Gunman Who Terrorized CT Gas Stations During COVID Pandemic Sentenced To Decades: Feds Gunman Who Terrorized CT Gas Stations During COVID Pandemic Sentenced To Decades: Feds
Gunman Who Terrorized CT Gas Stations During COVID Pandemic Sentenced To Decades: Feds A convicted felon who terrorized Connecticut gas station workers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic will spend nearly three decades behind bars after a violent robbery spree that stretched across multiple towns. William Rosario Lopez, 40, of New Haven, was sentenced on Tuesday, May 26, to 29 years in prison and five years of supervised release, said U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David X. Sullivan. Federal prosecutors said the robberies happened in March 2020, when many workers were already facing fear and uncertainty during the pandemic. Investigators said Rosar…
CT Mom, Son Charged After ‘Rescued’ Abused Dog Turns Out To Be Their Own CT Mom, Son Charged After ‘Rescued’ Abused Dog Turns Out To Be Their Own
CT Mom, Son Charged After ‘Rescued’ Abused Dog Turns Out To Be Their Own A Connecticut mother and her son are accused of lying to police after claiming they found a badly abused dog on the side of a busy highway, authorities said. Investigators say they hurt the dog.  The case began on April 5, when 38-year-old Melanie Amaral drove to Wethersfield Police headquarters with her 20-year-old son, Jeremiah Santiago, according to the officers. The pair told officers they found the dog on Silas Deane Highway. Wethersfield Animal Control responded and discovered the dog was in terrible shape. Police said the animal showed signs of neurological distress, was underw…
DUI Driver Crashes Into 3 Pedestrians, Food Truck In CT: Police DUI Driver Crashes Into 3 Pedestrians, Food Truck In CT: Police
DUI Driver Crashes Into 3 Pedestrians, Food Truck In CT: Police Chaos broke out in New Haven after police said a pickup truck slammed into multiple people, parked vehicles, and a food truck before the driver was arrested. The crash happened around 6:45 p.m. Monday, May 25, near 398 Long Wharf Drive, according to New Haven police. Officers responding to the scene found damage stretching across the busy waterfront area after the truck allegedly hit three pedestrians, several parked vehicles, and a food truck. Police said none of the pedestrians suffered serious injuries despite the violent chain of crashes. The driver was arrested at the scene. Investig…
2 Children Hurt During Boat Fire On Connecticut Lake On Memorial Day 2 Children Hurt During Boat Fire On Connecticut Lake On Memorial Day
2 Children Hurt During Boat Fire On Connecticut Lake On Memorial Day A boat caught fire on Candlewood Lake on Memorial Day, injuring two children and forcing six people to evacuate the vessel, officials said. Firefighters were called to the Danbury Boat Launch around 4 p.m. Monday, May 25, after reports of a boat fire, according to Danbury authorities.  All six people on board evacuated safely with help from the Candlewood Lake Authority, officials said. Two children were taken to the hospital. One suffered minor burn injuries. Another was evaluated as a precaution. Fire officials described the injuries as “very minor.” Crews extinguished the fire wit…
Motorcyclist Killed After Violent I-91 CT Crash Throws Him Into Opposite Lanes Motorcyclist Killed After Violent I-91 CT Crash Throws Him Into Opposite Lanes
Motorcyclist Killed After Violent I-91 CT Crash Throws Him Into Opposite Lanes A Massachusetts man was killed after being ejected from his motorcycle during a crash with a pickup truck on I-91 in Connecticut on Memorial Day, police said. Juan Miguel Martinez, 26, of North Hampton, Massachusetts, was killed following the 8:30 p.m. crash south of Exit 39 north in Windsor, Connecticut State Police said. According to investigators, Martinez's 2010 Ducati Streetfighter rear-ended a 2019 Toyota Tacoma, sending the motorcycle into a jersey barrier. The impact launched him from the bike, and he landed in the southbound lanes. Paramedics rushed him to Hartford Hospital, where…
Former CT Police Chief, Decorated Military Veteran Dies Former CT Police Chief, Decorated Military Veteran Dies
Former CT Police Chief, Decorated Military Veteran Dies A former Connecticut police chief remembered for his compassion, military service, and decades of dedication to protecting his community has died.  George Marinelli, who served as Rocky Hill’s police chief for 10 years, died Sunday, May 24, at 81, according to the Rocky Hill Police Department. Authorities did not release his cause of death.  Marinelli spent more than three decades in law enforcement in Rocky Hill. During that time, he worked as a patrolman, youth officer, and K-9 officer before becoming chief. He retired in 2002. The department said Marinelli “continued his dedic…
CT Woman Convicted In 3rd OUI After Crashing Into House Days After Christmas CT Woman Convicted In 3rd OUI After Crashing Into House Days After Christmas
CT Woman Convicted In 3rd OUI After Crashing Into House Days After Christmas A Connecticut woman with two prior drunken driving convictions has now been found guilty in her third DUI case after prosecutors said she crashed into an occupied home.  Melissa Page, 44, of Willington, was convicted this week of operating under the influence as a third offender, according to Tolland Judicial District State’s Attorney Craig P. Nowak. Prosecutors said Page crashed her vehicle into a residence on Lakeview Drive in Coventry on Dec. 28, 2024. There were people inside at the time of the crash.  Page has two previous operating under the influence convictions from …
Ex-East Lyme Police Chief Arrested Again After Domestic Dispute, Adding To Troubling History Ex-East Lyme Police Chief Arrested Again After Domestic Dispute, Adding To Troubling History
Ex-East Lyme Police Chief Arrested Again After Domestic Dispute, Adding To Troubling History A former Connecticut police chief with a history of domestic violence arrests is facing yet another criminal charge after police said officers responded to a domestic dispute at his home. Michael Finkelstein, the former East Lyme police chief, was arrested Friday morning, May 22, on a charge of disorderly conduct, according to East Lyme police. Police were called to a Marion Drive home in East Lyme for a reported domestic dispute. After speaking with family members who were there during the incident, officers arrested Finkelstein and took him into custody. Authorities did not release detai…
Connecticut Man Arrested In 1986 Rape, Stabbing Murder Of Virginia Beach Woman: Police Connecticut Man Arrested In 1986 Rape, Stabbing Murder Of Virginia Beach Woman: Police
Connecticut Man Arrested In 1986 Rape, Stabbing Murder Of Virginia Beach Woman: Police A Connecticut man has been arrested decades after police say he raped and murdered a 22-year-old Virginia Beach woman whose body was found with fatal stab wounds in a field in 1986. Charles Berry, 66, was taken into custody this week in Newington in connection with his alleged role in the brutal murder of Roberta Walls 40 years ago, according to Virginia Beach Police. Walls’ body was discovered just after sunrise on May 15, 1986, in a field along Ferry Plantation Drive in Virginia Beach. Roberta Walls Virginia Beach Police Investigators determined the young woman had been sexually …
CT Inmate Stabbed With Makeshift Weapon During Fight At Prison CT Inmate Stabbed With Makeshift Weapon During Fight At Prison
CT Inmate Stabbed With Makeshift Weapon During Fight At Prison A fight inside a Connecticut prison ended with one inmate rushed to the hospital after he was stabbed with a makeshift weapon, the Connecticut Department of Correction said. The incident happened around 6:40 p.m. Thursday at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, authorities said**.** Correctional staff found five incarcerated people fighting in the in-unit recreation area inside the Walker building. As staff members broke up the altercation, they noticed one of the inmates had been stabbed. The injured man was taken to an outside hospital for treatment. He was later relea…
Armed & Dangerous Heavily Tattooed Man Wanted In Multiple States Back On Run After Release Armed & Dangerous Heavily Tattooed Man Wanted In Multiple States Back On Run After Release
Armed & Dangerous Heavily Tattooed Man Wanted In Multiple States Back On Run After Release A heavily tattooed Downingtown fugitive once captured in Texas after a four-state manhunt is back on the run after being released from custody in Pennsylvania earlier this week, according to information shared with Daily Voice and newly filed court records. Kevin James Kistler, 35, was released Monday, May 18, with the understanding that he would surrender himself to authorities in Cecil County, Maryland, according to information provided to Daily Voice by a person familiar with the ongoing cases. Instead, new fugitive warrants have since been issued in Maryland and New Jersey, the source sa…
Deported 3 Times, Mexican National Admits To Illegal Reentry After CT DUI Arrest Deported 3 Times, Mexican National Admits To Illegal Reentry After CT DUI Arrest
Deported 3 Times, Mexican National Admits To Illegal Reentry After CT DUI Arrest A Mexican national who had already been deported three times has admitted to illegally reentering the United States again after police say he was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Connecticut.  Julio Cesar Fernandez-Salazar, 44, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Bridgeport to unlawful reentry of a removed alien, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. Federal prosecutors said Fernandez-Salazar has used several aliases over the years, including Julio Fernandez, Paulo Cesar Salazar, Alejandro Lugo, Jorge Ortigoza, and Julio C. Fernandez-…