostitutes, according to the warrant. The Greenwich man complied with her request and later wired more money to Christopher Jessop, who sent an e-mail in January 2009 demanding additional hush money. In total, police said the Jessops extorted $100,000 from the man.

In his online conversations with various women, investigators said the man would refer to women as his "slaves" and they would respond back to him as "master," according to the warrant.

Prior to his contact with the Jessops, police said the victim had repeatedly been extorted by other people. One instance was investigated by Greenwich police in 2007, according to the warrant, while in another instance, the man gave $9,000 to a different woman he met on the site.

Source: http://www.greenwichtime.com/localnews/ci_12212049

Police News From Around The Net.....

2009-04-24T05:09:00.003-04:00

Greenwich Police Watch Is Spanning The Globe To Bring You The Latest Police News ......

Swedish police in major paedophile sting - The Local
A man in Uppland in central Sweden is suspected of raping a minor and exploiting more than 70 young girls who were coerced into exposing themselves on the internet.
The Local - Sweden's news in English - http://www.thelocal.se/

Jalopnik - Ferrari Outruns Clumsy Canadian Police - Canadian ...
By Matt Hardigree
A police officer in Port Moody, British Columbia, spotted a red Ferrari speeding across a highway at top speed this morning and gave chase. Ferrari against Crown Victoria? We wonder how that one turned out...
Jalopnik Comments - http://jalopnik.com/

Milwaukee Police Being Armed With More Powerful Weapons ...
MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Police Department is replacing all of the shotguns in their squad cars with semi-automatic rifles. Thursday, April 23, 2009.
WISN.com - Local News - http://www.wisn.com/news/

ksl.com - 2 teens killed in Ogden police chase
The chase began when police tried to pull Mora's vehicle over because it matched the description of a vehicle that had been involved in a burglary earlier Wednesday morning. Derek Jasper - 18 years old - From South Ogden ...
KSL / Local / Local Stories - http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=649&sid=5912854&comments=true

Police issue warning about dodgy dealings by man in Hastings ...
Dodgy dealings by a man named Dave have prompted a warning from Hastings police.
ta tvnz national headlines auto group - http://tvnz.co.nz/

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4/23/09 New details emerge in federal investigation of Byram Pharmacy - Greenwich Time

2009-04-23T16:36:00.003-04:00

In a recently unsealed federal affidavit, an FBI agent said that
former Byram Pharmacy owner and pharmacist Joby George sold large
amounts of oxycontin to several Connecticut men without valid
prescriptions, looking the other way as they resold the drugs on the
street and profiting from the cash exchange.

The release of the records outlines a scheme comprising four men who
would provide fraudulent prescriptions to the pharmacy while George
pocketed the cash for the illegal transaction and billed the insurance
company of unassuming customers, according to the affidavit. The
emerging details come seven months after the now defunct pharmacy was
raided by the FBI, leading to George's arrest.

George's lawyer said his client was duped and is only guilty of
insurance fraud.

Court records identify the men involved in the prescription fraud
scheme as Thomas Meyerholz, 39, of 20 Raccio Drive, in Bethany; Bret
Zielanski, 35, of 109 Concord Street, in Hamden; Christopher Beauton,
50, of 20 Raccio Drive, in Bethany; and David Deloughery, 41, of East
Haven.......

Link: http://www.greenwichtime.com/ci_12195095

COMMENT:

Who's names did he use to claim for the insurance?

Was it yours?

Doesn't sound right to me, someone's names were on the prescription
along with their insurance info.

So I guess he doesn't know these out of towners that he gave the
oxycontin to, but he's guilty of insurance fraud?
Yeah.....okay!

There is much more to this story.

04/23/09 Should The Greenwich Police Department Put Mugshots Up On Twitter?

2009-04-23T15:59:00.010-04:00

It’s one thing to see the mugshots of famous people show up on the web but getting busted for anything in Denton could see you show up on Twitter

The Latest High Tech Police Tool:

Denton, Texas Police Use Twitter To Post Mugshots

DentonPolice Twitters recent mugshots. And, my God, are some of them terrific.

A Winning Smile

This 19-year-old pictured above was arrested for drinking an alcoholic beverage. Judging from his smile, it was an Electric Lemonade from T.G.I.Friday’s.

For The Record:

To make it clear this isn’t an official Twitter profile for the Denton police but rather an experiment by an art student as a way to show just how much personal stuff ends up available on the web.

Through some simple scraping of the public information available on the Denton police web site the student creates a Twitter post of the date and time of the arrest, the age of the charged person along with their mugshot posted to TwitPic. I am sure there are some who think this is a pretty cool idea but it also shows just how scary Twitter can be as a publishing platform. Considering just how much personal stuff is available on the web the idea that it could show up on something like Twitter without you even knowing about it should make people just a tad nervous.

============================================
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04/22/09 The Raw Greenwich Police Watch: This Just In.....

2009-04-22T05:02:00.006-04:00

Protecting The Rich -- SUPRISE !!!! -- Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Moves To Keep Public Information From The Single Family Homeowners Of Greenwich

property data to stay private
Greenwich Time
At the advice of police and town attorneys, Gwartney said that floor plans and aerial photos would have been omitted from the database, as well as the ...

More Police News From Around The Net.....

Ranger stood down as police investigate | Stuff.co.nz
Blues utility back Rene Ranger has been stood down by the NZRU as police investigate his alleged participation in an assault after a late-night street brawl. He will miss the match against the Reds at Albany on Saturday, while the NZRU ...
Stuff.co.nz - Stuff - http://www.stuff.co.nz/

Pot vs. Booze: A Former Police Chief's Take | DrugReporter | AlterNet
By Norm Stamper, Huffington Post
Marijuana smokers show greater responsibility in their choice of drugs than those of us who choose (and abuse) alcohol.
AlterNet.org: Coverage Areas - http://www.alternet.org/

Denis O'Connor signals a welcome change in G20 police tactics ...
By Alan Travis
Alan Travis: The first signs that the lasting response to the policing of the G20 protests will be a grown-up one came from Denis O'Connor.
Comment is free: liberty central... - http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral

Police: Middletown Family $460K In Debt - Baltimore News Story ...
FREDERICK, Md. -- Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins says a Middletown man who shot his wife, three children and himself left six notes discussing his family's financial hardships.....
WBALTV.com - Local News - http://www.wbaltv.com/news/

Obscure Store and Reading Room: Trail of tobacco spit leads police ...
By Jim Romenesko
The Obscure Store and Reading Room: normal people doing strange things.
Obscure Store and Reading Room - http://obscurestore.typepad.com/obscure_store_and_reading/

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04/22/09 Supreme Court Says Greenwich Police Officers Might Actually Have To Start Patroling High Crime Areas In Town In Order To Catch Bad Guys

2009-04-22T02:18:00.006-04:00

Here Is Some Bad News For The Gauntlet Of Greenwich Police Officers Looking For A Burned Out Taillights On The Boston Post Road.......

Top court clips police authority to search cars | csmonitor.com
Supreme Court limits warrantless police searches to instances when an officer or evidence is in danger.
Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories - http://www.csmonitor.com/

More Police News From Around The World:

The Daily, Tuesday, April 21, 2009. Police-reported Crime Severity ...
According to the new Police-reported Crime Severity Index, police-reported crime in Canada in 2007 was less serious overall than 10 years earlier. The traditional Police-reported Crime Rate, which tracks the volume of police-reported ...
Statistics Canada, The Daily - http://www.statcan.gc.ca/dai-quo/

Police won't investigate Veitch testimonials | Stuff.co.nz
"The police have the information and if they wanted to do something they would – so I'll leave it. . . the information is in the public arena and either they think it's serious enough or not," he said. "I've made all the comments I've ...
Stuff.co.nz - National - http://www.stuff.co.nz/

Camping fugitive William Stewart eludes police yet again | NATIONAL
Police hunting Canterbury fugitive William Stewart are disappointed that some members of the public failed to alert them sooner that he was camping in the area.
ta tvnz rugby headlines auto group - http://tvnz.co.nz/

Police: Bra Helped Deflect Bullet - Detroit Local News Story ...
DETROIT -- Detroit police say a woman's undergarment saved her life Tuesday. Tuesday, April 21, 2009.
ClickOnDetroit.com - ClickOnDetroit.c... - http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/

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)4/21/09 The Raw Greenwich Police Watch Feed: This Just In,,,,,

2009-04-21T06:14:00.004-04:00

Greenwich Police Assist Elderly Injured Man

Elderly man injured in bicycle accident
Greenwich Time - Greenwich,CT,USA
He spoke to the police officers and complained of head pain," said Berry. The man was taken to Stamford Hospital by GEMS. Berry said the driver, ...

More Police News From Around The Net.....

Police: 4 Dead In Towson Hotel - Baltimore News Story - WBAL Baltimore
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore County police are investigating the deaths of three adults and a teenager who were found in the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel in Towson Monday afternoon. Tuesday, April 21, 2009.
WBALTV.com - Most Popular Stories - http://www.wbaltv.com/mostpopularstories/

Berlin police beef up search for anarchist car arsonists - The Local
Berlin police are stepping up their efforts to nab anarchists who burn dozens of luxury cars in the city each year, state interior minister Ehrhart Körting told daily Berliner Zeitung on Tuesday.
The Local - Germany's news in English - http://www.thelocal.de/

Police find fugitive Stewart's ute in the Mt Somers area | NATIONAL
A ute believed to have been driven by Canterbury fugitive William Stewart over the past couple of weeks has been found by police.
ta tvnz national headlines auto group - http://tvnz.co.nz/

Dave Hill: The right must speak up on G20 protests | Comment is ...
By Dave Hill
Dave Hill: The traditional Tory defence of liberties against agents of an over-mighty state has not been applied to G20 police attacks.
Comment is free: liberty central... - http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral

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April 20,2009 The Raw Greenwich Police News Feed:

2009-04-20T09:28:00.006-04:00

The Latest Police News From The Greenwich Time.....

Extra patrols continue
Greenwich Time
By Debra Friedman
Police have increased their presence at the Wilbur Peck Public Housing Complex since a melee in March. Police have spent $10000 for 130 ...

More Police Stories From Around The World:

Jamaica Plane Hijacker Captured: Police
By The Huffington Post News Editors
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raw_feed_index.rdf

Police shoot suspect who held 7 at gunpoint
By Nathan Gonzalez
Police shoot suspect who held 7 at gunpoint, A 25-year-old man who police say held seven people hostage at gunpoint Saturday evening, remains hospitalized and in critical condition after being shot in the chest twice by a Phoenix ...
azcentral.com | north phoenix - http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/

Today's Biggest National Police Story:

Cops: R.I., Mass. Craigslist cases similar - Crime & courts- msnbc.com
Apr 17, 2009 ... April 17: Boston police are searching for a man they say has found women to attack and rob on Craigslist. One was killed. ...

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04/19/09 The Raw Greenwich Police News Feed

2009-04-19T12:27:00.004-04:00

The Latest Police News From The Greenwich Time...

Legal experts dissect Kissel case defense strategy
Greenwich Time
A year after his death, Greenwich police charged Kissel's longtime chauffeur Carlos Trujillo, 48, of Bridgeport, with conspiracy to commit murder and his ...

Teacher back to work after plane crash
Greenwich Time
The first police officer on the scene would later tell Busskohl that he'd seen four other crashes in his career, none with survivors. ...

More Police News From Around The Nation:

Shoot First:
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Shoot First: How Columbine Tragedy Radically Transformed Police Tactics - The Huffington Post.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raw_feed_index.rdf

Driver distracted by phone
An adult passenger told police the driver -- the father of four of the victims -- was distracted by a cell phone call that he answered, Houston police Officer John Cannon told CNN. The Lincoln Towncar went down an embankment and into ...
Democratic Underground Latest... - http://www.democraticunderground.com/

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April 18, 2009 The Latest From Greenwich Time Crime Reporter Debra Friedman

2009-04-18T14:02:00.005-04:00

The Photo:

Police that wo Cos Cob teenagers are responsible for ripping up two playing fields, one off Loughlin Avenue in Cos Cob and the other at Parkway School in the backcountry

The Headline:

Two Cos Cob Teens The Could Face Up To Five Years In Prison

The Quote:

"To us, the fields are our most important entity in terms of what we provide to the public," said town Parks and Recreation Director Joseph Siciliano.. "The loss is unfortunate to the two young men involved, but also for the users of both of these locations."

The Story:

Second arrest in field vandalism

Just a week after police made their first arrest in a vandalism case, another Cos Cob teenager has been charged for joyriding on town athletic fields -- an act that caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage and rendered two fields unusable for the spring sports season.

The 17-year-old boy, who was not identified because of his age, turned himself in to police Wednesday afternoon and was charged with first-degree criminal mischief and first-degree conspiracy to commit criminal mischief, police said.

Police last week arrested another 17-year-old Cos Cob boy in connection with the field vandalism. The teen faces the same felony charges......

....The 17-year-old boy charged Wednesday was released on a promise to appear and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Wednesday.

April 18, 2009 Police Reports From Around The Nation

2009-04-18T13:50:00.002-04:00

Police Officer Injured In Hit-And-Run
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
A police officer was injured in a hit-and-run accident early Friday morning. Friday, April 17, 2009.KMBC.com - Local News -
http://www.kmbc.com/news/

Parolee In Standoff With Police In Ceres
Sacramento News Story -- CERES, Calif.
A parolee who may be armed was involved Friday in a standoff with police in Ceres. Friday, April 17, 2009.KCRA.com - Local News -
http://www.kcra.com/news/

Driver Hits Parked Car During Police Pursuit
Central Coast News -- SALINAS, Calif.
A driver led police on a pursuit through North Salinas before striking a parked car. Friday, April 17, 2009.KSBW.com - Local News -
http://www.ksbw.com/news/

April 16, 2009 - Instatutional Racism Documented In The Greenwich Police Department

2009-04-17T16:45:00.005-04:00

Over Fifty Years Later Institutional Racism In The Greenwich Police Department Still Has A Bitter Sting

Another chapter complete in oral history project

Greenwich Post

.....Eugene Moye, a current Cos Cob resident who was the first African American police officer in town. Born in 1922, Mr. Moye, who moved to Greenwich in 1933 and married his wife Jeanette, a white woman, in the late 1940s, was educated in Greenwich public schools, was a veteran of World War II and later a teacher at Western Junior High School.

Initially unsuccessful at getting a teacher’s job in town, Mr. Moye applied to the police department in late 1950 because he needed a job.

“Often times the officers I rode with would not speak. So that was their way of censuring me. Then another guy I rode with did converse with me,” Mr. Moye said of the discrimination he faced there.

“There was one officer who was a pretty decent guy, Hilbert Heberling, a pretty decent guy,” he added. “He said that he was getting tired of people asking him, ‘What is he like?’ Meaning me. Now I’m sure I didn’t come from Mars. I’m sure I was brought up here in the United States.”....

April 17,2009 Iorfino and Corticelli thought they were meeting with a television crime series instead they walked into a roomful of GPD Officers

2009-04-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

The Photo:

Officer Pierangelo Corticelli receives congratulations for being a co-winner of this year's Greenwich Lion's Club Clarke Police Award. (Bob Luckey/Greenwich Time photo)

The Headlines:

Police Award Was Chosen By Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg and the Board of Selectmen.

All three selectmen -- First Selectman And Greenwich Police Commissioner Peter Tesei, Greenwich Police Commissioner Peter Crumbine and Lin Lavery -- attended Thursday's ceremony.

The Quotes:

"It's a great honor, there are so many worthy officers and investigations which are equally deserving," said Detective Pasquale Iorfino, a 22-year police veteran. "We were spending much more time with one another than we were with our families," Detective Pierangelo Corticelli, a 10-year veteran said.

The Reporter:

Frank MacEachern ( frank.maceachern@scni.com or 625-4434)

The Story:

Kissel cops get top honors Greenwich Time

Greenwich Time

Two town police detectives whose investigation resulted in two arrests in the murder case of Andrew Kissel were honored Thursday as the department's top officers for 2008.

Detectives Pasquale Iorfino and Pierangelo Corticelli received the Dr. John A. Clarke Award, an annual honor from the Greenwich Lions Club....

...Leonard Trujillo, 22, of Worcester, Mass., is charged with capital murder, first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. His cousin, Carlos Trujillo, 48, of Bridgeport, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The Trujillos were arrested in March 2008.....

....The Lions Club award is named in honor of Dr. John A. Clarke, a late Greenwich resident who served for years as a medical adviser to Greenwich Police, said Griff Harris, a Lions Club member and chairman of the event. Clarke, who died in 1944, was the first president of the Lions Club in 1923.

The award was first handed out in 1947 and was given to Sgt. William J. Burke....

April 17, 2009 Michael Parrotta Is Really Mad Now That He Is Unable To Post Bail. His Assets Are Tied Up In The Divorce, Which Has Yet To Be Settled

2009-04-17T10:57:00.000-04:00

Greenwich stabbing suspect remains in jail

Greenwich Time

A town man accused of stabbing his wife nine times remains in custody after he was unable to post his $1.5 million bond Thursday because of complications from a pending divorce.....

.....A separate hearing on Parrotta's divorce was scheduled in civil court later Thursday afternoon. Russell told Judge referee Martin Nigro that a number of issues were likely to be resolved during that hearing, which Parrotta was scheduled to attend. Russell said he did not know if Parrotta's wife, the victim of the stabbing, would also be present.....

.....Police said Parrotta stabbed his wife in the chest and abdomen with a sharpened screwdriver as she sat in her car on the night of April 2. His wife, who lives separately from Parrotta, had arrived to pick up their son, when her husband leaned in through the car window and began stabbing her.....

Filed Under: Attempted Murder

April 16.2009 Cos Cob man was sentenced to three years probation in federal court Thursday for failing to report $100,000 in cash deposits on his 1040

2009-04-17T02:44:00.000-04:00

Cos Cob man gets probation in tax evasion case

Greenwich Time

....Joseph Abbazia, 39, of 3 DeLuca Drive, pleaded guilty in August 2008 to the charge of illegally structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements.

Prosecutors said Abbazia earned income by providing property management services to state residents and then structured the cash deposits in different banks in amounts less than $10,000 to prevent the banks from filing Currency Transaction Reports with the federal government, according to court records. Officials said the crimes took place from 2003-04.....

.....Abbazia was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Christopher F. Droney.....

....In addition to probation, Abbazia will also be required to pay a $10,000 fine....

....Abbazia has amended his federal income tax returns for the 2003 and 2004 tax years and paid all back taxes....

Filed Under: White Collar Crime

April 16, 2009 Fire And EMS has always had a problem with the Cos Cob numbering and has organized to ask the Planning and Zoning to solve the problem

2009-04-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

The Photo:

(Click To Enlarge)

Maybe Greenwich Emergency Vehicles Should Be Equipped With Multiple GPS Devices When Responding In Cos Cob

The Headline:

First Responders In Cos Cob Can't Find Town Residents Who Are In Trouble.

Starting sometime this summer Planning and Zoning Director Diane Fox plans on renumbering the Cos Cob section of East Putnam Avenue to put it in sync with the rest of the road

The Quote:

"I don't see why the town has chosen now to disrupt small businesses so much," says Joe Cosgrove, owner of Gordon's Gateway to Sports, at 217 East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob. He fears that GPS units won't be able to locate his place when the change happens

The Reporter:

Nick Keppler

The Story:

Going the Wrong Way

Fairfield Weekly

A Cos Cob resident, who preferred not to be identified, told me of an incident where he started bleeding internally because of a medical condition. He called 911 and, while a police officer arrived on the scene, an ambulance was headed to another part of Greenwich.

Why? He was on East Putnam Avenue and several addresses on that Greenwich road share numbers. East Putnam is part of the massively complicated U.S. Route 1, and the stretch of it in the Cos Cob zip code of Greenwich has its own system of numbering, one that not only duplicates numbers of properties on other parts of East Putnam but is all around zany, says town Planning and Zoning Director Diane Fox.

"The two sides of the road aren't separated by odds and evens, and many Cos Cob residents call it 'Boston Post Road,'" says Fox, which is the old, colonial-era name for Route 1 that still remains for parts of it (in Darien and Milford, for example).

....Rod Aguillion, manager of Arcuri's Pizza & Salad at 226 East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob, on the other hand, says "actually we've had a problem with the street before; it makes it hard for a delivery business." ......

....Assistant Fire Chief Robert Kick, who says he initiated the renumbering, claims the Greenwich Fire Department has to distinguish between the two East Putnam Avenues on "a weekly basis" and "in instances like a heart attack, every second counts."....

April 16, 2009 - Jack Hornak, director of facility operations at The Nathaniel Witherell Says Security There Is "really good"

2009-04-16T08:40:00.000-04:00

Officials review Witherell security following southern shootings
Greenwich Post

Officials at The Nathaniel Witherell are taking steps to make the Parsonage Road nursing home a safer place, following a shooting rampage at a similar facility in North Carolina last month.....

He also referenced a recent Greenwich Police Department report assessing security, which said, “The Nathaniel Witherell complex is above most [security] ...

....Jack Hornak, director of facility operations at Witherell, told board members the Monday after the incident that there are closed-circuit television cameras around the perimeter of the Greenwich building and 23 card access doorways.

“If you’re meant to be here, you can get in,” Mr. Hornak said.

He also referenced a recent Greenwich Police Department report assessing security, which said, “The Nathaniel Witherell complex is above most [security] standards.”

Acknowledging that there could be tweaks here and there, Mr. Hornak said, overall, “our system is really good.” ....

‎Apr 14, 2009‎ - The Greenwich Millionaire Murder Mystery - Developer death may have been suicide

2009-04-15T00:48:00.000-04:00

Lawyer: CT developer death may have been suicide

Forbes

Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg said police researched the possiblity that Kissel plotted his own death. "We have never ruled it out and never ruled it in" ...

File Under: Murder

April 14.2009 DUI

2009-04-14T22:43:00.000-04:00

Timothy Fitzpatrick, 22, of 15 Highview Avenue, was charged with driving while under the influence. He was released on a $250 bond.

Apr 13, 2009‎ - Greenwich Police Department Gets A Thumbs Up

2009-04-14T00:53:00.000-04:00

Thumbs up - Thumbs down

Greenwich Time

But a corresponding thumbs up to Greenwich police, who conducted a sting at the above locations and cited 21 drivers for crosswalk violations. ...

Geo Tag: Henry Street, Mill Street

April 12, 2009 Weapons Charges

2009-04-12T22:37:00.000-04:00

Raymond Vega, 31, of 1002 Grand St., Bridgeport, was charged with weapons in a motor vehicle. He was released on a $100 bond.

‎Apr 10, 2009‎ - GPD Traffic Sting Operation

2009-04-11T01:07:00.000-04:00

Greenwich police go undercover to bust crosswalk violators

Greenwich Time

By Debra Friedman

Pedestrians cross at Henry and Mill streets Thursday, where a police sting operation to catch errant drivers led to 25 citations. ...

Geo Tags: Henry Street, Mill Street

Apr 10, 2009‎ - GPD procedure for handing out precious metal

2009-04-11T01:00:00.000-04:00

Another sign of today's hard times

Greenwich Citizen

Debra DeLuca works in the general services division of the Greenwich Police Department. She reported a rigorous procedure for handing out precious metal ...

Apr 10, 2009‎ - GPD News

2009-04-11T00:58:00.000-04:00

Byram man stabs estranged wife in car as autistic son looks on

Greenwich Citizen

On Tuesday morning, Greenwich police added two new charges to Parrotta's attempted murder charge and other charges, after a firearm was discovered in his ...

April 7, 2009 More Charges In Byram Attempted Murder

2009-04-08T01:52:00.000-04:00

Greenwich man faces more charges in stabbing incident

Stamford Advocate

Detective Kristopher Shockley, of Greenwich Police's Criminal Investigations Division, said Parrotta was prohibited from owning a gun because of a ...

Apr 6, 2009‎

2009-04-07T01:57:00.000-04:00

Police call cell phone crackdown a success

Stamford Advocate

Since the law was enacted, Greenwich police have issued nearly 3000 tickets, with 756 tickets issued in 2007 and 1545 in 2008. So far in 2009, ...

ALSO:

Dealing with the rise in domestic violence

Greenwich Citizen

The encouraging word is there are two front lines of defense for the abused - the Greenwich Police Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) and the Domestic Abuse ...

04/05/09 Criminal Trespass: Unwanted man in shower

2009-04-06T02:11:00.000-04:00

The Place:

14 Sherman Avenue

The Player:

Carlos A. Aponte, Age 41, of Stamford, was arrested on April 2 at 9 p.m. on charges of criminal trespass in the first degree.

The Plot:

Multiple police units were detailed the residence on a report of an unwanted subject taking a shower in a woman's residence without her permission.

Aponte was found in a bathroom off a hallway in the residence. Upon exiting the bathroom, he was searched and no contraband was found.

The Processing:

Carlos A. Aponte was arrested on charges of criminal trespass in the first degree.

Aponte was unable to pay his $500 cash bond and was held until he appeared in Stamford Superior Court on April 3

Apr 5, 2009‎ - First-Degree Larceny: Luxury Cars Were Rented Out For Only $100 / Day

2009-04-06T02:01:00.000-04:00

Valet charged in alleged luxury car rental scheme

Hartford Courant

Greenwich police say a luxury car dealership's valet has been charged with secretly renting out its cars to friends.

Police arrested 41-year-old Virgilio Collins-Meza of Stamford last Wednesday, charging him with five counts of first-degree larceny.

Authorities say Collins-Meza, who worked at Lexus of Greenwich, rented out five Lexus sedans to friends for $100 a day without the dealership's permission or knowledge.

Dealership officials realized March 31 that the cars were missing and reported them stolen ...

Geo Tag: West Putnam Avenue

Apr 4, 2009‎ - Greenwich woman stabbed; husband charged

2009-04-05T02:04:00.000-04:00

Greenwich woman stabbed by estranged husband

Connecticut Post

Lt. Richard Cochran, head of Greenwich Police's domestic violence unit, said police believe the attack was premeditated, stemming from Parrotta's anger over ...

Filed Under: Attempted Murder

04/04/09 Disorderly Conduct - Couple arrested following physical dispute

2009-04-05T00:39:00.000-04:00

The Place:

12 Salem Street

The Players:

Kathryn Norton, Age 46

Peter Thiesfeldt, Age 45 - The Stamford Boyfriend

The Plot:

On April 2nd, Police were detailed to the Salem residence on a physical domestic dispute with injuries and found Thiesfeldt outside, exhibiting an abrasion to his right forearm, approximately four inches long that he alleged Norton inflected during a physical altercation.

Norton reported that Thiesfeldt did not like her to drink and he becomes violent when she does. After she drank a beer, the physical altercation took place

The Processing:

The couple appeared in Stamford Superior Court the next day, on April 3.

April 3, 2009 - Shoplifting On Greenwich Avenue

2009-04-04T02:27:00.000-04:00

The Place:

89 Greenwich Avenue And 89 Greenwich Avenue

The Player:

Ivoni Stefanidis, Age 57, of Norwalk

The Plot:

Police were called to 89 Greenwich Ave. on a shoplifting incident and given the description of a man who was located inside the Kitchen Works store at 89 Greenwich Ave.

While being questioned, Stefanidias was seen attempting to hide items in her purse, which fell to the floor, revealing several items from Kitchen Works.

Police then learned she had been shoplifting from several other stores in the area and they subsequently found $2,759.94 worth of stolen goods in her car.

The Processing:

Ivoni Stefanidis was arrested on charges of larceny in the third degree

Stefanidias was released on $5,000 cash bond and assigned to appear in Stamford Superior Court on April 17.

Filed Under: Third-Degree Larceny

Apr 2, 2009‎

2009-04-03T02:08:00.000-04:00

Where is all the stimulus money going?

Greenwich Post

The Greenwich Police Department is on tap to receive a little more than $23000. Chief David Ridberg said that money will likely go to traffic enforcement, ...

ALSO:

Two men arrested in contractor 'sting'

Wilton Villager

Greenwich police received a similar complaint, said the Department of Consumer Protection. "This happens all the time," said Boucher, who noted that such ...

Apr 1, 2009‎ - Wierd But True: Greenwich Drag Queen Bank Robber Pleads Guilty To Bank Robbery

2009-04-02T02:12:00.000-04:00

Drag queen bank robber admits to string of Connecticut heists

Stamford Advocate

Detective Lt. Mark Marino, head of the Greenwich police Criminal Investigations Division, said he was pleased with the guilty plea. "This is good news. ...

Filed Under: Robbery

December 27, 2008 - Teen leads police through yards

2008-12-27T13:47:00.000-05:00

A 15-year-old Norwalk boy led Greenwich and Port Chester police on a wild, two-state, Christmas day chase for several hours following a car crash, police said. Greenwich police received several reports Thursday afternoon of a teenager fleeing through residents' backyards, jumping over fences and hopping over porches, according to Sgt. John Slusarz. The teen matched the description of a young male wanted in an earlier Port Chester car chase.

Author: By Debra Friedman
Publication: Greenwich Time

December 20, 2008 - Discrimination suit slated for spring

2008-12-20T14:04:00.000-05:00

A spring trial date has been set in the racial discrimination case brought by eight Greenwich police officers after a federal judge made a split ruling on the town's motion for summary judgment. U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz ruled that five claims will be argued before a jury in a federal court in New Haven, while several other elements of the initial complaint have been thrown out.

ALSO:

Police still waiting for ruling

Eight months have passed since promotion case went to Supreme Court

When the town sought an expedited appeal in the case of a Greenwich police officer who sued after he was not promoted to captain, many thought a speedy decision would soon follow, bringing closure to a case that has frozen the police department's ability to fill several key positions for nearly four years. Eight months later, they are still waiting for that decision from the Connecticut Supreme Court, a source of anxiety for a department that is significantly strained.

PLEASE ALSO SEE:

Drivers escape major injuries

Winter arrived Friday via the skies if not yet the calendar, with the season's first major snowstorm. Flakes began falling at 11 a.m., forming a white halo around shoppers and workers across town before covering cars, sidewalks and roads by 1 p.m.

The heaviest snow arrived mid-to-late afternoon, making it a busy one for Dan Warzoha, town emergency management operations director.

"There's 4 inches-plus of snow on the ground," said Warzoha.

The accident, which occurred around noon under the Indian Field Road bridge, resulted from one car sliding on the ice from Saturday's snow storm, and other vehicles subsequently colliding with it, said Sgt. Brent Reeves of the Greenwich Police Department.

Only minor injuries were reported and no extrication of individuals from vehicles was needed

MORE:

Cops ramp up DUI watch

State police have a message to residents during this holiday season - don't make the police your designated driver. Officials have unleashed "Operation Santa," a program that aims to prevent injury and save lives by aggressively targeting drunken drivers.

"We are trying to save lives and keep all of our roads and highways safe," said John Danaher III, state public safety commissioner.

Author: Debra Friedman
Publication: Greenwich Time

December 1, 2008 - Police join task force

2008-12-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

Police will appoint a detective to a newly formed state task force that will investigate financial crimes, officials said. The Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force is a joint partnership between the Secret Service and the Connecticut Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service. It will comprise federal, state and local investigators, according to police.

Brian Murphy, the resident agent for the Secret Service in Connecticut, said the task force is just coming together

Author: By Debra Friedman
Publication: Greenwich Time

November 24, 2008 - Police begin crackdown for holidays

2008-11-24T15:38:00.000-05:00

With the holiday season just around the corner, local and state police will step up their efforts to curb drunken driving with undercover patrols, air surveillance and sobriety checkpoints. "This is definitely a high priority as the holidays approach," said Lt. J. Paul Vance, state police spokesman.

"Our message is clear - drinking and driving can only result in something bad. It can even be deadly."

Author: By Debra Friedman
Publication: Greenwich Time

Filed Under: DUI

11/18/08 The Court Report

2008-11-04T21:27:00.001-05:00

Connecticut Trial Court Official Decisions

STATE v. BOTHWELL, No. S2ON-MV07-0003703 (Nov. 14, 2008)
No. S2ON-MV07-0003703
November 14, 2008

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on January 7, 2007, Greenwich police received a call from a private citizen, who reported that he was following a "white Ford Explorer" with Connecticut license plate 187NNK. The caller further reported that the vehicle was being driven erratically, and had already hit some signs and cones. The caller also explained that he too was driving a white Ford Explorer, a 1999 model, while indicating that that the one he was following was a newer vehicle, which he estimated to be a 2004 model.

You Can Guess The Rest

09/23/08 Dawn Rodick Takes Greenwich Police To Court

2008-09-23T21:37:00.000-04:00

Connecticut Trial Court Official Decisions

RODOCK v. GREENWICH, No. CV 07-5002954 (Sep. 23, 2008)
No. CV 07-5002954
September 23, 2008

Plaintiff Dawn Rodock has filed a two-count complaint against the town of Greenwich in which she alleges wrongful termination of employment in count one and intentional infliction of emotional distress in count two. According to the complaint the plaintiff was hired by the town as a police officer on January 4, 2006, and attended a four-day orientation at the Greenwich Police Department then began training at the Police Officer Standardized Training Council (POST). This action arises by way of the alleged wrongful termination of the plaintiff by the defendant on May 19, 2006, a week prior to completing her training at POST.

09/04/07 Greenwich Police Taken To Court

2007-09-04T21:40:00.000-04:00

Connecticut Trial Court Official Decisions

HONULIK v. TOWN OF GREENWICH, No. X05-CV04-199882S (Sep. 4, 2007)
No. X05-CV04-199882S
September 4, 2007

The plaintiff in the above-entitled action is a thirty-plus-year veteran of the Greenwich Police Department ("Department") where he has risen though the ranks to his present position as a Police Lieutenant. The issue before the court arises out of the plaintiff's lawsuit filed March 27, 2004, in which he seeks relief after having been passed over for promotion to a then vacant position of Police Captain in the same department. Specifically, the plaintiff seeks injunctive relief and damages for breach of contract and promissory estoppel, as well as enforcement of the writs of mandamus and quo warranto. In addition, he alleges that he was deprived of due process and equal protection rights, and accordingly, he seeks further relief pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

Feb.. 25, 2003 - Chapman, who became chief in September 2000, refused to comment on a Monday story in the Greenwich Time saying he is one of two ...

2003-02-25T20:30:00.002-05:00

Chapman, who became chief in September 2000, refused to comment on a Monday story in the Greenwich Time saying he is one of two finalists for Greenwich's police chief vacancy. The chief claims he is content with his Bridgeport job. He is in the midst of his first ...

....Police Chief Wilbur Chapman is reportedly a finalist for a chief vacancy in Greenwich, but he claims he is focusing his attention solely on Bridgeport.

"I have no time for anything outside of Bridgeport," Chapman said Monday.

"I am diligently working on a crime fighting strategy for the city, including a plan for a new crime suppression unit."

Chapman, who became chief in September 2000, refused to comment on a Monday

From Chapman silent on new job reports

May 6, 2002 -- CNN --

2002-05-06T18:47:00.000-04:00

NORWALK, Connecticut -- Testimony is scheduled to begin Tuesday in the murder trial of Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel more than 26 years after Martha Moxley's body was found outside her Greenwich, Connecticut, home.

Two new twists are expected to highlight the trial. For the first time, a jury may hear Skakel's voice on tape describing his sexual attraction to the slain girl.

And Michael's brother, Tommy, once a chief suspect, may testify under oath for the first time about his actions the night of the slaying.

The body of Skakel's 15-year-old neighbor was found October 31, 1975, after she was bludgeoned to death with a golf club.

Michael Skakel, 15, and Tommy, 17, had gone to dinner the night before at the local country club and then returned home, where they met up with Martha and a group of friends. It was "Devil's Night," when many neighborhood teens play pranks and stay out late.

According to police reports, Tommy was the last person seen with Martha -- at about 9:30 p.m.

After the body was discovered around 12:30 p.m. the following day, police searched the neighborhood, including the Skakel house, where they found a set of rare Tony Penna golf clubs, the type used to beat Martha to death. The six-iron, which police now consider the murder weapon, was missing.

The grip in the set found in the Skakel house was monogrammed with the initials of Michael Skakel's late mother, Anne. But the grip was missing from the broken club found near the body.

No formal search of the Skakel home was ever conducted by the police, and the state medical examiner at the time, Elliott Gross, did not examine the body until November 1.

Critics of the way the Greenwich Police Department handled the case cite the delay for uncertainty about the time of death.

Steve Carroll, an original detective in the case who died this year, had said he believed the Greenwich police were intimidated by the Skakel family name. Michael Skakel's father, Rushton, is the brother of Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert Kennedy, the U.S. senator and former U.S. attorney general.

Tommy Skakel remained a suspect for years until Michael was charged in January 2000.

A key development came in November 1995 when a report commissioned by the Skakel family from a private detective firm was leaked to Newsday reporter Leonard Levitt.

The report said Michael, now 41, and Tommy Skakel admitted lying to police about their actions the night Moxley died. Michael also made revelations that put him at the crime scene.

Michael Skakel, who has pleaded innocent in the slaying, also may have complicated his own defense in 1997 by collaborating on a book proposal with ghostwriter Richard Hoffman called "Dead Man Talking: A Kennedy Cousin Comes Clean."

In the proposal, Skakel admitted to using alcohol and marijuana on the night Moxley was killed and said he was sexually attracted to her.

"I wanted to kiss her. I wanted her to be my girlfriend, but I was going slow, being careful," Skakel said in the draft proposal. "The truth is that with Martha I felt a little shy. I thought that maybe if we spent the evening together at my cousin's something romantic might develop between us."

Dec 29, 2001 - DAVID ROBBINS, POLICE CHIEF

2001-12-29T22:12:00.001-05:00

DAVID ROBBINS, POLICE CHIEF -
Boston Globe

GREENWICH, Conn. - David Watson Robbins, who began his career as a police officer rounding up bootleggers during Prohibition and rose through the ranks to become chief, died Thursday morning. He was 94.

Mr. Robbins had difficulty recovering from a bout of pneumonia last week. His son, Peter, the current police chief in Greenwich, was at his side.Mr. Robbins was police chief from 1955 to 1963.

Mr. Robbins, born in Greenwich in 1907, became a patrolman in 1929, following the path of.....

12/16/01 Detective Dies; Helped Revive Moxley Case - NY Times

2001-12-16T21:55:00.000-05:00

The police detective credited with playing a crucial role in investigating the long-unsolved killing of Martha Moxley, a 15-year-old girl from Greenwich, Conn., died of cancer on Wednesday at Greenwich Hospital.

The investigator for the Greenwich Police Department, Stephen X. Carroll, 70, has been credited with reviving interest in the case of Miss Moxley, who was found beaten to death with a golf club in her own backyard on Oct. 31, 1975. She had been beaten so badly that the golf club had broken into three pieces, and she had been stabbed in the neck with the shaft.

Michael Sherman, the lawyer for Michael C. Skakel, 41, the man facing trial in Miss Moxley's killing, has complained that the case is so old that key witnesses are dying, making it difficult to try the case.

Mr. Carroll helped revive interest in the case by cooperating with Mark Fuhrman, the former Los Angeles police detective and witness in the O. J. Simpson murder trial, who wrote the 1998 book ''Murder in Greenwich: Who Killed Martha Moxley?'' Mr. Carroll contended that investigators had made mistakes early on because of inexperience. Before 1975, the department had not handled a murder in 20 years, he said.

The murder of Miss Moxley stood out in part because she and her friends had spent the evening of her disappearance with Michael Skakel, then 15, and his brother Thomas, 17, two nephews of Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

After Mr. Fuhrman's book was published, interest developed in the case, and Michael Skakel was arrested after former classmates came forward to say that he had confessed to the murder of Miss Moxley while a student at Elan, a residential school for troubled young people in Poland Spring, Me.

In January 2000, Mr. Skakel was arrested and charged as a juvenile because he was 15 at the time of the killing. A judge later ruled that he should stand trial as an adult, and the trial is expected to begin in State Superior Court in Stamford next year

Dec 5, 2001 - DOMESTIC CHARGED IN KILLING OF HER EX-BOSS - NY Daily News

2001-12-05T23:02:00.001-05:00

A ticked-off housekeeper who worked in the sprawling mansions of Greenwich, Conn., has been swept up as a suspect in the killing of her one-time boss.

Flora Canales, 50, was arraigned yesterday in Stamford Superior Court on a murder charge in the slaying of Alicia Kirkel on Monday morning. Kirkel owned an employment agency for butlers and baby-sitters in Greenwich.

Canales was arrested Monday night at her apartment in Stamford, where cops seized a sport-utility vehicle and discovered a gun they believe was used to shoot Kirkel to death. Canales is being held on $500,000 bail.

"It was a professional, on-the-job dispute," said Greenwich Police Capt. David Ridberg. "[Canales] had a serious beef."

Investigators believe Canales may have been steamed because she thought Kirkel, 41, was blocking her from landing other cleaning jobs.

The shooting followed a loud argument between the women inside the office of Royal Domestics, the agency Kirkel founded in downtown Greenwich in 1992

November 7, 2001 - Chase leads to larceny suspect

2001-11-07T23:25:00.001-05:00

MONROE -- A shoplifting incident at the Big Y supermarket Monday afternoon resulted in the chase of a suspect through the woods, police said.

David Wargo, 26, of High Ridge Road in Bridgeport, was arrested after the chase and charged with sixth-degree larceny, interfering with police, evading responsibility and reckless operation.

A store manager reported the shoplifting at 1:04 p.m. and employees followed the suspect, later identified as Wargo, out of the store, police said.

An off-duty Greenwich police sergeant saw Wargo fleeing and blocked Wargo's car with his personal vehicle, police said; Wargo backed into the car ...

Oct 21, 2001 - While They're Protecting Us, Who's Protecting Them? - NY Times

2001-10-21T23:29:00.001-04:00

.....But there are occasional employment-related disputes about reservists being called to active duty. Sean P. O'Donnell, a Greenwich police officer and member of a military police unit in Orangeburg, N.Y., is involved in a labor dispute over the way the town handles call-ups.

In the Gulf War, he said, Greenwich paid the difference between military pay and the employee's salary from the town. He said the town did not do it when he was called up to go to Bosnia for eight months in 1999 and 2000.

''When the flag came out waving, it was the politically correct thing to pay the individuals who got deployed,'' Mr. O'Donnell said. ''You run into the same financial difficulties whether you get called up for a popular war or something that doesn't get as much attention. If we can't take care of ourselves or, worse, our families, how are we going to stay in the job?

''This is a structural issue they're going to run into with all the Guard and Reserve members who are going to be called up,'' Mr. O'Donnell said. ''If the United States is going to rely so heavily on Reserve and Guard units, and leave the people hanging out there financially, you're going to lose very valuable, and very resourceful, soldiers, which is going to leave the whole country in a predicament.''

Lt. Michael A. Pacewicz, president of the Silver Shield Association, the town's police union, said while the policy in Greenwich calls for an unpaid leave, the policy was augmented during the Gulf War, and the union contends that should set a new standard.

''Officer O'Donnell was in Bosnia, he was called up by the military, he did exactly what you would expect of a patriot, and the town isn't treating him the same way as they did the people called up for the Gulf War,'' said Mr. Pacewicz. ''What they did in Desert Storm was a great thing, but you can't treat people differently if they were called up for Bosnia instead of Desert Storm, and we're afraid that they'll take the same position now.''

Greenwich officials did not return repeated telephone calls seeking comment. Mr. Venditto said people who are called up are covered by the Uniform Services Employment Re-employment Rights Act, which basically requires that if a member of the reserves is called to service, the company must let them go and keep the job open for them when they get back.

There is also a provision that employees come back with all the benefits such as vacation, sick time and insurances that they would have had on the day they left......

Greenwich Gets Its Wish as State Lottery Officials Stop Sales of Powerball Tickets - New York Times

2001-08-24T21:49:00.000-04:00

The town of Greenwich today won permission to suspend sales of Powerball multistate lottery tickets on Friday, a move town officials said was needed because too many players with too many dreams of a $280 million jackpot were crossing the border from New York and creating nightmarish conditions for residents and the local police.

It is not the first time Greenwich has sought to prevent hordes of out-of-towners from New York and New Jersey from flocking here, the nearest town where Powerball tickets are sold. Officials made a similar but unsuccessful plea in July 1998 when the town was overrun with Powerball players after the jackpot climbed to a record $296 million.

But Friday's Powerball moratorium in Greenwich will be the first time that Connecticut lottery officials have ever suspended sales of tickets, said Diane Patterson, a lottery spokeswoman.
The numbers for the $280 million prize will be drawn on Saturday night. The odds of winning are about 80 million to 1.

Greenwich applauded the decision today, but other officials in Connecticut suggested that the town, one of the nation's wealthiest, is thin-skinned and a bit spoiled. Kevin B. Sullivan, the Democratic Senate president pro tem, said that Greenwich could set up lottery kiosks on the town beach, a reference to its residents-only beach policy struck down by the State Supreme Court last month.

Powerball tickets are sold in 21 states and the District of Columbia, but not in New York or New Jersey. Greenwich, which is the first stop in Connecticut for many visitors traveling by road or rail, has been the Powerball purchase point of choice for residents of Westchester County, New York City and New Jersey.

The current griping in Greenwich began earlier in the week, when the Powerball jackpot reached more than $190 million. Long lines could be seen outside numerous convenience stores along local highways and downtown. By Wednesday night's drawing, the jackpot reached $193.5 million. There was no winner, setting the stage for a rush on tickets for Saturday's $280 million bonanza.

This week, as in 1998, Greenwich police officials complained of numerous incidents of disorderly conduct, including public urination, as well as traffic congestion, street crowding and parking problems. Police Chief Peter J. Robbins said repeatedly this week that long lines of lottery players had distracted officers from their usual duties.

''We applaud the responsiveness of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation to our request for a suspension of sales.'' Greenwich's first selectwoman, Lolly H. Prince, said in a statement. ''We have experienced serious public safety and health issues. These include, but are not limited to, congestion and traffic that potentially could impede our public safety vehicles from responding to emergency calls.''

Powerball tickets will still be sold elsewhere in Connecticut on Friday. There are some 2,700 lottery sales outlets statewide, and officials urged players to use them.

State lottery officials said that since the record-setting jackpot in July 1998, they had developed emergency procedures for jackpots exceeding $100 million. Those measures, which have been in effect all week, include announcements urging out-of-state players to go farther into the state to buy tickets. Lottery machine maintenance workers are also on 24-hour alert.

Ms. Patterson, the lottery spokeswoman, said thousands of leaflets had been distributed at Metro-North Railroad stations in New York City informing residents that they will spend less time waiting in line to buy tickets if they travel farther into Connecticut. The emergency procedures also allow individual lottery retailers to limit each customer to $100 in tickets.

8/23/09 Greenwich Police Overwhelmed By Powerball

2001-08-23T21:44:00.002-04:00

Greenwich suspends Powerball sales for 24 hours
USA Today

Town officials got permission from the state lottery to suspend Powerball ticket sales Friday, saying they were overwhelmed by would-be millionaires from out of state.

The ban also applies in the Cos Cob, Byram, Riverside and Old Greenwich portions of Greenwich, the first Connecticut town on the Metro-North Railroad out of New York City.

Powerball — which is expected to have a jackpot approaching $300 million for Saturday's drawing — is offered in 21 states and the District of Columbia, but not in New York.

Customers standing outside a Greenwich gas station in a downpour Thursday evening were sympathetic — to an extent.

"You also have to understand, it's such a large jackpot," said Dominic Pizzimenti of Astoria, N.Y., who took a train to Greenwich. "Maybe if we hit the jackpot we can afford to live in Greenwich and complain like everybody else."

Inside the gas station, store manager Varinder Kumer said he wasn't going to miss the long lines.

"It's too many problems. People get angry," he said.

Tickets will still be available elsewhere in Connecticut on Friday, including towns further north on the railroad line such as Stamford, Darien and Norwalk, the state lottery said.

Greenwich Police Chief Peter Robbins said police have been so busy monitoring the long lines that even major crime investigations have been interrupted.

"We applaud the responsiveness of the Connecticut Lottery," said Greenwich First Selectman Lolly Prince. "We have experienced serious public safety and health issues."

Prince said traffic has been so bad it could be difficult for emergency vehicles to get through. She also said there had been numerous traffic accidents and incidents of children locked in cars while their parents stood in long lines outside lottery retailers.

The legal authority for the suspension was not immediately clear. A 1999 state law — which expired June 30 — allowed Connecticut towns to suspend Powerball sales for 24 hours if state lottery officials verified that a huge influx of players threatened public health and safety.

Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy said state officials had not talked to him about the matter. Malloy said sales in his town had not been too burdensome so far.

Malloy said if Stamford becomes inundated he would expect the same right to suspension as Greenwich.

Sgt. J. Paul Vance, the spokesman for the state police, said troopers had been assigned to eight locations in Greenwich to assist with crowd control between 8 a.m. and midnight daily.

Senate Majority Leader George Jepsen, D-Stamford, said many upstate legislators were wary of allowing individual towns to suspend lottery sales.

Jepsen, who is now running for governor, said Greenwich legislators were seeking a unilateral right to shut down sales — "which might have been convenient for them, but not so convenient for the rest of the state," he said.

"Many upstate legislators feel that there are a lot of benefits to being a border town and having the proximity to New York City," Jepsen added. "Maybe there are drawbacks too, but the bad goes with the good."

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin Sullivan, D-West Hartford, said Greenwich residents were overreacting.

Sullivan suggested, with tongue in cheek, that Greenwich set up lottery kiosks on the town beach. The state Supreme Court ruled last month that Greenwich's residents-only beach access policy was unconstitutional.

June 23, 2001 - Pilot Killed When Plane Crashes in Greenwich - NY Times

2001-06-23T22:31:00.000-04:00

A pilot was killed yesterday when his plane crashed in Greenwich, Conn., after an aborted landing attempt.

The pilot, Vernn Haglund, 63, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was flying in a six-seat private plane from Atlantic City to Westchester County Airport, on the Connecticut border. Mr. Haglund told air traffic controllers that he was having trouble with a directional instrument as he approached the airport, shortly before 9 a.m., in heavy fog, said Renee Johns, a spokeswoman for the airport.
''He was unable to see anything, and unable to land,'' she said. ''So he executed a missed approach. Obviously, after that he became disoriented.''

The plane crashed a few minutes later in a wooded area about half a mile away.
Frank Nestor, a lawyer who lives close to the crash site, said that he had been alerted by unusually loud plane noise above his house. Hidden by clouds, the plane circled very low for several minutes before crashing, he said.

''I didn't see it but I heard the sound of breaking wood or the fuselage of the plane coming apart, followed by an explosion and flames, which I could see about 200 feet from the house through the trees,'' Mr. Nestor said, adding that he ran toward the site, but could not get very close because of the flames.

Henry Stanton, the deputy commissioner of transportation for Westchester County, said the weather conditions were so bad that only one other plane had landed at the airport in the morning.

''To all practical purposes, the airport was closed,'' he said. ''The cloud ceiling was zero and the fog was right at ground level. But in these cases it's always the pilot's decision'' whether to land.

The pilot, a salesman, was on a business trip, Chief Peter J. Robbins of the Greenwich Police Department said. Mr. Haglung left Florida on Monday, with a stop in Atlantic City. The plane was registered to Heber Inc., of Fort Lauderdale.

No one on the ground was injured. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating the crash. The medical examiner's office said an autopsy was planned today.

Airport officials said there was no record of the plane having landed at the Westchester airport before.

The single-engine Piper Saratoga flown by Mr. Haglund was an older version of the plane that John F. Kennedy Jr. was flying when he crashed off Martha's Vineyard and was killed, along with his wife and sister-in-law, in July 1999.

Apr 8, 2001 - The View From/Greenwich; For Abandoned Baby, It's Love to the Rescue - New York Times

2001-04-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

IT was a stormy start for Baby John Doe, who was born during a rainstorm and left abandoned on the side of a cul-de-sac called Stormy Circle Drive in the Byram section of Greenwich.

But the skies have cleared since that morning in March, when a woman walking in the area found the infant naked and swaddled in a cloth, and rushed to call 911.

After being taken to Greenwich Hospital and treated for hypothermia and exposure, the infant is not only doing fine physically, but he is also attracting the attention of countless people who want to help him, to love him, to give him a home.

By Tuesday afternoon, the baby boy not only had his own lawyer and several sacks stuffed with presents, but he also left the hospital to settle in with his pre-adoptive family. The family was selected by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, which would only say that t 1/2e family lives in Connecticut.

Rachel Wehmeier, a nurse in the neonatal intensive-care unit who was among the many nurses who cared for the infant during the last two weeks, said, ''God is certainly watching over him,'' adding that the nurses had ''all fallen in love with him.''

Ms. Wehmeier said that the family who received the baby would ''be blessed, because he is a beautiful, special boy.''

Deputy Chief James Walters of the Greenwich Police Department said a woman who lives in the Stormy Circle Drive area, whose name is being withheld, called 911 at 12:20 p.m. on March 22 after she spotted ''what appeared to be a small blanket that had some movement'' while she was walking along the roadside.

''Officers responded, found the bundle, unwrapped it and found an infant inside,'' Deputy Chief Walters said. ''He was rushed to the hospital where doctors confirmed he had been born no more than two hours prior.''

Police officers canvassed the area searching for anyone with information about the baby, a 5-pound 5-ounce, 19-inch African-American boy. But as of Thursday morning, no one had found the biological parents.

''We have several leads in Connecticut and New York and we're continuing to follow those,'' Deputy Chief Walters said.

He would not say what charges would be filed, if any.

''We're not even characterizing this as a crime at this point,'' Deputy Chief Walters said. ''We can't talk about charges until we find out what happened and why.''

The police and the Department of Children and Families said they believed it was the first abandonment case in the history of Greenwich, a mostly well-to-do community in Fairfield County with about 65,000 residents. Byram is a working-class community in the southwestern section, just across the Byram River from Port Chester, N.Y.

David Marantz, appointed by the Stamford Superior Court to be the baby's lawyer, said, ''This is the story of a baby who had a tough beginning, but whose life has already turned around to be wonderful, because of all the love around him.''

In abandonment cases where the parents are not known, the standard process is for the Department of Children and Families to publish a notice in the local newspaper and to ask a juvenile court to terminate the parental rights, Mr. Marantz said.

That process could take several months, during which time the child would be cared for in a pre-adoptive foster home. Kristine Ragaglia, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, said that the temporary home ''could very likely become his permanent home.''

The department spent several days poring through a pool of licensed pre-adoptive families, narrowing the choice to six and finally to one last Monday. The decision did not take into account the parents' race, Ms. Ragaglia said, but it did require choosing a family that did not mind being ''legal risk pre-adoptive parents,'' which means there is a chance the pre-adoptive parents will have to return the baby if the biological parents show up and seek custody during the legal termination process.

''While that court process is going on, there's always a question mark,'' Ms. Ragaglia said. ''Emotionally, it can be a difficult process. But so far, no biological family or purported relatives have come forward, which makes things much easier.''

As for the family that was selected to care for the infant, Ms. Ragaglia said, ''There's not much I can tell you specifically because of confidentiality laws, but I guess it's safe to say they are very excited.''

The baby had remained at the hospital until Tuesday, not because of health problems, but because of the placement process.

''We're working on a permanency plan which involves having the pre-adoptive parents visit the baby in the hospital, learn all about the particular needs of the child, make absolutely certain that this is the right match,'' Ms. Ragaglia said. ''Our hope is that the pre-adoptive family will become the baby's permanent family.''

Gary Kleeblatt, spokesman for the Department of Children and Families, said: ''As tragic as it is that someone abandoned this infant, a lot of good has actually come of it. It's like the whole topic of adoption and caring for children in need has been galvanized by this child.''

The department has received a flood of calls from people offering to adopt the baby, Mr. Kleeblatt said. ''So many of these people who have called are now considering going through the process of becoming licensed and adopting another baby who may need a home,'' he said.

Mr. Kleeblatt credited Ms. Ragaglia with the department's rising number of adoptions in recent years. He said that since Ms. Ragaglia became commissioner in 1997, the number of adoptions statewide had nearly quadrupled, from 146 to 602 in 2000.

In Connecticut, there are 261 children in the custody of the Department of Children and Families who need homes. Of the 261, 148 are boys and 113 girls. Also, 114 of the children are African-American, 87 are Caucasian, 41 Latino and 19 are listed as other.

''There are 160 adoptive homes looking for children to complete their families,'' Ms. Ragaglia said.

Ms. Wehmeier, Baby John Doe's nurse, said she hoped the infant's story would inspire more people to adopt children.

''I'm adopted myself, so I know how important this is,'' said Ms. Wehmeier, who is in her early 30's. ''It's not that I wasn't wanted, but my parents understood that they couldn't care for me and they gave me up at birth. But I consider my adoptive parents my real parents, I love them so much. They live in the midwest and we talk every single week.''

Mr. Marantz said he hoped the Baby John Doe case would promote awareness of the safe haven law enacted last year. The law enables a mother to go to a hospital, deliver her child, get treatment and surrender custody to the hospital without being prosecuted.

''There should never be another baby abandoned on the street or in a Dumpster or anywhere for any reason, ever,'' he said.

April 4, 2001 - Man Accused in Cheerleader Voyeur Video Case - NY Times

2001-04-04T22:25:00.000-04:00

A former music teacher at the Greenwich Academy in Connecticut was charged in a 56-count indictment today with shooting voyeuristic videos of high school cheerleaders from across Long Island and posting close-ups of the girls on a pay-per-view Web site, the authorities said.

The former teacher, Kevin Matthew Dern, 29, surrendered this morning to the authorities in Suffolk County, the site of the server for his Internet site, cheervideos.com, which is now closed.
He was charged with 53 counts of violating the civil rights of the cheerleaders, all teenage girls, by zooming in on them to catch glimpses under their skirts or down their blouses, said Drew Biondo, a spokesman for James M. Catterson Jr., the Suffolk district attorney.

Mr. Dern was also charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Mr. Biondo said, for three close-up video images of the underwear of three identifiable teenage girls.
Mr. Catterson said this was the first time his office had used state civil rights law in this kind of Internet case; Mr. Dern faces more serious criminal charges in Connecticut.

The police in Greenwich, who searched his condominium at 36P Putnam Green for the Suffolk authorities on Feb. 7, seized two computers, videotapes and 9,000 pornographic pictures, said Deputy Chief James A. Walters of the Greenwich police.

Mr. Dern surrendered to the authorities in Greenwich on March 11 on 20 felony counts of possession of child pornography and could face up to five years in prison on each count if convicted, Mr. Walters said.

After the police in Greenwich searched his home, Mr. Dern resigned from his teaching job. Mr. Dern's lawyer, Philip Russell of Greenwich, said Mr. Dern had pleaded not guilty in Suffolk County and in Connecticut. Mr. Dern is free on bail in both cases.

04/01/01 GREENWICH'S OTHER MURDER

2001-04-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

GREENWICH'S OTHER MURDER - 1984 CASE REOPENED AMID SPOTLIGHT ON...
Boston Globe

GREENWICH, Conn. - Maryann Margolies has long accepted that the unsolved murder of her son can't compete for public attention with the fatal bludgeoning of fellow Greenwich teen Martha Moxley.

The killings were startlingly similar: Moxley was just 15 when she was found dead in the backyard of her family's estate in affluent Greenwich. Matthew Margolies was 13 when he was slain near his home in the Glenville neighborhood.......

March 13th 2001 - POLICE WERE TOLD IN '80 OF SKAKEL SLAY TALK - NY Daily News

2001-03-13T22:37:00.000-05:00

STAMFORD, Conn. - At least one person told Connecticut cops as far back as 1980 that Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel had implicated himself in the murder of teenage neighbor Martha Moxley, newly released court documents show.

Skakel's alleged statement was made more than 10 years before he became the prime suspect of investigators.

The nephew of Ethel Kennedy was charged with Martha's murder last year, 25 years after she was bludgeoned to death with a golf club in the tony Greenwich enclave of Belle Haven.

He allegedly told a fellow student at a school for troubled youths that he "might have committed the murder during [an alcoholic] blackout," according to an arrest warrant released yesterday along with hundreds of other documents in the case.

"That is something totally new to me," said Martha's brother, John. "Why didn't they question him back in 1980? I think that is a little troubling."

Martha, 15, was found dead outside her family's Belle Haven home. A broken golf club found near her body was traced to a set belonging to the Skakels.

The arrest warrant shows Connecticut investigators spoke to six students at the Maine school, Elan, that Skakel attended between 1978 and 1980. The other five students, who were interviewed in the 1990s, told accounts similar to the first student interviewed by cops in 1980. Two who said Skakel confessed testified last summer.

Greenwich police have been accused of mishandling the investigation from the start, with some critics charging they were intimidated by Skakel's wealth and Kennedy family ties.

"If in fact they had evidence to suggest that Michael Skakel was responsible, the earlier he would have been confronted with that, the better off we all would have been," said Skakel's lawyer, Mickey Sherman.

For years, Skakel's older brother, Thomas, was suspected of the murder because he was the last person seen with Martha. But in the early 1990s, attention shifted to Michael Skakel.
Skakel, 40, was initially charged as a juvenile when he was arrested last year because he was 15 when the slaying occurred. A judge ruled this year that he can be charged as an adult, which is why the court file was finally unsealed.

The file confirmed reports that Skakel allegedly pulled a knife on a family chauffeur in 1978 and had to be pulled off the railing of the Triborough Bridge.

On the way to his therapist, Skakel threatened driver Larry Zicarelli and jumped out of the car, the file said. Zicarelli told cops that Skakel yelled: "I've done something very bad. I'm in a lot of trouble. I've either got to kill myself or leave the country."

March 12, 2001 - Update On Greenwich's 1984 MURDER CASE

2001-03-12T22:22:00.000-05:00

Law enforcement officials have announced a renewed effort to solve the 1984 slaying of Matthew Margolies, a 13-year-old Greenwich boy who disappeared while he was fishing near his home. He was found five days later, stabbed and suffocated. Chief Peter J. Robbins of the Greenwich police said Thursday that his department was working with the state police ''cold case'' squad and that a former state police commissioner, Henry Lee, had agreed to help. Gov. John G. Rowland has increased a reward in the case to $50,000. David M. Herszenhorn

Mar 2, 2001 - Investigator Says Skakel Attempted Suicide in '78 - NY Times

2001-03-02T22:46:00.002-05:00

STAMFORD, Conn., March 12 ? In an affidavit last year seeking an arrest warrant for Michael C. Skakel in the 1975 killing of Martha Moxley, the state's lead investigator said he had obtained evidence that Mr. Skakel once tried to jump off the Triborough Bridge after saying "that he had done something very bad, and that he needed to get out of the country, and that he had to kill himself."

The affidavit, among 347 pages of court documents unsealed today in State Superior Court here, suggests that prosecutors in the murder trial will seek to portray Mr. Skakel as having been an increasingly unstable youth, a teenage alcoholic who became infatuated with the pretty girl next door, bludgeoned her to death with a golf club and was later consumed by guilt that prompted confessions and the suicide attempt.

The affidavit also makes clear how the lead investigator, Frank C. Garr, who was a patrolman staffing the switchboard for the Greenwich Police Department at the time of Miss Moxley's death, is now the linchpin in the state's case. Until Mr. Garr began reworking the case in the early 1990's, officials had not regarded Michael Skakel as a likely suspect but had focused on his older brother, Thomas, and on the Skakel family's live-in tutor, Kenneth W. Littleton.

Also among the papers released today was a defense motion, yet to be considered by a judge, to have the murder charge dismissed. In it, Mr. Skakel's lawyer, Michael Sherman, argues that in 1975 Connecticut had a five-year statute of limitations on felony charges, including murder, that were not potentially punishable by death. Mr. Skakel maintains his innocence.

The case files had been sealed after the January 2000 arrest of Mr. Skakel, who is now 40, because he was initially charged as a juvenile. Both Mr. Skakel, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, and Miss Moxley were 15 at the time of the killing. In January, a juvenile court judge ordered that he be tried as an adult, and the file was automatically unsealed today, 10 business days after his arraignment.

Amid the stack of mostly procedural documents, Mr. Garr's affidavit provided a dash of drama. Mr. Garr did not identify witnesses by name, but most of their identities were readily discernible to anyone familiar with the case. Among those he described was a "former employee" of the Skakel household who was involved in the incident on the Triborough Bridge in 1978.

The employee, a gardener and sometime driver named Larry Zicarelli, had driven Mr. Skakel to see his psychotherapist in New York City. According to Mr. Garr's affidavit, Mr. Skakel had been involved in "some sort of dispute" with his father, Rushton W. Skakel Sr. When the employee got into a car at the family's home in Greenwich, Conn., to take Michael Skakel to New York, Michael was holding a knife.

"He asked Michael, who was displaying a knife, why he was so upset, at which time Michael stated, `Shut up and drive, or I'll stab you,' " according to the affidavit. At one point, Mr. Skakel opened the door and told the driver "that he had done something very bad" and had to kill himself, Mr. Garr said in the affidavit.

Later, on the way home, Mr. Skakel jumped out on the Triborough Bridge. "Michael jumped out of the car and began to climb the bridge," Mr. Garr stated, recounting what he said the employee had told him. "He reported that he ran to Michael, picked him up and put him back in the car. Michael then exited the vehicle from the opposite side and again attempted to climb the bridge, stating that he was going to jump off."

The employee again put Mr. Skakel in the car and drove him back to Greenwich, the affidavit said.

Another witness in the affidavit described the teenage Mr. Skakel as a peeping Tom who tried to catch glimpses of naked women through their bedroom windows. The witness said Mr. Skakel had told him he had been sexually aroused on the night of Miss Moxley's murder and had masturbated in a tree before hearing a noise and running home. Miss Moxley's body was found under the tree the next morning.

A lawyer involved in the case identified this witness as Richard Hoffman, a writer who helped Mr. Skakel prepare a proposal for a tell-all book about the Kennedy family.

Several of the witnesses described in Mr. Garr's affidavit were former classmates of Mr. Skakel's at a school for troubled youths in Maine who testified at a juvenile court hearing last June. Their testimony ? that Mr. Skakel confessed to killing Miss Moxley ? led Judge Maureen D. Dennis to find that there was "reasonable cause" to believe he had committed the crime and to transfer the case to adult court.

Mr. Skakel's lawyer, Mr. Sherman, said today that he doubted the credibility of the state's witnesses and called the episode on the bridge "a skeleton of an incident that happened 23 years ago that had absolutely nothing to do with the murder of Martha Moxley." He added, "I know he did have a very difficult ride to New York to see his therapist with his driver."

Mr. Sherman also repeated a complaint he had made about the affidavit's referring to witnesses by numbers rather than names. "It gives them an undeserved air of credibility," he said.
A secretary in the Bridgeport state attorney's office, where Mr. Garr is an inspector, said he would not be in this week and could not be reached.

Jonathan Benedict, the state's attorney in Bridgeport, who is the lead prosecutor in the Skakel case, said he expected several of the witnesses mentioned in Mr. Garr's affidavit to reappear at a probable-cause hearing scheduled to begin April 18.

Although prosecutors called fewer than a half-dozen witnesses during the hearing last June, the numbering of witnesses ? up to 45 ? in the affidavit suggests there are dozens of people the state may seek to call during trial.

Some of those witnesses may never be heard by the eventual jury in the case. Mr. Sherman is certain to ask the judge to exclude evidence and testimony for many reasons. Mr. Benedict would not discuss specific witnesses or evidence, saying only that it was "all pertinent information that we would probably expect to develop at trial."

02/01/01 Judge Rules Skakel Will Stand Trial as an Adult

2001-02-01T21:52:00.001-05:00

Skakel was indicted in January 2000 after a lengthy inquiry by a one-man grand jury. The grand jury's decision relied heavily on testimony from several of Skakel's former classmates at a Maine school for troubled youth. At a subsequent hearing in June, the classmates repeated their testimony that Skakel confessed to the killing.

Under the law in effect in 1975, when Moxley was beaten to death, Skakel could have been tried as a juvenile. Connecticut juvenile facilities cannot accept anyone over age 18, so Skakel could have gone free regardless of the outcome of a juvenile trial.

Suspicion shifted toward the younger Skakel brother in part because of research by former Los Angeles police Det. Mark Furhman, who wrote a book on the Moxley murder.

December 17, 2000 - Greenwich Seed Traps

2000-12-17T20:12:00.000-05:00

On the Internet, Clues to Speed Traps

New York Times

....Mr. Warner sold the site to a group in Washington State a year ago, and the new company, Speedtrap.com Inc. has plans to link the warnings to other databases on drivers' safety.

The site opens with a disclaimer: ''This service is not intended to promote speeding and complies with all current state and federal laws.''

But it is decidedly anti-authority.

A search for Connecticut traps finds that in the last three months, 20 anonymous drivers have posted warnings about traps in the state.....

.....in November, someone posted warnings that the Greenwich Police Department cruisers often wait along Route 1, for example, across from Greenwich High School, the Cos Cob firehouse, and a Mobil gas station near exit 5 of I-95. The writer called the cars ''a threat when traveling both north and south,'' and added, ''All are well-hidden and very dangerous.''

Trooper Richard Alexandre, a spokesman for the Connecticut State Police, said the Internet warnings can't be very helpful because state police cars move radar traps daily.

''Our position would be that if it causes motorists to slow down on any given stretch of highway, based on the perception that there may be a police officer in the area,'' he said, ''we would consider that a good thing.''

November 6, 2000 - The victim described the thief as a white male, 35 to 40 years old with brown hair and mustache. He was wearing a dark jacket ....

2000-11-06T20:21:00.000-05:00

The victim described the thief as a white male, 35 to 40 years old with brown hair and mustache. He was wearing a dark jacket and a baseball cap. Anyone with information is asked to call the Greenwich Police Criminal Investigation Division at 203-622-8054 or Detective Timothy Powell .....

From: ROBBERY REPORTED AT GREENWICH ATM

Filed Under: Robbery

August 28, 2000 -- Boston Globe -- CAMPAIGNER GETS A SPEEDING TICKET IN CONN.

2000-08-28T20:39:00.001-04:00

Jack E. Robinson, the Republican Senate hopeful, was ticketed in Greenwich, Conn., Friday night for driving nearly twice the speed limit, police said.

Robinson will contest the ticket, campaign manager Tom McCuin said yesterday. The candidate is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Sept. 8.

Police stopped Robinson while he was driving about 62 miles per hour in a 2000 Cadillac DeVille on busy East Putnam Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Greenwich that has a speed limit of 35 miles per hour, Greenwich Police Sergeant Steve Carlo said. Robinson, 40, is challenging US Senator .......

Click for complete article

Filed Under: Speeding

Geo Tag: East Putnam Avenue

Aug 18, 2000 - In October of 1975, the respondent's home and the victim's home were located in the residential section of Greenwich .....

2000-08-18T20:47:00.000-04:00

In October of 1975, the respondent's home and the victim's home were located in the residential section of Greenwich, Connecticut known as Belle Haven, a "gated community" with few access roads, and its own special police under the supervision of the Greenwich Police Department....

From: Court TV Online - TRIALS

Filed Under: Murder

Jul 17, 2000 - Lt. Robert Brown, president of the Greenwich Police Department Silver Shield Association, which paid for the ad, said the ........

2000-07-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

FED UP, COPS TRY TO SHAME TONY TOWN

Daily News

Cops in Greenwich, Conn., are seeing red over sluggish negotiations to renew a contract that expired a year ago.

So this week, the police union decided to put the issues in black and white - hoping to embarrass officials in the tony town by placing sarcastic classified ads in several newspapers, including the Daily News.

"COMMUNITY WANTED: Police department seeking community willing to pay competitive salary, compensation for dedication, loyalty, personal sacrifices & proven results," states the ad, which was scheduled to run in today's News.

Lt. Robert Brown, president of the Greenwich Police Department Silver Shield Association, which paid for the ad, said the association's 154 members have been working without a contract for the past year and have not received a raise in two years.

First Selectman Lolly Prince, the top elected official in Greenwich, said the town is "ready, willing and able" to address the issues through negotiation.

"We will entertain any proposal that they agree to among themselves," Prince said of the union and town representatives who have been negotiating for almost two years.

"Negotiations haven't been going well, so we went to binding arbitration," Brown said. "We are still negotiating, but it doesn't appear that we are going to reach a happy medium via negotiation."

Brown said that in addition to 77 other issues, cops are asking for a less than 4% raise and relief from costly health insurance that hits retirees hardest in one of the most affluent towns in the country. The expired contract sets the starting salary for a patrol officer at $38,618, rising to a top pay of $48,709. Such salary levels, Brown said, are 17% below those of comparable police departments.

"We just had a major upheaval with every union member that has retired, the town is self-insured . . . and they just raised the insurance, some from $200 to $900," Brown said. "In another incident, a fireman's widow was getting half of his pension and they raised the insurance rates and now she has to pay the town instead of receiving a paycheck."

Prince declined to discuss details of the contract, but she is expected to address the insurance issue during a meeting with police officers and other union members at Greenwich High School tomorrow night.

In her keynote speech during a luncheon for the local Chamber of Commerce in April, Prince boasted about the "healthy finance status" of the town, a median home price of $880,000 and a per capita income of $67,041.

"Right now, a lot of our young police officers that are getting married cannot even afford to rent an apartment because of the rates," Brown said. "It's a very affluent community."

Jul 10, 2000 - Greenwich police said they were called to a construction site off Shore Road in the Old Greenwich section about 1 pm Saturday ......

2000-07-10T20:05:00.000-04:00

Greenwich police said they were called to a construction site off Shore Road in the Old Greenwich section about 1 pm Saturday after contractors turned up the bones. They were assisted by the state police western district major crimes unit. The remains are believed to be several ...

From EXCAVATORS FIND HUMAN BONES

Jun 21, 2000 - Mr. Benedict's second witness was Thomas G. Keegan, the former chief of the Greenwich Police Department, who described how .......

2000-06-21T21:10:00.005-04:00

2 Witnesses Say Skakel Confessed to 1975 Killing

On the first day of public testimony about the 1975 killing of 15-year-old Martha Moxley in Greenwich, two witnesses told a judge here today that Michael C. Skakel, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, confessed to the killing in the late 1970's while he was attending a school for troubled youths in Maine.

The witnesses were both former classmates of Mr. Skakel's at the Elan School in Poland Spring, Me. One of them, John D. Higgins, described a confused and tearful admission in which Mr. Skakel said he had only fragmented memories of the crime. The other witness, Gregory Coleman, said Mr. Skakel brazenly told him: ''I am going to get away with murder. I am a Kennedy.''

Mr. Skakel, now 39, is charged with murder as a juvenile because he was 15 at the time Miss Moxley, a neighbor, was found bludgeoned to death under a tree in her family's yard. Today's testimony came on the first day of a ''reasonable cause'' hearing in which Judge Maureen Dennis will decide whether Mr. Skakel should face a jury trial as an adult.

It will be a crucial determination. If convicted in State Superior Court as an adult, Mr. Skakel would face a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. If convicted as a juvenile, he could spend little or no time in jail.

The stress of the day showed. As Mr. Skakel left the courtroom for the lunch recess, he broke down in sobs.

Nevertheless, just before the recess, Mr. Skakel's lawyer, Michael Sherman, skillfully set about undermining the credibility of Mr. Higgins, the first witness to say he had heard Mr. Skakel confess. Under cross-examination, Mr. Higgins admitted that he had repeatedly lied to investigators and that his interest in the Moxley case had been renewed only after he learned of a large reward for information in the case.

Unlike a trial, today's proceeding lacked the dramatic opening statements from opposing lawyers eager to persuade a jury. Instead, the prosecutor, Jonathan C. Benedict, simply called his first witness, Sheila McGuire, a neighbor and friend of Miss Moxley's who discovered her body on Oct. 31, 1975. Then he introduced a Greenwich map as the first exhibit.

Still, there was the sense of a momentous event. After a quarter-century, the details of this sensational case, chronicled in numerous best-selling books of varied credibility, were finally being disclosed under oath in a court of law. Dorthy Moxley, Martha's mother, sat in the front row of the packed, tiny courtroom. Dozens of television crews lined the street outside.

Mr. Benedict's second witness was Thomas G. Keegan, the former chief of the Greenwich Police Department, who described how investigators searching the Moxley property found three pieces of a golf club that they determined to be the murder weapon. The club, a 6-iron, was later found to belong to a set owned by Rushton Skakel, the father of the defendant.

Under cross-examination, the former chief was quickly asked by Mr. Sherman about criticism of his department for ''botching'' the Moxley case. Mr. Keegan testified that golf clubs, according to reports of witnesses, were routinely left in the Skakel yard, but he immediately rejected the implication that someone had come along, picked up a club and killed the girl.

''The theory was that some transient came through the yard and bludgeoned the girl,'' he said. ''That doesn't hold water.'' The former chief testified that the handle of the golf club, which had the name Skakel on it, was never found. ''My conclusion is that the person who killed Martha was aware that name was on the club,'' he said.

But Mr. Sherman seemed to win a final point. ''In the course of your investigation, did you find any evidence that Michael Skakel killed Martha Moxley?'' he demanded. ''No, sir,'' the former chief replied.

The bulk of the day's testimony focused on the two former classmates from the Elan School who told Judge Dennis that they had heard the defendant confess.

Mr. Higgins said that he and Mr. Skakel had been working as ''night owls,'' making sure other students did not run away, and were sitting on the porch of a dormitory building when Mr. Skakel described his role in the killing. ''He related to me that he had been involved in the murder of someone or thought that he had been,'' Mr. Higgins testified. He said Mr. Skakel was ''sobbing, crying'' as he confessed.

Mr. Higgins testified that Mr. Skakel offered disjointed memories of the night of the killing, that he had been in his garage going through golf clubs, then was running through some woods, noticed a pine tree and then blacked out, only to wake up in his bed the next morning. ''He eventually said that he, in fact, did it,'' Mr. Higgins testified.

Mr. Sherman quickly attacked Mr. Higgins's credibility, forcing him to admit that he had lied repeatedly to Frank Garr, a lead investigator on the case. Mr. Higgins admitted telling Mr. Garr numerous times that he had never heard Mr. Skakel confess, and that he contacted Mr. Garr again only after learning that a $50,000 reward had been offered in the case.

At one point, Mr. Higgins became so frustrated with the questioning that he slammed shut a binder. At another point, Mr. Sherman goaded Mr. Higgins, questioning the veracity of one of his responses by twice asking him, ''Is that your final answer?''

In afternoon testimony, Mr. Coleman, the other former student at Elan, said Mr. Skakel recounted to him that he had made sexual advances to Miss Moxley, and that when she rebuffed him, he ''drove her head with a golf club.'' Mr. Coleman, a convicted felon, was brought to testify from prison in the Rochester area.

Outside the courtroom, Mr. Sherman said that Mr. Skakel had broken down with emotion after hearing his former classmates lie about him on the witness stand.

But John Moxley, Martha's brother, said he believed the witnesses. ''I think he knows what's coming,'' he said of Mr. Skakel. ''They weren't tears of joy. I think reality is starting to tumble down around him.''

Jun 20, 2000 - Other likely witnesses are members of the Greenwich Police Department, which investigated Moxley's death, and a neighborhood girl ....

2000-06-20T21:22:00.000-04:00

Other likely witnesses are members of the Greenwich Police Department, which investigated Moxley's death, and a neighborhood girl who discovered ...

One person who will not be testifying is former Greenwich police detective Steve Carroll, who has been critical in recent years of the ...

From: Kennedy kin's "mini-trial" opens in Connecticut

Filed Under: Murder

Jun 4, 2000 - Finally, at 3:45am, Moxley called the Greenwich police. They searched the Moxley house and neighborhood but found no trace of Martha

2000-06-04T19:41:00.001-04:00

At around 10 o'clock on the morning of October 31, when Martha still hadn't returned, Moxley walked over to the Skakels' to see what she could find ...

WAITING FOR JUSTICE DORTHY MOXLEY'S TEENAGE DAUGHTER WAS BRUTALLY KILLED 25 YEARS AGO.

NOW THAT AN ARREST HAS BEEN MADE, SHE'S HOPING THE UNCERTAINTY WILL END AT LAST.

Boston Globe

......."I just can't believe it's finally happening," says Dorthy Moxley. "After so many years, I just can't believe it." Moxley sits in her Chatham, New Jersey, living room, facing a portrait of her two children. It's where she settles to talk on the phone and spend time with visitors. In the painting, Martha and John Moxley sit in front of a sofa with their cat and dog, looking as blond and....

Click for complete article

Filed Under: Murder

May 26, 2000 - Rosie's armed bodyguard: Staunch anti-gun comedienne admits need for protection

2000-05-26T19:26:00.000-04:00

The bodyguard of actress, comedienne and staunch gun-control advocate Rosie O'Donnell has applied for a concealed gun permit, possibly to allow him to carry a gun when accompanying one of her children to public school later this year.

According to a report in The Advocate, police officials in Greenwich said they had not yet decided whether to issue the permit. But O'Donnell, interviewed by the newspaper, said the action was necessary because of threats made to her.

"The application, which is pending with the Greenwich Police Department, led to a rumor that the purpose of the permit would be to allow the bodyguard to legally carry a gun when accompanying O'Donnell's son to public school in September," the paper said.

O'Donnell told reporters that the bodyguard is seeking the permit at the behest of the security firm that employs him, not because she asked him to get one. She identified the firm as Kroll, and said the bodyguard is arranged by Warner Brothers on her behalf. Warner Brothers produces her television show, "Rosie O'Donnell"

She said the guard is currently unarmed, though trained in self-defense techniques, and that there was never any intention that he would carry a weapon to school -- a statement confirmed by Greenwich Superintendent of Schools Roger Lulow.

However, O'Donnell added that because of threats, she and her family -- including 4-year-old Parker who will be attending school next fall -- need protection, which she attributes ironically to her tough gun-control rhetoric.

"O'Donnell expressed concern that publicity about her son's attendance at a local school -- coupled with the information that the guard would be unarmed -- could make him vulnerable to harm," the paper said. No one is naming the school or O'Donnell's neighborhood because of the potential security issues.

And, Superintendent Lulow did confirm that the school's principal had been approached about whether an armed guard for Parker would be welcome at the school when he enters kindergarten in September.

"There was a request for information made to me that asked whether we allow security guards who carry weapons on school grounds," Lulow said.

Lulow said he initially did not know the answer to that question, but after researching state statutes, he found he was empowered to grant the request under special circumstances.

"But before going any further, the principal asked if we should check to see if the bodyguard is going to be armed, and we found out he won't be armed -- so it's academic," Lulow said.

The rumor spread nevertheless, causing angst among some local parents.

Meanwhile, Greenwich Police Chief Peter Robbins confirmed that O'Donnell's bodyguard, who he would not identify, had indeed applied to his department for a permit that would allow him to carry a concealed weapon.

"The facts are, (O'Donnell's) bodyguard has made an application for a carry permit," Robbins said. "It's under review, and I haven't yet granted a permit for this applicant."

The paper said O'Donnell's spokesman confirmed that O'Donnell was worried about potential threats -- which she did not name -- to her children.

Furthermore, O'Donnell herself justified her bodyguard being armed, though she remains a staunch gun control advocate.

"I don't personally own a gun," she said, "but if you are qualified, licensed and registered, I have no problem."

O'Donnell is a single mother with three adopted children: Parker, 4, Chelsea, 3, and Blake, who turns 1 this month.

Last year, after berating actor Tom Selleck on her TV show over his appearances in National Rifle Association-sponsored commercials and promotions, critics began to point to O'Donnell's association as pitchwoman for the K-Mart retail chain and its large retail gun-sales division.

The criticism led to the end of her relationship with K-Mart, which she said was her idea.

"It's only fair to K-mart that I stop doing commercials," she told reporters at the time.

However, the New York Daily News said sources within K-Mart told reporters that O'Donnell was fired by K-Mart executives because of all the negative publicity her vociferous anti-gun rhetoric was bringing on the company, a claim both O'Donnell and K-Mart denied publicly.

Transcript of Tom Selleck
& Rosie O'Donnell's NRA Discussion

Rosie: We're here with Tom Selleck who's a member of the NRA. Three months ago you joined the NRA.
*
Tom: I did. I actually joined to do an ad. Because, I've done a lot of consensus work for like the last 7 to 8 years and what disturbs me and I think disturbs a lot of Americans is the whole idea of politics now-a-days which seems to be, 'if you disagree with me, you must be evil' as opposed to 'if you disagree with me, you must be stupid'. That's very American.
*
You know, the demonizing of a group like the NRA is very disturbing. And that coupled with the idea that the government is getting into the idea of suing. We did it for noble reasons with tobacco. I think it was a mistake. Then they moved to gun makers, now they're suing television shows. Oliver Stone there's a suit on his movie.
*
I think the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, and all of the Bill of Rights are extremely important. And somebody needs to stand up at times where... maybe some of our politicians are demagogue-ing issues. Reasonable people should disagree in this country; we should celebrate that, not consider it a threat.
*
Rosie: Right, but I think that the reason that people are so extreme against the NRA is because the NRA has such a militant strength, especially a power in Washington to veto or to stronghold any sensible gun law. They have been against every sensible gun law, until yesterday, including trigger locks, so that children, which there are 500 a year that die, don't get killed.
*
Tom: I'm not a spokesman for the NRA. In fact, all I can tell you is, I was a member when I was kid. I was a junior NRA member. I learned firearm safety. And from what I can see in the last three months, they don't do a lot of the stuff that you assume that they do.
*
Rosie: I don't assume.
*
Tom: They are for trigger locks. The NRA is for a lot of things as long as they're voluntary.
*
Rosie: They're against the registering of guns. We have to register cars. Why shouldn't we register guns so that when a crime is committed we can trace who has owned it?
*
Tom: You know, I understand how you feel. This is a really contentious issue. Probably as contentious, and potentially as troubling as the abortion issue in this country. All I can tell you is, rushes to pass legislation at a time of national crisis or mourning, I don't really think are proper. And more importantly, nothing in any of this legislation would have done anything to prevent that awful tragedy in Littleton.
*
What I see in the work I've done with kids is, is troubling direction in our culture. And where I see consensus, which is I think we ought to concentrate on in our culture is... look... nobody argues anymore whether they're Conservatives or Liberal whether our society is going in the wrong direction. They may argue trying to quantify how far it's gone wrong or why it's gone that far wrong, whether it's guns, or television, or the Internet, or whatever. But there's consensus saying that something's happened.

Guns were much more accessible 40 years ago. A kid could walk into a pawn shop or a hardware store and buy a high capacity magazine weapon that could kill a lot of people and they didn't do it.
*
The question we should be asking is... look... suicide is a tragedy. And it's a horrible thing. But 30 or 40 years ago, particularly men, and even young men, when they were suicidal, they went, and unfortunately, blew their brains out. In today's world, someone who is suicidal sits home, nurses their grievance, develops a rage, and is just a suicidal but they take 20 people with them. There's something changed in our culture. That's not a simple...
*
Rosie: But you can't say that guns don't bear a responsibility. If the makers of the TEC-9 assault rifle... Why wouldn't the NRA be against assault rifles? This is a gun that can shoot five bullets in a second. This is the gun that those boys brought into the school. Why the NRA wouldn't say as a matter of compromise, 'we agree, assault weapons are not good'?
*
Tom: I'm not... I can't speak for the NRA.
*
Rosie: But you're their spokesperson Tom, so you have to be responsible for what they say.
*
Tom: But I'm not a spokesperson. I'm not a spokesperson for the NRA.
*
Rosie: But if you put your name out and say, 'I, Tom Selleck...
*
Tom: Don't put words in my mouth. I'm not a spokesperson. Remember how calm you said you'd be? Now you're questioning my humanity.
*
Rosie: No, not your humanity. I think you're a very humane man. I'm saying that if you...
*
Tom: Let's just say that I disagree with you but I think you're being stupid.
*
Rosie: But you can't say that I will not take responsibility for anything the NRA represents if you're saying that you're going to do an ad for the NRA.
*
Tom: Really?
*
Rosie: You can't say that. Do you think you can?
*
Tom: Look... you're carefully skirting the issue. It's an act of moral vanity, Rosie, to assume that someone who disagrees with your political agenda to solve our problems, cares any less or is any less shocked...
*
Rosie: I never said you cared less.
*
Tom: Well, let me finish...
*
Rosie: Tom, I don't think you cared less. Nor do I think the men in the NRA cared less.
*
Tom: The women too.
*
Rosie: And the women. I simply said, why can there not be a compromise on the issue...
*
Tom: There IS a compromise! There's a compromise in enforcing laws. There's a compromise with not allowing kids with guns in school. The problem is, and what you don't seem to realize... you seem to have some sort of... look, we all hang out with people we agree with. And you have a one very one-sided view of the fact of what you don't understand...
*
Rosie: As does the NRA and the people you hang out with at the NRA have a one-sided view as well.
*
Tom: I don't hang out with people of the NRA...
*
Rosie: OK, well, you're saying that I hang out with people with my views. I'm just saying...
*
Tom: I said people tend to...
*
Rosie: We all tend to. The NRA does and the un-NRA does.
*
Tom: You know, this is a nice one-sided conversation but you keep interrupting me. Remember how civil you said we were going to be?
*
Rosie: I let you talk for four minutes without saying one thing! I did. I didn't say one thing! I simply asked a question on what their philosophies are. And you don't want to...

Tom: I told you... look, when do you want to get to television and violence...
*
Rosie: I agree! I agree.
*
Tom: ...and game shows...
*
Rosie: Game shows?
*
Tom: ...and how do you reconcile...
*
Rosie: You mean video games? I agree!
*
Tom: Please let me finish! Let me say just one thing. What you're really talking about... at least what I'm talking about... is are we a responsible enough society, in terms of television, in terms of guns, in terms of everything else, to be this free? That should frame the debate. My answer unfortunately, in this culture, is 'probably not'. But I'm going to down with the Civil Liberties ship, and all the Bill of Rights, and apply them equally. That's the way I feel. You can ask me specific questions about anything, but it's simply stupid political rhetoric.
*
Rosie: Well, it's not stupid political rhetoric. We also have freedom of speech, but you're not allowed to scream 'fire' in a crowded movie theater because it threatens the safety of other people.
*
Tom: I understand.
*
Rosie: Assault weapons threaten the safety of other people. There's no reason, in my opinion, to have them. You want to have a hunting rifle? Great! You want to have a handgun?
*
Tom: Do you really think the Second Amendment to the Constitution to guarantee hunting and target shooting? Do you really think that's what the Founding Fathers meant?
*
Rosie: I think the Second Amendment is in the Constitution so that we can have muskets when the British people come over in 1800. I don't think it's in the Constitution to have assault weapons in the year 2000. But I'm wrong? I guess...
*
Tom: (nods his head)
*
Rosie: You know, this is the problem. Here's what happens. The people with opposing views, there is no compromise because, you feel attacked, I feel attacked. You feel less understood...
*
Tom: I haven't attacked you. I've disagreed with you.
*
Rosie: And I've disagreed with you as well. But mine comes in the form of attacking because...
*
Tom: I haven't mentioned assault weapons once. I haven't mentioned a lot of things once. The nature of this debate... I didn't come on your show to have a debate. I came on your show to plug a movie. That's what's I'm doing here.
*
Rosie: And that's what we did.
*
Tom: If you think it's proper to have a debate about the NRA, I'm trying to be fair with you.
*
Rosie: As I am trying to...
*
Tom: But this is absurd. You're calling me a spokesman for the NRA.
*
Rosie: Tom, if you are a celebrity and you're doing an ad that says, 'I am the NRA', then what should have been...
*
Tom: Have you read the ads?
*
Rosie: I have read the ads.
*
Tom: Good.
*
Rosie: Did you read the ads?
*
Tom: I said them. I read them when I say them.
*
Rosie: Well, I do too. Well, this is not supposed to be a personal...
*
Tom: Well it's certainly very entertaining, look at the audience, they're just laughing and having a great old time.
*
Rosie: Well it's a serious subject. I don't think it's a lot to laugh about.
*
Tom: Well, that's fine.
*
Rosie: All right, well, this has not gone the way I had hoped it had gone. But, I would like to thank you for appearing anyway, knowing that we have differing views. I was happy that you decided to come on the show. And if you feel insulted by my questions, I apologize, because it was not a personal attack. I was meant to bring up the subject as it is in the consciousness of so many today. That was my intent. And if it was wrong, I apologize to you, on a personal level.
*
Tom: It's your show and you can talk about it after I leave too.
*
Rosie: Well, I thought I would give you an opportunity to discuss your side of it. Which is what I hope that I did. And if I was wrong I'm sorry. (Tom looks away from Rosie) Well, obviously, it didn't do much good.

Apr 27, 2000 Horrified onlookers Watch Greenwich Man Kill Himself

2000-04-27T19:20:00.000-04:00

The man who plunged to his death Tuesday from a nine-story parking garage was Robert Mulford, 39, of Greenwich, police said Wednesday. Mulford died almost instantly of massive injuries from his fall at Washington Street and Columbus Boulevard.

Filed Under: Suicide

Mar 22, 2000 - Greenwich police mucked up the crime scene. They hadn't investigated a murder in 45 years and never got a warrant to search the house

2000-02-22T19:12:00.000-05:00

Although Dominick Dunne may be the world's foremost chronicler of the rich and famous, he hardly avoids the seamier side of life in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, Newport, Palm Beach and other fashionable locales he knows like the proverbial back of his hand.

Crime in high places is his specialty, and much of Mr. Dunne's fiction has a common theme: rich people, aided by expensive defense lawyers, getting away with murder. A subject that gnaws at him, it has been his crusade ever since the killer ex-boyfriend of his 22-year-old daughter, Dominique, was released after serving 2 1/2 years of a 6 1/2-year year manslaughter sentence.

From: Dunne uses printed word to see justice done.

Filed Under: Murder

February 7, 2000 -- NYT -- Moxley Murder Case Is a Circumstantial Challenge for Prosecutors

2000-02-07T18:59:00.000-05:00

It took a quarter-century for the police to make an arrest in the killing of Martha Moxley, the 15-year-old Greenwich girl bludgeoned to death with a golf club on the evening of Oct. 30, 1975.

But as lawyers prepare for a Tuesday hearing for Michael Skakel, arrested at age 39 in a murder prosecutors say he committed as a 15-year-old, the question is whether those 25 years produced enough evidence for a conviction.

There is no guarantee that the case will ever be tried before a jury; Mr. Skakel has been charged as a juvenile, and a judge must decide whether he should be tried as an adult.

But if State's Attorney Jonathan C. Benedict succeeds in getting the trial moved to State Superior Court, he will depend on a mix of physical and circumstantial evidence and incriminating statements -- including some physical evidence not yet publicly revealed.

The evidence includes:

*Two sections of a bloodied 6-iron golf club, part of a set owned by the Skakel family, that the killer used to beat and later stab Miss Moxley to death. One segment of the club, the handle, was never found.

*Sworn testimony from former neighbors and acquaintances of Mr. Skakel. Several former classmates from a school for troubled youths that Mr. Skakel attended more than 20 years ago have told a Connecticut grand jury that they heard Mr. Skakel confess to killing Miss Moxley. Neighbors of Mr. Skakel testified that he told them he had had a sexual relationship with Miss Moxley before her death, according to a retired Greenwich detective.

*A confidential report from 1995 in which Mr. Skakel and his brother Thomas, himself a former suspect in the murder, significantly changed the accounts they gave to Greenwich detectives in 1975 about where they were when the killing is thought to have occurred.

*Nine hours of audiotapes subpoenaed from a writer who helped Michael Skakel create a 38-page memoir over the last few years in which he professes romantic feelings for Miss Moxley, according to people who have read a transcript of the tapes.

Mr. Benedict also has physical evidence that is not yet known to the public. In a recent interview, Henry Lee, director of the Connecticut State Police and an authority on forensic crime investigations, said he had ''some forensic evidence'' from the crime, though he provided no details.

And late last month, a person in law enforcement with detailed knowledge of the investigation said prosecutors have other physical evidence against Mr. Skakel.

The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the undisclosed evidence was not DNA, and on its own would probably not be enough to convict Mr. Skakel.

Though much of the prosecution's case is circumstantial, some trial lawyers say it combines physical evidence tying Mr. Skakel to the crime; a motive, jealousy; and a changed alibi that undercuts Mr. Skakel's credibility.

Mr. Skakel, who now lives in Florida with his wife, child and father, has consistently maintained his innocence and has declined to discuss the case.

Interviews with legal experts drew a wide range of views about the evidence.

''I don't think they can prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt; they don't ha,ve the evidence,'' said Alan M. Dershowitz, a law professor at Harvard University and a well-known defense lawyer.

But Elliot Peters, a former federal prosecutor in New York, noting the origin of the 6-iron used to bludgeon Miss Moxley, disagreed.

''Whoever killed this girl was in this guy's house or backyard,'' Mr. Peters said in a recent interview. The fact that the murder occurred in Belle Haven, an exclusive and private neighborhood in Greenwich where the Moxleys and Skakels lived, ''limits the universe of people who could have done it to a very small number.''

The blood-flecked golf club -- which the police believe was deliberately broken into three segments by the killer, who used one piece to repeatedly stab Miss Moxley -- is perhaps the most concrete but not the most powerful evidence in Mr. Benedict's arsenal, legal experts said.

With no fingerprints or other definitive forensic evidence, experts said, the two fragments are not sufficient to incriminate Mr. Skakel or the two other men who have also been viewed as suspects -- Thomas Skakel, now 41, and Kenneth Littleton, who arrived in the Skakel household as a 23-year-old live-in tutor the day Miss Moxley was killed.

The most incriminating evidence Mr. Benedict is expected to bring against Michael Skakel, aside from any new physical evidence, is the sworn testimony from Mr. Skakel's former classmates, according to several lawyers familiar with the case. Those statements, given to a grand jury convened 20 months ago, contend that Mr. Skakel confessed to killing Miss Moxley, said people who have spoken to these classmates.

Mr. Skakel, who attended a school for youths with alcohol and behavioral problems from 1978 to 1980, has denied ever confessing.

Other sworn statements from former neighbors describe a romantic link between Mr. Skakel and Miss Moxley, said Stephen X. Carroll, a retired Greenwich detective who investigated the Moxley murder.

Using grand jury testimony and accounts from friends that Miss Moxley had often flirted with Mr. Skakel's brother Thomas, prosecutors may try to prove that Michael Skakel killed her in a jealous rage, legal scholars said.

Investigators say they have little doubt that Miss Moxley knew her killer. Still, many defense lawyers said a case based largely on circumstantial evidence would not be strong enough to win a conviction, especially after so much time has passed. ''It seems to fall short of a precise pinpointing of who did it and how it was done,'' Mr. Dershowitz said.

Other lawyers, particularly experienced prosecutors, described the case against Mr. Skakel as difficult but winnable.

''Cases based on circumstantial evidence can be as powerful as cases based on physical evidence,'' said Joan McPhee, a former federal prosecutor in New York who is now in private practice in Providence, R.I. ''The strength of the case turns on how many interlocking pieces of evidence the prosecutor has.''

If the case goes before a jury, the job of Mickey Sherman, Mr. Skakel's lawyer, will be to hammer away at the details prosecutors are said not to know about the murder. He would be expected, for instance, to focus on uncertainties about the precise time of death, which the Greenwich police estimated to be 10 p.m. (others have put it at an hour or more later), and on the lack of witnesses who could place Mr. Skakel at the murder scene at that time.

In his original statement to the police in 1975, Mr. Skakel said he was at the nearby home of his cousin James C. Terrien at 10 that evening, watching television with his brothers Rushton Jr. and John and with Mr. Terrien. Mr. Terrien's sister Georgeann corroborated this account. Mr. Skakel went on to say that he arrived home after 11 p.m. and went to bed, though an edited copy of the Greenwich police file on the murder shows that no witnesses substantiated that portion of his account.

But a 1995 report by investigators hired by Mr. Skakel's father, portions of which were obtained by The New York Times, reveals that Mr. Skakel, at age 35, changed his account.

After returning home, according to the 1995 report, he sneaked out of his bedroom window around 11:30 p.m. and walked to the Moxley home, where he climbed a tree and tossed pebbles at Miss Moxley's window. When she did not respond, Mr. Skakel said, he masturbated in the tree and began to walk home. As he approached the area where Miss Moxley's body was later discovered, he told investigators, he heard a noise, threw something in its direction and ran home.

James C. Terrien, the former Los Angeles police detective who wrote a book about the Moxley murder suggesting that Mr. Skakel was the killer, called the revised story ''a well-crafted attempt to account for everything'' prosecutors might have found at the murder scene, including his hair and semen, and to explain his presence if any witnesses had seen him running from the scene. Mr. Fuhrman said he believed that the murder occurred closer to 11:30 p.m.

But if prosecutors want to link Mr. Skakel to Miss Moxley's death, Mr. Sherman said, ''it's incumbent on them to change the time of death. For many years the state has known that he has a very solid alibi for where he was at the time of the murder.''

Miss Moxley's autopsy, conducted a day after her body was found, estimated the time of death to be between 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 30, 1975, and 5 the next morning. Beyond the fuzzy timing of Miss Moxley's killing, Mr. Sherman would be likely to challenge the use of depositions from Mr. Skakel's former classmates as inadmissible, said Dante Gallucci, a criminal defense lawyer in Fairfield.

''Without those admissions, their case gets a hell of a lot weaker,'' Mr. Gallucci said. ''They're almost back to 1975 and they got nothing.'' The fact that nearly 25 years have passed since the murder would probably also help Mr. Sherman create reasonable doubt in a juror's mind, Mr. Gallucci said.

The absence of physical evidence has hounded the Moxley investigators from the beginning. For many years, Michael Skakel was not considered a suspect.

Suspicions fell first on his brother Thomas and then on Mr. Littleton. Thomas, the last person seen with Miss Moxley, originally told the police that he had left her at 9:30 p.m. the night of the murder and had returned home to write a school paper on Abraham Lincoln. The police, however, could not find any teacher who had assigned him such work.

In the 1995 investigative report commissioned by his father, Thomas Skakel also changed his story about his movements that night, saying he had left Miss Moxley about 9:50 p.m., not 9:30 p.m., after the teenagers had masturbated together near the area where her body was later found.

The revised account would have put Thomas, 17 at the time, in Miss Moxley's company only about 10 minutes before the time the police estimate she was killed. It would also account for any semen samples Dr. Lee, the state's forensic investigator, might have found when he reconstructed the killing in 1991.

Thomas Skakel's attorney, Emanuel Margolis, said his client was no longer a suspect.

The only other suspect investigated by the police was the Skakels' former tutor, Mr. Littleton, an athletic man who, some say, was the only person near the crime scene physically able to have beaten Miss Moxley so forcefully. Questioned continually over the years, Mr. Littleton has struggled with drug and emotional problems since 1975 and in 1976 was found to be untruthful on major questions about the murder in polygraph tests, according to the police file on the Moxley case. He was granted immunity in exchange for his grand jury deposition in 1998 and is no longer a suspect, investigators say.

A friend of Michael Skakel's, someone who has heard Mr. Skakel discuss the events of Oct. 30, 1975, time and again, said he was innocent.

''They have the wrong person,'' said the friend, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

''He didn't do it. If he had done something like this,'' the friend went on, describing Mr. Skakel as garrulous to a fault, ''he'd talk about it. He couldn't help himself.''

Filed Under: Murder

Jan 20, 2000

2000-01-20T18:34:00.003-05:00

Jan 20, 2000- Michael Skakel, under suspicion from the start in the killing of 15-year-old Martha Moxley, turned himself in Wednesday after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. Because Skakel was 15 at the time of the slaying on Halloween eve 1975, the case is initially being prosecuted as a juvenile crime. He was released on $500,000 bond.

The Moxley case has been the subject of several books, including a best-selling novel, "A Season in Purgatory," by Dominick Dunne, that became a TV movie. Dunne brought the case to the attention of former Los Angeles Police Det. Mark Fuhrman, whom he met while covering the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Fuhrman--plagued by accusations of racism as the lead investigator in the Simpson case--wrote his own book, "Murder in Greenwich," about the Moxley case. Fuhrman posited that Skakel killed Moxley in a jealous rage after seeing his older brother kiss her.

Sharply critical of the initial investigation by Greenwich police, Fuhrman provided the grand jury with evidence of a 1998 book proposal by Skakel to be called "Dead Man Talking" that reportedly made an incriminating reference to the Moxley killing. Skakel also discussed aspects of the crime in therapy sessions in the 1970s at an alcohol rehabilitation center in Maine, according to prosecutors.

Source: Kennedy Kin Surrenders in '75 Killing of Neighbor;... - Related web pages

Filed Under: Murder