AN OLD SAYING "MANY TIMES THE COVERUP IS WORSE THAN THE CRIME"

It is pretty easy to tell the difference between transparency and a cover up, and this one has cover up written all over it.

A lot of things just aren't adding up with the Saundra Kee-Borges City car Accident, including her statement of apology.

One of the first things that raised red flags for me was the quickness that the HPD press release came out saying that Kee -Borges and the unauthorized operator of her city vehicle fiancée/boyfriend/significant other Terry Waller had  a green light and the accident was caused by the other driver. I e-mailed the HPD Public Information Officer, Lt. Brian Foley and asked how that determination was made. Was it from independent witnesses, maybe some video in the area or was it just Waller telling the officer he had a green light.Lt Foley was unsure and told me he would look into it

 The releases were quick to say that Waller and his fiancée/girlfriend/significant other Sandy Kee-Borges were the innocent victims at 2:17am as they were hit by an evading driver who ran a red light. Call me suspicious , but I just don't accept what a press release says as the truth.

The red flags were raised even more on Monday as I tried to get the incident reports regarding the arrest that Kee-Borges claimed as the reason she let Waller drive her car. I wanted to see the time lines and try to figure out where she was from the time of her sons arrest until the crash at 2:00am.

As I started pushing for the arrest report as well as the accident report, the barricades went up, mainly FOI reasons not to release the report. I called a staff attorney at FOI and got the other side. Their claims for exemption were not making sense.

I eventually received the arrest report for Garrett Borges, through alternative means, as well as the accident report and the attached supplemental reports from all officers involved, none through my FOI requests. I was told that the requests were being forwarded to Detective Wiebusch , since she was the FOI person at HPD.

When I spoke to the FOI Attorney, she offered to call Detective Wiebusch to clarify the matter. She called me back a short time later to say that Detective Wiebusch's voice mail said she was on vacation until October 14th. How convenient.

The time line and excuses are important to painting the full picture, but first, here is Saundra Kee-Borges statement she released earlier this morning.

STATEMENT FROM ACTING CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER SAUNDRA KEE BORGES

 

“Last Friday night while attending the NAACP dinner, I received a call from the Hartford Police Department regarding one of my children. I left immediately and drove to the Public Safety Complex on High Street in my city vehicle of which I have full commuter privileges.  An accident occurred as I was on my way home from the police station with my fiancé Terry Waller, a Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Hartford just after 2:00am. While driving through a green light, another vehicle struck us and then fled the scene. Terry and I were taken to the hospital, where he remained until late Saturday morning.  Thankfully we’re both OK and the police captured the individual responsible for the hit and run. 

I want to thank the Hartford Police and Fire Department, the ambulance crew for their quick action and I want to thank the staff at St. Francis for treating us with such care.  I also want to apologize to Mayor Segarra for any inconvenience or speculation this incident may have caused. Although Terry is a city employee, I should have driven myself. At that moment, I was deeply concerned for my child as any parent would be.”

 

Does anyone else find it interesting that the Mayor's office could release a statement on a Sunday night that he was cutting ribbons at 2 Hartford parks today, but not a word about his COO crashing her city car in a questionable accident?

 

As you can see, Kee-Borges also mentioned that green light again. The fact is that there apparently was no independent determination as to what happened, no video, not even other witnesses. The accident report says that Waller told the investigating officer he had the green light. Surprise, surprise. But apparently when a deputy Fire Chief says he has a green light, that is good enough to cite the other operator.

 

Now I will concede that the operator of vehicle #1 didn't help his credibility  when he ran from the scene, but does that increase Waller's credibility?

 

Sources have also confirmed that Kee-Borges received a phone call at the NAACP dinner sometime around 10:00PM. They said she appeared to be somewhat upset and her and Waller had some tense words before they left the dinner, supposedly to go attempt to bail out her son from the HPD lockup.

 

It appears they had to arrange for a bondsman since Garrett was not released until 5:00am Saturday morning, long  after the crash occurred. Sources have also confirmed that Kee-Borges and Waller had left the public Safety Complex before the midnight shift began arriving at 11:00PM. I have FOI'd the Police Department video to confirm this timeline as the front lobby area is recorded.

 

That then raises the question of where Kee-Borges and Waller were until the time of the crash at 2:17am the question. It potentially leaves over 3:00hours unaccounted for as to where the City Car was as well as where they spent the time and doing what?

 

Considering the crumpled up coupon from J's Crabshack that I found on the ground in the name of Saudra Borges, that might be a good spot to start.

 

Transparency means getting to the bottom of this matter , wherever it leads. We deserve no less and the credibility of the Segarra Administration, if there is any left , depends on it.

 

Where were they? Was alcohol involved? Why was the car still out long after any City business at the NAACP dinner had concluded. What was the blood alcohol content , if any, in Waller's blood ,which was most likely drawn at the hospital when he was treated. If they really want to clear the matter, I think Waller could voluntarily have that information released to HPD without the necessity of obtaining a search warrant for it.

 

It is hard to set a tone of accountability when those at the top are not held to the same standards as those they supervise.

 

In the meantime, any delay in releasing public documents stinks of a coverup, whether intentional or not, and HPD and Chief Rovella have done too good of a job establishing credibility  to get sucked into City Hall nonsense.

 

NOTE: regular readers of the blog are used to seeing documents and are used to reading the reports I refer to. Unfortunately, there is an effort to uncover my sources to keep the public's information from getting out. As documents and reports pass through the review process they are coded and signed  and it is somewhat easy to tell at what point I get the documents based on where they are in the process. So rather than risk  where in the process the documents came from, I have chosen not to post the actual reports until they are released through the regular FOI process.

 

 

 

UNVEILING THE SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Last week I questioned how a City Administration that claimed it was near broke as they cut millions of dollars from the Police Department budget, could all of a sudden have an $800,00 dollar surplus and make an $11 million dollar payment to the pension fund.

A recent Internal Audit might answer some of those questions. It appears that millions of unused dollars from Capitol Improvement projects, some dating back 15 years, are sitting in City accounts without much oversight and very loose controls.

Could this be referred to as the "City Hall Slush Fund"? Only time will tell , but I think the last sentence of the Auditor's report could be very interesting

Improvement Project Management and Administration Audit

HARTFORD NEEDS SANDY RELIEF NOW

And no, I don't mean Hurricane Sandy, I mean the devastating effects of the incompetent and negligent mismanagement of Sandy Kee- Borges, Hartford's Acting Chief Operating Officer.

It almost seems like the inner circle of Mayor Segarra tries hard to dream up new ways to embarrass him on a regular basis. The new years eve caviar, stealing back their City Cars, crashing their City car's at 2 am  after City Hall has been closed for hours . Even his department heads that have taken jobs and committed to moving into Hartford  and haven't.

I would think that people who are supposedly loyal to Segarra would exercise much better judgement and decision making , but recent events show that there seems to be no regard for Segarra's public image as they pull their stunts. How do they then survive to pull the next act to make Hartford's mayor look like a fool?

Right now that is the million dollar question that most people are asking. Why is Sandy still there?

It definitely isn't because of any stellar job performance. I think we might see the answers evolve over the next few months  and I think it will most likely be an issue of self preservation. Sandy knows where many of the City Hall skeleton's are buried. I don't say this lightly, but just stand by and I think things will become much clearer as time goes on.

Any regular reader of this blog know that my information is always very solid and I stand behind what I write. Stay tuned for the revelation of the skeleton's

HARTFORD'S ACTING COO INVOLVED IN EARLY MORNING CRASH

 

 

Hartford's Acting Chief Operating officer and her husband/partner/significant other Hartford Deputy FireChief Terry Waller were involved in an early morning crash at the intersection of Asylum Avenue and Broad Street at approximately 2:00am. According to sources at the scene, both Kee-Borges and Waller were transported to local hospitals after the crash.

It is unclear what City business Kee-Borges would be using the vehicle for at 2:00am, but documents found at the scene indicate Kee-Borges may have been using a coupon for " $20.00 for $40.00 of Fresh Seafood, Drinks, and more at J's Crab Shack in Hartford". J's Crabshack is located at 2074 Park Street in Hartford.

Witnesses also said a Heineken bottle was found at the scene , but it is unclear which vehicle the bottle came from.

This is the second City of Hartford vehicle involved in an after hours crash in the last month.

UPDATE: Saturday, 7:00am- According to sources , Waller and Kee-Borges had been at HPD earlier in the evening to bail out one of their sons who had been arrested on Domestic Violence charges and was also apparently found to be in possession of drugs, more on that when the report becomes available. The Crabshack apparently came into play later after they left booking Also, sources have confirmed that Hartford Deputy Fire Chief Terry Waller was the operator of Kee-Borges City car, not Kee-Borges herself. This should prove interesting how Mayor Segarra handles this one. Waller is apparently not an authorized driver of the City Car issued to the Chief Operating Officer

Borges j's Crab Shack0001

MORE SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Jenna Carlesso raised an interesting question today on Cityline. How do you create and pass a budget depending on $3million dollars in concessions from Hartford's employee Unions, and then not even approach the Unions to obtain those concessions? Read Jenna's column here.

The fact of the matter is that any concessions would probably be a very tough sell considering the Mayor's reckless spending habits, including the New Years Eve Caviar event and first class flights and stretch limo's in Washington DC.

 I have to question how we went from dire straits at budget time to an $800,000 dollar surplus  this week. And on top of that an $11million dollar pension payment is suddenly made to the Municipal Employee's Pension Fund. Did they find that money in a shoebox on a shelf in the Finance Department also? Maybe Mr. Molleda found an envelope full of undeposited checks when he was cleaning out his desk to leave City Hall.

Regardless, it really makes me question the accounting practices of the Segarra Administration, maybe it is time for the Audit commission to launch another investigation.

HOW MUCH MORE ARE WE WILLING TO TAKE?

Let me be the first to say what so many people are thinking. There is no leadership taking place in Hartford City Hall. Mayor Segarra may in fact be a nice guy as every one seems to preface their opinion of him. But he is a disaster as a Mayor.

For anyone that follows this blog, you have probably noted by now that most of his policy decisions are being driven by this blog. Kupiec, Panagore, Jaffe, Burnham, Molleda, City Vehicles,Keney Park, all topics that have been described here, many months ago.

It is time for leadership from Pedro Segarra , and that leadership shouldn't by reading a blog and testing the wind direction every morning.

I for one am becoming quite tired of being made a joke of when you mention the City of Hartford. The Courant's cartoonist Bob Englehart took his shot at the City tonight and he is exactly on point. Hartford is a mess that is mired in politics. You can read Englehart's commentary here at Courant.com

 

 

All of these missteps are totally avoidable though with a little more vision and a lot less "seat of the pants management". It seems as though nothing is done by this Administration until they are finally shamed into reacting

As an example, the current ruckus over take home City Cars. A policy could have been issued months ago by Segarra and the Council, that if properly enforced might have curtailed the City's liability after a recent DUI accident involving the Deputy DPW Director in her city car. The Mayor should issue a policy tomorrow that City Vehicles are for City business only, if you aren't working, the car stays put in the driveway. No shuttling the family around to soccer games or Saturday night at a restaurant.

No personal business in a City Car. Back and forth to work and that's it. End of story. Next should be a no alcohol policy, zero, absolutely none. If you have a City car and are headed to a function or need to stop for a drink on the way home, you aren't going to do it in a City car. Go home and swap out for your own personal vehicle Zero tolerance for alcohol in a City car, from the Mayor on down, zero means just that , zero.

Now there Mayor, that isn't tough to figure out is it? I bet you could have that e-mail distributed to everyone by 9:15 am tomorrow, and by the way, ask all recipients to acknowledge the receipt so that there are no questions when they may violate your policy.

It might also be a good idea to get your Chief of Staff to move into Hartford. We don't need a Meriden resident managing your office. We need someone that cares about and loves the City. The same love that our good residents show everyday they put up with this nonsense. A commute north on I-91 for the sake of a paycheck isn't good enough.

And stop with all of the consultants, we just can't afford recycled managers at $85.00 per hour. I have never heard of our Governor hiring consultants to fill Commissioner positions . He identifies capable people through his connections and brings them into his Office. I would expect the Mayor of the Capitol City would have similar connections to qualified people to fill vacancies.

And finally, jettison your acting COO as soon as possible. In case you haven't realized, all of the problem children on your staff answer directly to her. Clearly she is not capable of supervising or leading  this City forward. I was amazed the day she told the Internal Audit Commission that the P-card problem had been solved when all of the missing receipts were found in a shoe box on a shelf in the Finance Department . Her statement made it seem that this method was an accepted business practice in you Administration.

Her performance as Corporation Counsel has made former Corporation Counsel John Rose look good enough for a seat on the Supreme Court, and that is saying a lot. Her selection of her Deputy, a lawyer that wasn't even legally able to practice law in Connecticut when he was brought in, as well as his intemperance through e-mail and actions speaks volumes about her character  judgement .  I thought when he sent the e-mail claiming a Council person was mentally ill would have been the end, but nope.

Pedro, stop embarrassing us and do the job you were elected to do. A political science college student could do a better job than we are getting now. I would really like to see some vision and see where you expect us to be 5 years from now, and Detroit is not a suitable answer.

CIRCLING THE WAGONS- MORE ON THE AUDIT REPORT YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE

 

A cart Path at Keney Park Golf Course, Where is American Golf? It never looked like this when they were the City's Vendor

 

 

The full court press was put on the Internal Audit Commission by City Hall  to not release the Keney Park Tree report. Below is the "opinion" written by Hartford's Deputy Corporation Counsel L. John Van Norden in an attempt to keep the Audit report from Public scrutiny. His opinion didn't work.Van Norden seems to take offense with the Auditors using "legal terms" in their Audit report. Apparently that is a bad thing when it comes to laying out the facts. Instead maybe the Auditors should take a lesson from Van Norden in sugarcoating facts and rather than call the illegal removal of trees, call it a "Golf Course Tree Conversion Claim" as he calls it in his memo.

"Golf Course Tree Conversion Claim" does sound a lot better than saying a vendor defrauded the people of Hartford by removing assets, namely 275 Large red Oak trees probably worth hundreds of thousands of dollars . I can see why Van Norden doesn't want the report released since he and his bosses allowed the Letter of Credit that was required from MDM to protect the taxpayers of the City of Hartford in the case they defaulted , to expire. Van Norden and the Finance Director allowed the letter of credit to expire without any efforts to protect us from a lousy vendor. There is no financial recourse against MDM since they apparently have to assets available to attach,

Van Norden goes on to quote the City Code regarding the powers of the Audit Commission in his "opinion". If the fact that no one in City Government was paying enough attention to 275 large tress, one of the most valuable assets we have in our green spaces is not a City Government issue, I am not sure what is. It might also be an issue that apparently no legal action has been started to protect the City's interests from a vendor that has destroyed two valuable City assets. Are there any lawsuits or claims that have been filed by Van Norden, Kee-Borges or anyone else on the City's behalf to protect our interests? I can't find any.

Finally, Van Norden states that apparently the Auditors shouldn't focus on the law in their reports but should instead leave the legal analysis to the jurisdiction of the Corporation Counsel. Since the Corporation Counsel is or may very well be the focus of this audit as well as others, that might constitute a huge conflict of interest for Van Norden, to potentially sit in  judgement  of his own actions or that of his boss.

In the end, it is nothing more than a smokescreen to protect the Administration from another embarrassing misstep. On the positive side though, I think we are coming to just expect them now so it doesn't have the same shock effect

This opinion seems more negligent than any report the auditors could file.

And Mr. Van Norden, I know you are from out of town, but it is Keney, K-E-N-E-Y, not Kenny

Internal Audit Report Tree Conversion

MAYOR SEGARRA'S HUSBAND AND WEST END CIVIC ASSOCIATION WORKING TO SHUT DOWN WEST END FOOD PANTRY

 

Food Pantry recipients line up for the 11:00am opening last Wednesday

 

Some things just seem to defy any logical explanation in Hartford, this is one of them.

The Grace Seventh Day Adventist Church  is situated amongst some of Hartford's most expensive homes in the elite West End. It has been there since the 1940's operating as a church, nestled back from the Street on Prospect Avenue. Most people probably have never paid it any attention as they drive by gated homes  close to Elizabeth Park and the Governor's residence. The building is well kept , the landscaping well maintained.

Apparently at least one part of the Church ministry  though is  not a good fit with the gated homes.

 

 

The Segarra/Ortiz gated residence , above

One of the gated homes is owned by the husband of Hartford's Mayor, Charlie Ortiz and sits about 2 blocks from the Grace Food Pantry. The gated residence is also the home of Mayor Segarra. Other than traffic concerns, I am unsure what the actual complaints regarding the Pantry are. I went to the Pantry last Wednesday to observe the operation first hand.

The Pantry attracted roughly 150 people, some arriving by car, some walking, many took the bus to the closest bus stop and walked the final distance.

The alleged parking congestion that is disrupting the area

The parking was orderly on the east side of the street and traffic was monitored closely by volunteers with the Church. According to volunteers working at the Pantry, their Saturday services have more cars parked along the street than the Pantry does. The clientele was somewhat interesting to me. It was a mix of young and old, all races and it pointed out to me the number of people having a difficult time making ends meet in our City and around the region

 I have seen events at the Rose Gardens at Elizabeth Park and events at the Governor's residence, a block up the street cause more traffic problems

I spoke with quite a few of the people waiting in line. The stories of how they ended up there ran the full spectrum of explanations. There was the 70 year old woman whose husband had apparently been killed in an accident with a drunk driver last year. She now was finding it difficult to make ends meet without him and had just heard about the Pantry due to news coverage of the shutdown efforts.

There was a middle aged diabetic man who showed up walking with two canes to stand up. He had just had surgery on both feet to remove infections caused by his diabetes and needed the assistance of the pantry to be able to put food on his table.

There was a grandmother who stood in line to put some extra food on the table for her grandchildren. There were two other elderly women who walked the distance from their north end homes to get their food.

As I stood there watching people show up and their joy as they left with their bags or boxes or grocery carts stocked with food for the week I just kept thinking " but for the grace of God" that could be anyone of us. It could be anyone of those people living behind the wrought iron gated homes. It could be anyone of us that  gets injured  in an accident or is unable to work, It could be anyone of us that loses a job, It could be anyone of us  that  suffers a downturn in the stock market and sees their lifestyle change quickly.

Ortiz, Segarra's husband, told a recent meeting of City Officials that on one Wednesday he  observed food pantry traffic impeding an ambulance and a  a person in a wheelchair unable to use the sidewalk.  You can read more on this issue here

The other interesting piece was that any stereotypes you might have would quickly go out the window when you see the widespread need for assistance. There were all races, young and old, mothers with children, middle aged men, all just looking for a little help from a church that knows what it means to be a good neighbor.

No one was turned away, no one was asked where they live or how much they make. And everyone left with a smile that their burden to survive was lightened just a little bit by Brother Paul and the other volunteers. at Grace Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Can anyone explain to me how ministering to the needy is a bad thing. I would think that is exactly what a church's ministry is all about and definitely comes under their zoning use as a Church.

In one of the poorest cities in the country, with a Mayor that claims he was forced to live on the streets and was homeless himself, it just seems odd to me that any organization or individual  could possibly fight a food pantry that seems to have very little impact on the neighborhood in which it resides, other than feeding those in need once a week

SAVE THE DATE: AUDIT COMMISSION NEXT MEETING

In the last several months, Hartford's Internal Audit Commission has come to life. The Internal Auditors have done some great investigations and released some stunning reports on the operations or probably more appropriately the inefficiencies of Hartford City Hall and the Segarra Administration.

Although the Administration I am sure would prefer to muzzle the Commission, they are autonomous and don't answer to the Mayor or his Staff.

Take a look at the Agenda below for Wednesdays meeting. It should provide some good information and insight into what is happening inside City Hall

Agenda 092513 Final

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER CONVICTED FELON ON PROBATION ARRESTED WITH A GUN BY HARTFORD'S SHOOTING TASK FORCE

 I always thought that probation was a way for criminals to show that they were getting their lives back on track. Apparently the opposite is true in Hartford. It seems to be a way that criminals can get out of prison early to get back on Hartford's streets to obtain new guns and start committing crimes against society once again.

This release is from HPD:

On the above date and time members of the Shooting Task Force were conducting surveillance in the area of 155 Edgewood Street in response to recent intelligence that individuals were arming themselves with illegal firearms in the area. STF members observed a party manipulating an object in his waistband, and when they approached to investigate, the individual fled north west through several back yards. STF members pursued the suspect and at one point the suspect drew a firearm from his waistband, pointed the weapon at a pursuing officer, and cocked the hammer on the weapon. The area was immediately flooded with additional STF members who ordered the suspect to the ground at gunpoint

 

DESCRIPTION OF UNKNOWN SUSPECTS / ARRESTED PARTY'S INFO. (If 18 years or older

 

The suspect, identified as Byron Williams D.O.B. 2/19/87, was taken into custody and the firearm, along

with narcotics (cocaine), were recovered from his person.

Williams was charged with the following violations:

1) Criminal Possession of a Firearm.

2) Carrying a Pistol without a permit.

3) Interfering with Police.

4) Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree.

5) Possession of Narcotics.

6) Possession within 1500 feet of a School.

Evidence:

1) Taurus PT940 .40 Caliber Pistol serial # SUK08454 containing nine .40 caliber ammunition rounds

2) One piece of knotted plastic containing a white powder substance (Cocaine)

*Note* Williams has a prior adult firearms conviction and is currently on probation for robbery charge

 

 

 

THE AUDIT REPORT YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE

As recently as last Friday, the Segarra  Administration through its acting Chief  Operating Officer Saundra Kee-Borges and acting Corporation Counsel, L John van Norden were trying to block the release of the Audit report below. ( A lot of acting going on at City Hall, but no Emmy's)

Apparently Van Norden was advising the Audit Commission that they were opening the City up to liability and accusing the auditors of acting like lawyers and using legal terms in the report. The Corporation Counsel probably figures it is odd for the auditors to make conclusions in their report based on Connecticut Statutes , following the law is apparently a novel ides for those sitting inside City Hall.

This report is just another example of the incompetence and lack of accountability that has been the hallmark of Segarra's Administration. The lack of transparency by Segarra and those around him always seems to backfire on him and they just don't get it. I obtained the report through an FOI request to Hartford's Chief Auditor. Once the report was completed it became a public document and subject to public view, whether the COO or Corporation Counsel get that or not.

The City has begun labeling any document they don't want released as a "draft". Unfortunately, according to FOI, once a "draft starts getting e-mailed and circulated it is no longer legally a draft but rather a public document that can eventually be edited as needed.

The report outlines a strong disregard for the environment, and specifically Keney Park,  as it notes that several hundred large oak trees had been documented as being cut down and removed . Approximately 25 of those were required as the result of the October 2011 Halloween Storm.

Much of the tree removal appears to be illegal and in violation of Connecticut General; Statutes as neither the Hartford or the Windsor Tree Wardens gave permission for the work as required. Many of the trees cut were actually on the Windsor side of the Park, which straddles the town line . The report speaks for itself, but I have to ask, when is an outside agency going to begin looking at what is going on in this Administration

alReport9-23-2013-KeneyandGoodwinGolfCourseSpecialReview

NUMEROUS DISCRIMINATION PROBLEMS IN SEGARRA ADMINISTRATION COMING TO LIGHT

Claims of discrimination by employees are apparently so bad that the Segarra Administration has been forced to hire an outside law firm to deal with them. Most of the claims posted below are self explanatory but paint a sad picture of leadership and management at City Hall.

The claims were difficult to obtain and the City of Hartford fought their release under an FOI request I submitted , claiming that their release would have a "chilling effect " on employees  filing such complaints. The effect might just be the opposite though as people read these complaints and realize the chilling effect that the actions of City officials may have on the budget  of the City of Hartford's taxpayers.

Settlements in discrimination cases sometimes come with hefty price tags if justified. The majority of the cases are coming out of the Department of Public Works and paint a real picture of dysfunction when it comes to employee relations. Others just appear to be adults acting like children and unable to get along.

Here is the City's original reply to my FOI request:

Mr. Brookman: 

The City of Hartford has a statutory obligation to maintain an environment free from illegal discrimination, and to that end seeks to encourage, rather than deter, the filing of internal complaints by employees alleging discriminatory treatment, hostile work environment, and the like.  The City of Hartford will not, therefore, be releasing complaints of discrimination that are currently undergoing investigation so as to avoid any potential chilling effect that disclosure of this sensitive information may have on reporting and the ability of the City to meet its federally mandated duty to investigate and respond to claims of discrimination.  The state legislature has recognized the importance of keeping complaints of discrimination confidential, see Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-83 (h), and the public policy reasons underlying that law also apply to internal complaints filed within the City of Hartford.

 

Attorney's at FOI actually had a different opinion when I contacted them for advice. They cited the case of Rocque vs FOI which applied to the City's denial. When Corporation Counsel was contacted  and informed of this, they reconsidered and agreed to provide me with the complaints, with the complaining employees names redacted.

 

As you read the complaints, many of you will immediately realize the complaints and probably figure out the complainants yourself.

 

For what we pay for salaries, shouldn't our managers be able to understand and avoid any potential discrimination claims. The first one is a former employee of Mayor Segarra's office who was suddenly transferred to DPW and almost immediately encountered problems right away, including the discovery of pornography  on her City computer

 There are many more, but this should get you started , the first one is very detailed and will most likely be a problem for the City to defend

 

Redactetd+(DPW)+EEO+Complaint+7+3+13 (1)

Redacted (DPW) EEO Complaint1 10 10 2012

Redacted (DPW) EEO Complaint2 10 10 2012

Redacted (Dev Svcs) EEO Complaint 5 30 2013

Redacted (Dev Svcs) EEO Complaint 5 30 2013

Redacted (DPW) EEO Complaint6 10 10 2012 Amended 10 22 2013 Carroll Isaac

WHERE ARE THE CRIMINAL CHARGES? ATTORNEY GENERAL FILES CIVIL SUIT AGAINST NON-PROFIT DIRECTOR

FROM THE OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL GEORGE JEPSEN

The state has filed suit against the former executive director of the now-defunct South Arsenal Neighborhood Development, Inc. (SAND) over allegations that she misappropriated charitable funds in violation of state law, Attorney General George Jepsen and Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein announced today.

 

Karen Lewis served as executive director of SAND from at least January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2009. The state alleges that, beginning in November 2006, Lewis used SAND’s ATM/debit card to withdraw charitable funds and to make purchases at the state’s two casinos, at retail stores for personal items and for payment of a personal credit card. The state believes Lewis misappropriated more than $200,000 in charitable funds.

 

“The behavior we allege in this complaint represents a breach of fiduciary duty on the part of an individual who had a responsibility to protect charitable funds,” said Attorney General Jepsen. “These funds were intended to support the Arsenal Neighborhood, but were instead used by Ms. Lewis for her personal gain. This conduct simply will not be tolerated.”

 

“Charitable donations are expected to be utilized for good works, and the sad fact of the matter in this case is that the good works and programs of SAND, which helped so many, appear to have been diminished by the very person responsible for ensuring that those programs happened,” Commissioner William M. Rubenstein said. “Whenever such funds are diverted from their intended charitable purpose, we will act to hold accountable those responsible for managing the funds.”

 

The state’s suit seeks a permanent injunction against Lewis holding any office, directorship or position of employment or any other association with a charitable organization in Connecticut where she will have control of the funds of the organization or authorization over the disbursement of funds. Additionally, the suit seeks forfeiture of all ill-gotten gains and civil penalties.

 

Connecticut law requires that any asset intended for public or charitable use or any bequests held as a charitable trust shall forever remain to the uses and purposes to which such asset was granted according to the true intent and meaning of the grantor and to no other use. The Attorney General is required by state law to “represent the public interest in the protection of any gifts, legacies or devises intended for public or charitable purposes.”

 

SAND was a §501(c)(3) organization based in Hartford that was created to support social and economic improvements in the South Arsenal neighborhood. SAND received charitable gifts and grants to use exclusively for its charitable purposes. The organization dissolved in 2010.

 

Sand Lawsuit

A REMINDER, PLEASE TRY TO ATTEND TONIGHT

The Hartford City Council has called a special meeting for Monday at 5:30PM .. According to the meeting notice below, the intent of the meeting is to discuss the City violence with the Hartford Police Department . Please show up and voice your concerns on the increase in crime and gun violence, approximately a 10% increase over this time last year.

State representative Angel Arce, from Hartford's 4th District has asked me to help get the word out on this important meeting.

We need to get honest answers from the Council and hold them accountable for the budget cuts they made to Mayor Segarra and Chief Rovella's recommended budget for 2013/2014

 The Council has begun a disturbing trend of submitting and acting on resolutions that only attempt to micromanage the operations of the Police Department from the size of engines ordered in new cars to who can use the Police Department gym. The focus should be on making sure the police department is properly funded and staffed and our neighborhoods are safe

 Despite the Councils announcement to the complaining public at Monday nights meeting, Councilman Cruz announced that a "Police Academy Class " was graduating today to address the issue of attrition. The real truth is that there was no "class". One, yes one, officer graduated today from the Meriden Police Academy. That hardly is a net increase over the eight officers that have announced their departure in the last week and many more are expected to depart in the near future as they qualify for their pensions after 20 years.

It is important that we let the Council know that we support Chief Rovella and his efforts and we expect that HPD be properly funded to do the job that we know, and he has shown, that he can do when given the proper resources.

Please show up and make your voices heard.

Just your attendance in support of a properly funded Police Department will make a difference

MORE GUNS OFF THE STREETS

FROM HPD:

 

On 9/14/13  9:42pm, members of the Shooting Task Force were conducting heightened patrols in"hot spot" areas city wide. In the driveway of a multi-unit residential apartment building located at 316 Sargeant Street, officers noticed numerous individuals loitering and blocking traffic. As officers stopped to address the individuals activity, numerous subjects fled on foot. One of the subjects threw a metal object to the ground as he ran, which was found to be a firearm. Three suspects were apprehended, including the suspect that threw the firearm. The firearm seized was a Bryco Arms Jennings J22, .22 caliber handgun with magazine containing (5) live .22 caliber rounds, s/n 151380.

 

Arrest #1: Roystone Webster, M/B/20 (08/14/1993), of 76 Theodore Napper Lane, Hartford, CT.

Charges: Criminal Trespass 3rd, Interfering w/ Police, Carrying Pistol w/o Permit.

 

Arrest #2: Omar Edwards, M/B/23 (08/09/1990), of 73 Martin Street, Hartford, CT.

Charges: Criminal Trespass 3rd, Interfering w/ Police.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Arrest #3: Elijah Williams, M/B/22 (06/30/1991), of 119 Sherwood Avenue, East Hartford, CT.

Charges: Criminal Trespass 3rd, Interfering w/ Police.

HPD ASKING FOR HELP TO ID SUSPECT

 

FROM HPD:

HPD Detectives are looking for your assistance in a burglary that occurred on 09/03/13.  Attached is a photo of a fraudulent ID card that was dropped by the suspect during the commission of a burglary at 51 Westland Street in Hartford.  The photo ID card is not legitimate but it is believed that the photo is of the actual person who committed the crime. Two flat panel televisions were stolen during the burglary. A neighbor of the victim has reported that two males had come to her door prior to this burglary, trying to sell her gas and electric for less.  The neighbor stated that one of the males had the photo ID card on him. Anyone with information or who may know the person pictured, is asked to call Lt. Brain Foley at (860) 757-4463, or tips can be reported anonymously to (860) 722-TIPS.

SADLY, IT LOOKS LIKE NUMBER 20 IS ON THE BOOKS

It appears that homicide number 20 for the City of Hartford may have occurred earlier today.

Sources are telling me that  a male individual was babysitting for his girlfriends  18 month old daughter earlier today on Middlefield Street in Hartford. Through some sort of interaction with the boyfriend, the child apparently suffered  life threatening injuries. The manner and cause of those injuries will be determined after an autopsy by the Connecticut Medical Examiner.. Sources told me that the manner and cause of death needs to be determined but they believe it is a homicide.
Sources have also told me that the boyfriend "is no stranger" to law enforcement officials in Hartford.

For some unknown reason, after the child sustained the injuries, the boyfriend drove to a home on Durham Street, he then took the child to Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center where the child was pronounced dead.

Hartford police later seized the boyfriends vehicle that he used to transport the child as potential evidence and the car was towed from the ER parking lot at Saint Francis

JUMPING (OR PUSHED) FROM THE SINKING SHIP

Two more department heads have abandoned ship and are jumping from the Segarra administration, Kevin Burnham , Hartford's DPW Director has announced his resignation and Finance Director has also announced his resignation today. Both are effective October 4,2013.

Although the resignations, especially Molleda are long overdue, this now leaves the Segarra Administration without a permanent Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Staff, Corporation Counsel, Human Resources Director, Public Works Director, Finance Director, Fire Chief and the Director of Emergency Dispatch Center. Does anyone see a problem here?  These positions need to be filled by competent people that  care about Hartford and actually live here to bring stability back to City Government

We don't need to hire anymore consultants at $85.00 an hour to determine how to fill these slots either.

The Mayor needs to begin re-stocking his cabinet soon though if he is going to  survive. The COO position has been open for over a year now and the next departure from City Hall needs to be Saundra Kee - Borges. Acting positions are nothing more than seat warmers. We need to have strong professional leadership coming out of City Hall for a change. Professionals that have vision and goals and can implement change to move our City forward efficiently in all of these vacant positions

Here is the press release from the Mayor's Office and not one mention of a ribbon cutting

Today, Mayor Segarra announced that he has accepted the resignation of Kevin Burnham, Director of the Department of Public Works and Julio Molleda, Director of Finance. Mr. Burnham has worked for the City of Hartford since 2002 and has an annual salary of $120,019. Mr. Molleda worked for the Hartford Library and Board of Education before coming to City Hall in 2011 at an annual salary of $151,918. Their resignation is effective October 4th.

Concurrently, Mayor Segarra has appointed two long-standing professionals with experience in local government to fill the positions.  Mr. Joseph A. Ruffo, CPA will take over as Interim Director of Finance. Mr. Ruffo, a former Auditor, Accounting Instructor and Budget Reviewer for the Government Finance Officers Association for more than 20 years, has been the Comptroller/Deputy Comptroller for the City of Norwich since 1987. He will continue at the same salary as the previous finance director.

The Mayor has also appointed Mr. Keith Chapman, former Town Manager of Newington, Special Advisor to the City Manager of New London and Hartford, as Interim Director of the Department of Public Works. Mr. Chapman has overseen the Public Works Department in Newington and New London and has over 20 years of experience in city management. Mr. Chapman’s salary is $140,000.

Both Mr. Chapman and Mr. Ruffo will start on Monday, September 16 to begin the transition.

A FACEBOOK REQUEST

This something g that I have never done before on the blog. I am reposting something from Facebook. This was posted by the brother of a friend of my sister's that we grew up with. It involves a Vietnam Veteran who is down on his luck, Please read the posting, this is legit and not a scam.

If there ever was a time to show our appreciation, what is better than the anniversaryof 9/11.

9/9/13:I picked up a hitchhiker this ...morning. He was in his 60s, looked a little disheveled, raggy clothes, and was wearing a Vietnam Vet hat. Turns out he's been driving around the country since June and has hit all 50 states. His van broke down and he was thumbing from a campground where he's been tent camping to the dealership where his car had been towed. I told him to save my contact info in his phone in case he needed a ride back. He already had a Tim in there so he said he was going to enter my name as Tim God for rescuing him this morning. That made my day.

Later that day...My hitchhiker friend from this morning, Bill, called me to see if I could give him a ride back to the dealership tomorrow. After a lengthy conversation it turns out there's a bit more to his story. He appears to be pretty much homeless and has been camping out in his car more out of necessity than adventure. When he can raise some money for gas he moves on to the next place. He is indeed a Vietnam Veteran. He found out today his car is going to cost about $1800 to fix. He's going to reach out to his family and friends and try to raise the funds His plan is to see if the dealership will let him sleep in the car at night while they work on it because he can't afford the campground where he's staying.

I had to coax this information out of him, he seems to be a very proud man. He has asked me for nothing except for a ride in the morning. If anyone is inclined to help a stranger out, feel free to call Brustolon Buick Service Dept. tomorrow at (860) 415-4739 with a credit card and ask them to put it towards Bill Hart's (sp?) van repair. Any amount, big or small, will help.

I see "support the troops" messages on here all the time. Maybe we can't help them all but we can sure make a huge difference in this one's life. Let's see if Facebook can be used for things more important than cupcake recipes, Farmland, and me ranting about Republicans. Help a brother out and pay it forward.

9/10: To those who saw my posts yesterday about the Vietnam Vet I picked up hitch hiking- please call Brustolon Buick Service Dept. at 860.415.4739 and make a small donation to help him get his car fixed. It must happen today. Thanks to all who are stepping up to help a Veteran in need God Bless America.

Later that day: Update on my friend Bill- we went out to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and now he's taking a nap out in the cabin. Brustolons has received 10 calls and over $600 from you guys. We have about $1000 to go to completely cover his repair bill and get him on his way. His plan is to head back to Florida where he has a small camper to live in. As of now he knows nothing about our efforts to take care of his van. Thank you all and continue to spread the word, &1000 is still a long way to go!

9/11: Just spoke to the service mgr. at Brustolon. They have knocked $250 off Bills van repair. We have raised about $800 leaving a balance of about $700. If you're not aware of what talking about please read my most recent posts. We're trying to get a Vietnam Vet (Marine) back In his van so he can get back to Florida. It turns out the van won't be ready til later today so we have one more day to raise funds. Please call Brustolon Buick at 860.415.4739 if feel like kicking in a few bucks to help a veteran out. I'm hoping on 9/11 we all remember the sacrifices all veterans have made. Lets pay off Bill's bill!!!!

As of 4:30pm today, balance is $290.

HPD'S "ACADEMY CLASS"

As residents spoke about  their concerns at Monday nights Council meeting regarding attrition within the Hartford Police Department, Council members in an attempt to dupe the public stated that there was actually an Academy class graduating  today to boost the numbers. They failed to inform the public that the so called class  was just one officer graduating from the Meriden Police Academy.

Not to belittle the one officer joining the HPD ranks, here is a little more info on Hartford's latest Police Officer

Officer Jose Cortes Jr. was born in Hartford and raised in the south end in the Charter Oak neighborhood.  on February 14, 2011 at the age of 19 and shortly after graduating from Bulkeley High School, Officer Cortes joined the Hartford Police Department as a Cadet.  As a police cadet, he gained valuable experience working in many different divisions of the police department to include:  Major Crimes Division, Fiscal Division, Teleserve, Records Division, and Training Division.

On April 5, 2013, he was promoted to police recruit where he attended the 23 week Basic Training Program the POSTC Academy in Meriden.   On September 11, 2013, he graduated as a member of the 341st recruit class at POSTC.  Officer Cortes Jr. is proud to serve the City of Hartford.  He has an ambition to become a Vice and Narcotics Detective as his career progresses.        

 

REMEMBER THE EVENTS OF 9/11

SAVE THE DATE , SUPPORT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Hartford City Council has called a special meeting for Monday at 5:30PM .. According to the meeting notice below, the intent of the meeting is to discuss the City violence with the Hartford Police Department . Please show up and voice your concerns on the increase in crime and gun violence, approximately a 10% increase over this time last year.

State representative Angel Arce, from Hartford's 4th District has asked me to help get the word out on this important meeting.

We need to get honest answers from the Council and hold them accountable for the budget cuts they made to Mayor Segarra and Chief Rovella's recommended budget for 2013/2014

 The Council has begun a disturbing trend of submitting and acting on resolutions that only attempt to micromanage the operations of the Police Department from the size of engines ordered in new cars to who can use the Police Department gym. The focus should be on making sure the police department is properly funded and staffed and our neighborhoods are safe

 Despite the Councils announcement to the complaining public at Monday nights meeting, Councilman Cruz announced that a "Police Academy Class " was graduating today to address the issue of attrition. The real truth is that there was no "class". One, yes one, officer graduated today from the Meriden Police Academy. That hardly is a net increase over the eight officers that have announced their departure in the last week and many more are expected to depart in the near future as they qualify for their pensions after 20 years.

It is important that we let the Council know that we support Chief Rovella and his efforts and we expect that HPD be properly funded to do the job that we know, and he has shown, that he can do when given the proper resources.

Please show up and make your voices heard.

Just your attendance in support of a properly funded Police Department will make a difference

Special Meeting

AN UNUSUAL THANK YOU TO A DRUG DEALER

No I haven't lost my mind. Recently I posted about a Seymour Street landlord that was intimidated by a local thug drug dealer  after he tried to rid his property of the drug dealer. You can read more about that here

 The problem is that the dealer opened up a huge can of worms by his actions, that has now , at least temporarily , put his fellow entrepreneurs and amateur neighborhood pharmacists , out of business and some behind bars.

When I first got the complaint about the Seymour Street neighborhood and the vandalism done to Stan Gutt's property , I spent some time observing the activity on the street. The blatant open-air drug dealing was amazing. The street was busier with hand to hand drug deals than the McDonald's Drive thru around the corner. The drug dealer Wesley  or Ricky, depending which name he is going by this week. created a firestorm.

Within days, about every resource available was brought to bear to take this street back. The Shooting Task Force, the HPD Traffic Division ,Narcotics Officers, Condition Units , DEA and I am sure I am missing a few others. Thank you Wesley, this wouldn't have happened without you or your boys slicing a few tires and smashing some windows. On Monday a full scale sweep of the area produced numerous arrests of the same drug dealers that were dragging the neighborhood down.

The residents of Seymour Street are appreciative today. They can call 911 and report quality of life incidents all day long, but Wesley made it happen. This afternoon when I spent some time on Seymour Street, there were no drug dealers peddling their wares, the Community Service Officer Ghami Perez was making his presence known and it was a much different street than I saw just a week earlier. Even most of the lawns were free of trash and garbage, the street was clean with one exception

The only real exception was the Seymour Street side of the rear lot of the DCF  Hudson Street Headquarters. Apparently the landlord that makes a decent amount of money off the State of Connecticut has forgotten that he needs to clean up his Seymour Street frontage. Neighbors pointed out the recliner and discarded tires as well as the lawn that hasn't been cut for moths, definitely an eyesore.

Thank you Wesley, this wouldn't have been possible without your initial actions, the street has been cleaned up and you drew HPD's attention to the drug dealing. Good Job. Next time you drive by as you did today while we were out there, stop and say hello to Officer Perez. He might even thank you for your help ( be careful though, her might  have a warrant for you )

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

With the money that Hartford dumps into Media spokespeople at City Hall, they continue to miss the boat. A lot of good stories are happening in this City, but very rarely will you see that in a press release. Typically it is like pulling teeth to get the details on positive stories.

I regularly take heat for writing the negative stories, but I gladly post positive stories  when they are  made available to me.

Here are just a couple of examples that should have made a press release out of the Mayor's Office, but unfortunately haven't. They might actually take a little more work to put together than the next ribbon cutting, but these are the things that might actually begin to turn around the City's image.

The first one comes out of the Hartford Police Department and the Emergency Dispatch Center. The Dispatch Center has taken a bashing recently, but there are good people that work in there and combined with a Hartford Police Officer, are trying to make a difference.

I don't know all of the specifics, but Hartford Police Officer Matt Labbe and a dispatcher named Betty ( sorry, but no one has provided me with more details, including her name) went above and beyond after a recent incident. If I have the details wrong, please feel free to correct me in the comments.

Apparently Officer Labbe had a contact recently with a homeless family . The mother was confined to a wheelchair, but still the family found themselves on the streets. Now I am not sure how, but apparently Labbe and Betty arranged for shelter at a local motel temporarily. I am not sure if they paid for the room or if the hotel stepped up and provided a vacant room, but the homeless family was offered a roof and accommodation's.

The next problem occurred with transportation of the wheelchair bound mother  to the hotel. Betty the Dispatcher stepped up and made a call to someone she knew at American Medical Response, (AMR) who in addition to their ambulances operates a wheelchair transport service. Betty was able to convince AMR to step up and transport the mother  and her wheelchair to the hotel free of charge.

These are the type of things that should be put out to the public daily instead of the usual nonsense about where Mayor Segarra is cutting the next ribbon No one cares about him and his golden scissors, but a police officer and a dispatcher making a difference would send a good message about the people in our City.

This next story I can already picture on CNN or the national news. He isn't going to be happy with this posting because I don't think he wanted it out, but this is a great story. A Hartford Police Lieutenant who has asked me to remain anonymous, is known  as an accomplished runner. Anonymous LT, has run numerous marathons and is constantly training to shave the few seconds off his times. Sometimes a tough job for an older guy edging closer to retirement.

Again I don't have all the specifics, but  the LT. was recently approached to take part in a rare opportunity for Public Service and it has nothing to do with police work. Because of his reputation as an accomplished runner, he was asked to work with a blind runner who is a middle school student in a suburban school, who is participating in Cross Country running. He runs with her and apparently she wears very dark glasses and even in the bright sun, combined with the glasses she can make out his silhouette to follow him

The Lieutenant says he has to wear a white shirt so she can see him. He is not able to offer her any encouragement as they run, since that would be an unfair advantage apparently, but he calls out obstacles and guidance to her such as curbs, roots, turns  etc. She apparently gave the aging Lieutenant a run for his money today in the heat as she runs an under 7 minute mile.

I am sure there is a lot more positive things going on around our City, but I need to be made aware of them. If you have some good new, feel free to e-mail me or call me. If City Hall won't put it out, I will. And thank you to our City employees that are willing to go above and beyond.

UPDATE: After the original posting , the Lieutenant , who was originally named, asked me to remove his name because he is doing this  to do the right thing, not for publicity. I also removed identifiers as to the students school. Anyone familiar with HPD will know immediately his identity, but at his request I have removed his name.

TIME FOR A NEW PIC

 

Channel 3, WFSB's Hartford Bureau Chief Len Besthoff  has called it quits at Channel 3.Besthoff's last day on the air at Channel 3 was apparently yesterday after he notified station management that he was making the move to WVIT Channel 30 according to sources . Besthoff is apparently under contract to Channel 3 until October 6, 2013

 

Staff at both Channel 3 and Channel 30 were advised of the move yesterday through e-mails to employees.

 

Besthoff has been hired by NBC/Comcast as the Chief Investigative Reporter at the West Hartford affiliate and will be assigned full time to the Troubleshooters Investigative Team. This is apparently the model nationwide for the Comcast stations and their Investigative units to make a strong commitment to in depth Investigative reporting committing a large amount of money and manpower to the effort..

 

For those that have enjoyed Besthoff's reporting style and investigative journalism for the last eleven years on 3, he will be making his on-air debut at WVIT 30 after October 7, 2013. It is only one click up on most remotes in the Hartford area to be able to follow Len to his new home.

 

According to sources, Besthoff may be the first of upcoming departures of on air personalities from the station. WFSB is owned by the Meredith Corporation.

 

For more on this, check out the Connecticut Laurel Blog. The Laurel focuses on Connecticut Media personalities and their moves. The management e-mail and more on Len's departure is posted there

 

Best of Luck Len in your new endeavor

THE FULL REPORT

Rhonda Carroll Arrest Report

THE BEGINNING OF THE END?

Sources are confirming that the Connecticut Appeals Court has  ruled against State Representative Minnie Gonzalez and her appeal of charges levied by the State Elections Enforcement. This may open the way for a referral to the Office of the Chief State's Attorney for criminal prosecution.

Gonzalez does apparently have the option of appealing the ruling to the CT Supreme Court

The official ruling can be viewed below:

Gonzalez Appellate Decision

The case stems from allegations of voter and ballot fraud brought against Gonzalez in a 2006 case before the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

CITY EMPLOYEE AND CITY VEHICLE IN DUI CRASH

 

This is not a posting I look forward to posting, but in a sense of fairness, I think I have to. Both Rhonda and her husband are friends of mine. Please keep them both in your thoughts a they work through this difficult time, as well as the victim of the crash for a speedy and full recovery

 

 

FROM HPD:

At 9:30 pm Patrol units were dispatched to the area of Farmington Ave and Prospect Ave on a report of a head-on motor vehicle collision with a person trapped within one of the vehicles. One of the drivers appeared unconscious, but soon thereafter awoke. HFD arrived on scene and extricated the occupant due to the severity of the damage.  She was transported to St. Francis Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The second vehicle was a 2012 Ford Escape, owned by the City of Hartford. The operator had signs of intoxication, therefore; HPD Traffic DUI Enforcement responded and assisted in the DUI investigation.  CSD responded and processed the scene.  Both vehicles sustained extensive damage.  Preliminary investigation revealed that the Ford Escape was traveling south on Prospect Ave, and veered off into oncoming traffic, ultimately colliding head on with the vehicle traveling northbound. That vehicle crashed into a parked Jeep along the east curb line.  

The operator of the Ford Escape was formally charged with several motor vehicle violations, as well as DUI.  

Rhonda Moniz-Carroll   (Refused medical attention) City of Hartford-DPW
54 Cone St, Hartford CT

Charges:  DUI & Failure to Travel in the Proper Lane  Vehicle: 2012 Ford Escape   (Owned by City of Hartford) CT 240HFD  (Totaled)  

Other operator: Female from Hartford (Transported to St. Francis Hospital;  ankle injury & concussion Stable)

"ARREST ME, I DID IT, I BURNED HIM ALIVE" ANOTHER CASE OF THE JUDICIAL REVOLVING DOOR

Julia Rivera

 

 

 That was the chilling statement made to Hartford police Officers when they were arrived at a scene on South Street in Hartford last night. The female caller informed the dispatcher that she had just burned her boyfriend  to death.

The victim had actually fled the scene before the officer's arrival . A crime scene was located in the apartment.

The victim was eventually located at 18 South Street with severe 2nd degree burns over 70% of his body. The victim was eventually transported to the Bridgeport burn unit in critical condition. The burns were caused by the suspect dousing him in heated cooking oil.

The suspect , Julia Rivera was charged with assault 1st degree, reckless endangerment , criminal violation of a protective order and disorderly conduct..

Rivera had recently been arrested  by HPD after another domestic incident on August 20, 2013. She was released after that incident on a written promise to appear although the charges were apparently serious enough for a Judge to issue a protective order against her, the same order that she violated when she scalded the victim with boiling cooking oil last night.

Luckily for the victim, if he survives, Rivera is being held on a $200,000, at least until the Bail Commissioner reviews it, maybe another PTA.