State Police Prepare for Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic Enforcement

As Connecticut residents prepare for the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Connecticut State Police has also implemented plans to enhance public safety, enforcement and visibility on all of the highways and roads in Connecticut.

Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) is an intricate part of the highway safety plan.

The Connecticut State Police will supplement its normal routine patrol personnel with additional Troopers over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Troopers will patrol all roads and highways across Connecticut and will focus on drunk drivers while targeting aggressive and unsafe drivers.

Thanksgiving Eve and Day are, without a doubt, the busiest traffic days of the year. Motorists need to remember: Don’t follow too close, slow down, stay off your cell phone and if you drink, then don’t drive.

Troopers will set up sobriety checkpoints and roving DUI patrols to target DUI problem areas across the state throughout the entire weekend. State Troopers are committed to reducing crashes through preventive enforcement initiatives such as safety spot checks at sobriety checkpoints.

Troopers will also be looking for violators who cause accidents on Connecticut roads and highways. Every effort to reduce accidents is being taken but Connecticut residents are urged to be a part of the public safety solution. 

Residents should remind all young people, especially college students returning home this semester, of the rules regarding alcohol consumption and drinking and driving. Uniformed Troopers will use non-traditional patrol cars to observe traffic and issue tickets to reckless, distracted drivers. 

A reminder to all drivers: anyone who is consuming alcohol should never get behind the wheel. If you see a suspected drunk driver, call 911 as this is a true emergency. 

Colonel Danny R. Stebbins, commander of the Connecticut State Police noted, “Your State Troopers will work very hard to keep the state’s roads and highways safe. Help us reduce accidents by driving with extra caution this Thanksgiving holiday. As we do our part through enforcement, please do your part by driving safely. At this busy time of year, we urge all parents to take the time and talk to their young adults about the dangers of underage drinking."

2012 Thanksgiving Weekend Stats:

SPEEDING ARRESTS: 1,611
SEATBELT ARRESTS:  85 
OTHER HAZARDOUS MOVING VIOLATION ARRESTS:  3,041
(including unsafe lane change, following too close, cell phone usage, failure to signal, etc.)
DUI ARRESTS:  62
ACCIDENTS Investigated:  410     With Injury:  59     Fatalities: 3     

Total Calls For State Police Service: 10,469

2013 Thanksgiving Weekend DUI Roving Patrols & Sobriety Checkpoints:

http://www.ct.gov/despp/lib/despp/public_information_files/thanksgiving2013checkpoints.pdf


* 12-2-13 Update: 

2013 Thanksgiving Weekend Stats:

SPEEDING ARRESTS:  1,134

SEATBELT ARRESTS: 170

OTHER HAZARDOUS MOVING VIOLATIONS ARRESTS:  2,548

(including unsafe lane change, following too close, cell phone usage, failure to signal, etc.)

DUI ARRESTS:  43

ACCIDENTS Investigated:  562    With Injury: 92      Fatalities: 1

Total Calls for Service:  10,426

Connecticut State Troopers supplemented the normal patrol force with additional State Troopers over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

Troopers patrolled all roads and highways across Connecticut and focused on drunk driving violations and targeted aggressive drivers.

                    

Sobriety checkpoints and targeted DUI patrols were in place over the entire weekend.

State Police will continue this preventive enforcement effort until the end of the Holiday season.  

These State Police stats cover the time period starting at midnight on 11/27/13 through midnight on 12/01/13.

Holiday enforcement operation continues through the end of this upcoming holiday season.

*Information provided by the State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection

Disorderly Conduct, Stalking, DUI, Operating Unregistered and Uninsured through 11-16-13

The East Haddam Police and the Connecticut State Police, Troop K in Colchester report the following incidents:

DISORDERLY CONDUCT AND STALKING - On Nov.10 at approximately 6:30 p.m., Jean Pires, 50, of Town Farm Road, East Haddam was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and 3rd-degree stalking. Pires was released on a $1,000 bond and scheduled to appear at Middletown Superior Court on 11/12/13. No further details were available, and the case remains under investigation.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AND/OR DRUGS AND MAKING A RESTRICTED TURN - On Nov.10 at approximately 7:35 p.m., Robert Slack, 52, of Clearview Road, Moodus was reportedly involved in a one-car motor-vehicle accident. Slack was subsequently arrested and charged with DUI and making a restricted turn, and released to Colchester Fire Department personnel for medical treatment. He was released from custody on a $500 bond and given a court date of 12/4/13 at Middletown Superior Court.

OPERATING UNREGISTERED AND UNINSURED - On Nov.14, Susan White, 50, of Davison Road, Moodus and Amber McAuliffe, 42, of Flatbrook Road, East Hampton were involved in a two-car motor-vehicle accident in the area of Main Street and Route 66 in East Hampton. East Hampton Police issued McAuliffe a summons for operating an unregistered and uninsured motor-vehicle and she was scheduled to appear at Middletown Superior Court on 11/27/13. No injuries were reported.

FAILURE TO KEEP RIGHT ON A CURVE - On Nov.16 at approximately 7:31 a.m., Brett Saunders, 23, of North Street, Manchester was traveling southbound on Route 149 in the area of Grove Street in East Haddam, in a 1999 Toyota RAV-4. Police said that as Saunders attempted to negotiate a right-hand curve, his vehicle veered to the left and crossed over the double-yellow center line, entering the northbound lane. The vehicle then continued in a southeasterly direction, colliding with a section of metal-beam guardrails. No injuries were reported. Police issued Saunders an infraction for failure to keep right on a curve.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AND/OR DRUGS AND MAKING AN IMPROPER TURN - On Nov.16 at approximately 6:00 p.m., Colchester Police responded to a one-car motor-vehicle accident on Westchester Road (Route 149) in the area of Church Street in Colchester. A utility pole had been struck and the road was closed while CL&P crews worked to repair the damage. A subsequent investigation by police resulted in the arrest of the driver of the vehicle involved, 57-year-old David Carpentier of Mount Parnassus Road in East Haddam. Carpentier was charged with DUI and making an improper turn. He was processed at Troop K and later released on a $500 bond. Carpentier was scheduled to appear at Middletown Superior Court on 12/3/13.

An arrest or infraction does not indicate a conviction, and all individuals listed in these reports are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

If you would be interested in receiving future reports as they are posted, please send a request to TheNeighborhoodWatchReport@gmail.com

East Haddam Police Address Speeding Complaints...

The East Haddam Police & Resident Troopers Office would like to inform East Haddam residents about the number of complaints received by our office daily, about speed throughout town.

Officers constantly monitor different areas in town to address these speeding complaints and

look for other motor vehicle violations. Enforcement related to those issues is and will continue to be conducted on a regular basis.  

Although speeding complaints are received from all areas of town, our office has been 

experiencing a high volume of speeding complaints on Routes 82 and 149, especially in the East Haddam Village area, Boardman Road, North Moodus Road, Falls-Bashan Road and on the East Haddam-Colchester Turnpike. 

It is not uncommon for officers responding to complaints of speeding and other motor vehicle 

violations to find several of the violators to be those that live on that street or within the general 

vicinity. 

As you travel our roads throughout town, please take a minute to notice the posted 

speed limit and stop signs and ensure you obey these signs. 

Your local and State Police will work to ensure that our children are as safe as possible while traveling our roads to and from school. Please do your part by being alert, avoid driving distracted and be aware of the posted school bus stop signs, speed limit signs and buses stopped with flashing red lights, picking up or dropping off children. Strict enforcement action will be conducted around any violation involving children or a school bus. 

Thank you in advance for doing your part in making the roads in East Haddam as safe as possible.

*Photo above by Wendy Vincent for Patch.com

Police Ask Residents for Help with Town-wide Graffiti Issues

The East Haddam Police and Resident Troopers Office are asking for your help!  We need to enlist the help of all town residents to address the wide spread graffiti issue that continues to occur throughout our town. 

Over the past year, several areas of town including the schools, skateboard park and commercial buildings have been spray painted with graffiti.

Additionally, there have been dozens of stop signs and other street signs painted. To date, this has cost the town and taxpayers thousands of dollars in repairs and labor to remove the graffiti. 

We are asking that any resident having information related to the graffiti please contact the police at 860-873-1226. You can also remain anonymous and provide information by using our confidential Crime Tip Line by calling 860-873-5013. 

Please help to keep our town the safe and beautiful community that it has always been!

Woman Assaulted at East Haddam Grange Hall During Moodus Fife and Drum Muster

35-year-old Dale Kukucka of Andover has been charged with criminal attempt to commit sexual assault, strangulation, unlawful restraint and assault.  (Photo courtesy WFSB-Channel 3)

From the WFSB-Channel 3 Eyewitness Newsroom...

By Steven Yablonski, Managing Editor, Joseph Wenzel IV, News Editor and Karen Lee, Reporting :

A seventh-grade teacher in Bloomfield appeared in court Friday after he was arrested on sexual assault charges.

Connecticut State Police said Dale Kukucka, 35, a science teacher at the Carmen Arace Middle School, was brought into custody as a result of an investigation into an incident that took place on Oct. 20 in East Haddam.

According to court documents, Kukucka attacked a woman in the bathroom at the Grange Hall during the annual fife and drum muster.

"All of a sudden a male grabbed her neck with his right hand and put his left hand over her mouth. The female victim struggled and moved toward the window, which she broke with her left elbow, after which she lost consciousness," court documents stated.

Two people walked into the bathroom, stopped the assault and found the victim, who was bloodied and unconscious, according to court documents.

"The female victim was weeping, with her shoulders slumped over, and she had dried red, blood-like substance over the entirety of her face including her hair," court documents stated.

In addition, documents said, Kukucka's girlfriend was with him at the event, but left for an unknown reason.

"She later came back to the Grange Hall to use the bathroom, and she was told not to go in because someone was raped. She then heard people talking about the male who raped the girl and they were saying Dale from the Essex Sailing Masters," according to court documents.

Kukucka's girlfriend showed the trooper a picture of him from her Facebook page, which was later used by police to identify him.

The victim told police she had a brief conversation with Kukucka earlier that night.

"The male told the victim his name was 'Diego,'" the victim told police, according to court documents. "the male's girlfriend later spoke with the female victim, and she told the female victim that her boyfriend's name was Dale."

Kukucka, of Andover, was charged with criminal attempt to commit sexual assault, strangulation, unlawful restraint and assault.

For the complete story and video, please visit WFSB.com at:

http://www.wfsb.com/story/23915697/bloomfield-teacher-charged-with-sexual-assault

Interfering with Police, DUI, Phone Scam, Burglary, Larceny, Breach of Peace and Threatening through 11-4-13

The East Haddam Police and the Connecticut State Police, Troop K in Colchester report the following incidents:

BURGLARY AND LARCENY - Sometime between Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday Oct. 20, unknown person(s) reportedly took cash from the cash register and back office at the Grandview Camp Resort on North Moodus Road in Moodus. The case is under investigation, and anyone with possible information is asked to contact Officer Mark Creighton at the East Haddam Resident Troopers' Office at 860-873-1226. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, you may leave a voice-mail on the (confidential) Crime Tip Line at 860-873-5013.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AND/OR DRUGS, INTERFERING WITH POLICE AND FAILURE TO DRIVE UPON THE RIGHT - On Oct. 22 at approximately 5:00 p.m., John Cosgrove, 29, of Oakum Dock Road, Cobalt was arrested and charged with the above violations. Cosgrove was released on a $5,000 bond and scheduled to appear at Middletown Superior Court on 11/6/13.

PHONE SCAM - On Oct. 22, Troop K was notified of a phone scam, whereby an unknown caller states that he/she is a DEA (Drug Enforcement Agent) and will be coming to your house with an arrest or search warrant. Police would like to advise that anyone who might receive these types of calls should immediately contact the Connecticut State Police, Troop K at 860-465-5400 to report the incident.

FAILURE TO DRIVE A REASONABLE DISTANCE APART - On Oct. 24 at approximately 9:02 a.m., Christopher Caccamo, 43, of Indian Hill Road, Farmington was traveling southbound on Route 149 (Falls Road) in the area of Falls-Bashan Road in Moodus, driving a 2007 Volvo S-80. Sarah Phillips, 24, of Skyview Drive, Coventry was traveling in the same direction, directly behind Caccamo, operating a 2004 Toyota Corolla. As Caccamo slowed to a stop to wait for a vehicle turning left onto Falls-Bashan Road, Phillips was unable to stop in time and struck Caccamo from behind. No injuries were reported. Police issued Phillips an infraction for following too close.

FAILURE TO APPEAR IN COURT - On Oct. 29 at approximately 12:04 p.m., Joshua Giddings, 25, of Town Street, Moodus was arrested pursuant to warrants related to several prior motor-vehicle violations and charged with (3) counts of failure to appear in court. Giddings was released on bonds totaling $5,500 and given a court date of 11/12/13 at Middletown Superior Court.

BURGLARY AND LARCENY - On Nov. 2, East Haddam Police received a complaint from the previous owner of a residence, stating that over the course of the prior two-week period, unknown person(s) forced entry into a foreclosed property on Cherry Swamp Road in East Haddam. The victim reported  that a TV, drum set, weed-wacker and coffee table were taken from the home. Anyone with any possible information about these thefts is asked to contact Officer Mark Creighton at the East Haddam Resident Troopers' Office at 860-873-1226. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, you may leave a voice-mail on the (confidential) Crime Tip Line at 860-873-5013.

NO PARKING ZONE - On Nov. 4 at approximately 9:45 a.m., Frederick Atwell, 71, of Bozrah Street, Bozrah was traveling along Hopyard Road in East Haddam, operating a 2001 Chevy S-10 pick-up truck. Police said that, due to a steep grade and sun-blinding conditions, Atwell was unable to see a 2008 Chevy Impala that had been left parked in a no-parking zone, and collided with the vehicle at a slow rate of speed. No injuries were reported.

BREACH OF PEACE AND THREATENING - On Nov. 4 at approximately 11:45 a.m., Jason Emerson, 26, of Norwich Road, East Haddam was arrested and charged with the above violations. Emerson was released on a $1,000 bond and scheduled to appear at Middletown Superior Court on 11/19/13.

An arrest or infraction does not indicate a conviction, and all individuals listed in these reports are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

If you would be interested in receiving future reports as they are posted, please send a request to:  TheNeighborhoodWatchReport@gmail.com