Some guys just can't get a break. Read the latest embarrassment for the Christie Administration at watchdog.org , click here
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014
WHEN IT RAINS , IT POURS
Some guys just can't get a break. Read the latest embarrassment for the Christie Administration at watchdog.org , click here
A SINCERE THANK YOU
A structure fire on Bedford Street recently took the life of 4 year old Chantay Drake, her mother succumbed to her injuries from the fire a few days later. As with most families, no one really plans for the death of a child, and life insurance for Chantay was probably the furthest thing from her mother Susan Therrien's thoughts.
As a result of her tragic death, Chantay deserves to be laid to rest in a proper ceremony and burial.
To attempt accomplish that , I spoke with State Representative Doug McCrory of the 7th District. Doug is my State Rep and I also proudly serve with him on the Democratic Town Committee. I know Doug's passion for the City and its children and especially his commitment to children, both through Sports Programs and Education.
I contacted Doug and asked if he would help me establish a relief fund to accept donations for the burial and funeral expenses of Chantay and if extra money was collected the remainder would be used to establish a college fund for the surviving child, Kayla Drake. Doug readily agreed to help.
The next step was to call Marco Signorelli, the Director of the Hartford Municipal Employees Credit Union, to establish an account to accept donations. Within minutes, with the cooperation of Marco and his staff, the account was opened. Donations to the fund can be sent to the Hartford Municipal Employees Federal Credit Union at 443 Franklin Avenue, Hartford, CT 06114 c/o the "Bedford Street Fire Victims Fund". Thank you to Marco and his staff for their committment to Hartford.
Next was the issue of arranging for a Funeral and services and finding a Funeral Director that would arrange the services knowing that payment was not guaranteed. I called Frank Ahern of the Ahern Family Funeral Home. My family has known the Ahern's going back probably over 60 years to my grandmother who was very good friends with Francis Ahern, the original founder of the business.
I had a conversation previously with Frank Ahern at the wake for my Uncle at their Unionville location a couple years ago. During that conversation, Frank told me about a conversation and a promise he had made to his father before his father passed away. His father had a definite love for Hartford and apparently asked Frank to promise him that as long as the Ahern family remained in business they would always have a presence in Hartford. Frank agreed, and he lives true to that promise today.
I called Frank and imposed on him for a favor. I explained the situation and asked what he could do. Without hesitating he replied that I should tell Chantay's family that the Ahern Family would take care of Chantay's needs without question. There apparently are some state benefits available that will offset some of the cash expenses, grave openings, death certificates, the vault and other required items,. Other than that, the Ahern's are taking care of the arrangements.
In the end, after the necessary costs are covered , that will hopefully allow the remainder of the Fund to be set aside to establish a College fund for Kayla so that when she turns 18, she will have a head start on obtaining an education It will be a difficult road for Kayla without her sister and her mother, but she is very fortunate to have a loving aunt and Grandmother who are caring for her now.
This has been a very difficult and trying time, but , despite being a terrible tragedy it is also gratifying to see people coming together and forging ahead to ensure that Chantay has a proper and respectful ceremony to make sure she is able to rest in peace..
In addition to Frank Ahern and Marco Signorelli, I would like to also thank Andrea Comer and Marta Bentham for their diligence and commitment to Kayla and Chantay. To all of the donor's that are making this possible, thank you also. If you haven't sent a check yet, please consider doing so any amount is greatly appreciated. And also keep in mind that we are still collecting items for the burned out families also, clothing and household items to help them get back on their feet can be dropped off at Trinity Episcopal Church at 120 Sigourney Street in Hartford, Monday through Thursday from 9:00am to 3:00PM. The office is closed on Friday's. Or on Sunday during Church Services
One thing I am sure Hartford does have are caring people that step up during difficult times. My sincerest thanks and gratitude to all.
Below are the details for Chantay's Services:
Shantay Lynn Drake 2009 - 2014 | Obituary |
Shantay Lynn Drake, 4, of Hartford, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 28th, 2014. Shantay was born April 3, 2009 in Hartford to Bobby Drake and Susan Therrien. Shantay was a student at Jumoke Academy at Milner School where she will be dearly missed. Her mother Susan has joined her in Heaven. She is survived and was extremely loved by her father Bobby who misses her hugs and vampire smiles, her inseparable sister Kayla Drake, many brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. We know our little angel is hugging our Lord and Savior. Friends may call at the Christian Liberty Center, 23 Vine St., Hartford on the corner of Vine Street and Albany Avenue on Saturday (Feb. 8) from 10:00-11:00am followed by a Celebration of her Life at 11:00am in the Christian Liberty Center. Burial will be in Spring Grove Cemetery, 2035 Main St., Hartford. Arrangements are being handled by The Ahern Funeral Homes, Inc., www.ahernfuneralhome.com. Published in The Hartford Courant on Feb. 4, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
THIS IS CRAZY
This posting will be brief since it is almost 3:30am
Hartford Police are on the scene of another shooting. This one has a strange twist though. The victim, if you can call him that, is Alexander Bradley. Bradley was the guy that Aaron Hernandez , yeah that Aaron, the former Patriot now sitting in a jail cell accused of murder, Hernandez allegedly shot Bradley in the eye. Bradley, 33, has filed a civil lawsuit against Hernandez, claiming he was shot in the face by the former player in February 2013 as they were driving in Florida after arguing in a Miami strip club.
Bradley was apparently shot several times in the legs and groin area inside a bar at 151 Meadow Street. He then left and went to his cousins car outside to retrieve his gun. The car belongs to Bradley's cousin who happens to be a Corrections Officer. From what sources are telling me, workers inside the club saw Bradley returning with the gun and they locked the front door. Bradley then fired 11 rounds through the front window into the club.
Luckily for those inside, Bradley was shooting with only one eye and no one inside the club was hit.
Bradley was apprehended by HPD as they fled the scene in his cousins car a couple blocks away. Bradley was bleeding profusely and was transported to Hartford Hospital.
Sources also stated that Bradley, umm, how do I say this, was less of a man than he was when he started the night due to the gun shots to his groin area.
Hartford Police are on the scene of another shooting. This one has a strange twist though. The victim, if you can call him that, is Alexander Bradley. Bradley was the guy that Aaron Hernandez , yeah that Aaron, the former Patriot now sitting in a jail cell accused of murder, Hernandez allegedly shot Bradley in the eye. Bradley, 33, has filed a civil lawsuit against Hernandez, claiming he was shot in the face by the former player in February 2013 as they were driving in Florida after arguing in a Miami strip club.
Bradley was apparently shot several times in the legs and groin area inside a bar at 151 Meadow Street. He then left and went to his cousins car outside to retrieve his gun. The car belongs to Bradley's cousin who happens to be a Corrections Officer. From what sources are telling me, workers inside the club saw Bradley returning with the gun and they locked the front door. Bradley then fired 11 rounds through the front window into the club.
Luckily for those inside, Bradley was shooting with only one eye and no one inside the club was hit.
Bradley was apprehended by HPD as they fled the scene in his cousins car a couple blocks away. Bradley was bleeding profusely and was transported to Hartford Hospital.
Sources also stated that Bradley, umm, how do I say this, was less of a man than he was when he started the night due to the gun shots to his groin area.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
THE DRONE MYSTERY
For Law Enforcement, drones , and their use, pose a certain set of questions about their safe operation. Crime scene tape is usually sufficient to keep the media at bay while evidence is being collected. In the case of a drone, sensitive video and evidence can be obtained from a drone hovering overhead, with virtually unrestricted access to a crime scene.
Yesterday the drone was hovering over the scene of a fatal accident on Main Street. Although HPD did what they could to cover the dead body of the crash victim still in the car, from the street level view, I would imagine that the aerial view might possibly reveal a much more different sight. Does any family want to see a video showing up on "you tube" of their maimed relative lying dead in the vehicle?
I strongly believe in the public's and the media's right to know. I think HPD has shown over the last year or two that they are extremely open and transparent and share as much information as possible. Victim and suspect information as well as photographs of the individuals and evidence are normally e-mailed to the media within hours after an incident.
A drone shooting aerial video could possibly compromise investigations by exposing all evidence on the ground that might be crucial to the investigation. It also is a large officer safety issue. In this day and age of "instant media" I don't think a lot of television stations consider what they are putting out in the effort to be the first to report "breaking news. Many times the instant video is exposing strategic locations of police officers.
The images of Emergency Response Teams or 'SWAT" officers makes for great images with officers armed with assault rifles and military garb jumping out of armored vehicles. The problem is that in most cases, the same individuals that they are called to apprehend also have television sets and could also be watching the live shots of those same officers arriving on scene, courtesy of your local network station.
This happened a few years ago after a couple HPD officers were shot on Zion Street during a drug raid. At that time a local station had a helicopter. As the scene unfolded, the chopper was hovering overhead transmitting live video of every officers location around the perimeter of the building. HPD was able to quickly get the air space over the scene closed by the FAA and the chopper was forced to shut down its video and exit the area.
A drone could potentially do the same thing. Apparently the drone's camera has the capacity to transmit video back to a smart phone or receiver and then be sent out to anyone the operator decided The FAA still has control over the use of drones and the airspace the drone operates in. The use of a drone is not just something any hobbyist can do unrestricted , there are numerous federal regulations governing their use with apparently stiff penalties for reported violations
The mystery use of the drone that has been concerning HPD was solved yesterday. The operator was located and identified as a cameraman for a local television station and from what sources told me, he was transmitting the live video back to his station. I would imagine this situation is not over yet as new technology brings new challenges to law enforcement.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
MORE ON THE BROKEN JUDICIAL SYSTEM
After I posted the earlier story about Shermane Rose, I was sent the link to a Hartford Courant archive story about Rose's original crime.
It begs the question... "why is this guy even out on the street, running with guns and running from the police"
This might be a good story to dig into and try to figure this out. Here is alink to the Courant story from 2001
Here is the actual text from the story:
It begs the question... "why is this guy even out on the street, running with guns and running from the police"
This might be a good story to dig into and try to figure this out. Here is alink to the Courant story from 2001
Here is the actual text from the story:
Man Charged With 1998 Homicide
Bloomfield Teen Was Fatally Shot In Alleged Kidnap Attempt
Hartford
police say they solved a 3-year-old homicide Friday when they arrested a
man who allegedly shot and killed 17-year-old Joey Nealey in broad
daylight on Albany Avenue.
Sharmane ``Mane'' Rose, 21, of Albany Avenue, who is in prison on an unrelated offense, now faces capital felony murder, felony murder, kidnapping and robbery charges. He could face the death penalty, Lt. Mark Pawlina, head of the Hartford police major crimes division, said.
Sharmane ``Mane'' Rose, 21, of Albany Avenue, who is in prison on an unrelated offense, now faces capital felony murder, felony murder, kidnapping and robbery charges. He could face the death penalty, Lt. Mark Pawlina, head of the Hartford police major crimes division, said.
Nealey,
a Bloomfield High School student who liked to hang out on Albany Avenue
around Kent and Adams streets, initially heeded his mother's warning to
stay off the streets in January 1998, after a friend was killed in a
drive-by shooting.
But he was drawn back there the afternoon of Jan. 23 of that year when, witnesses told police and his mother, Phyllis, two men tried to kidnap her son from the street corner moments before the shooting. Nealey fought back, even though a man had a gun to his back.
When Nealey refused to empty his pockets, the man allegedly shot Nealey in the head. That man was Rose, police said Friday.
Nealey died two days later at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. Early in the investigation, Dets. Robert Dionne and Stephen Grabowski arrested two men, Christopher Brown and Benjamin Smith, who police said helped the shooter.
Smith was convicted in August for his involvement in the Nealey case. Smith pleaded guilty in June to third-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery. The latter plea was entered under the Alford doctrine, meaning Smith did not admit guilt but acknowledged that the state had enough evidence to convict him. He is currently serving more than 18 years in prison for his involvement in two unrelated robberies.
No court information was available Friday about Brown's case.
Of Rose's arrest, Phyllis Nealey, of Hartford, said, ``I was happy and grateful when they found him.''
But she said she doesn't want Rose to face the death penalty. ``I hope they give him life. I wouldn't want him to die. I'd love for him to spend the rest of his life in jail thinking about what he did to my son,'' Nealey said.
The young Nealey loved lifting weights and listening to rap and R&B music. He is still missed by his family, including three relatives who have named their children after him.
``His name is living on,'' she said.
But he was drawn back there the afternoon of Jan. 23 of that year when, witnesses told police and his mother, Phyllis, two men tried to kidnap her son from the street corner moments before the shooting. Nealey fought back, even though a man had a gun to his back.
When Nealey refused to empty his pockets, the man allegedly shot Nealey in the head. That man was Rose, police said Friday.
Nealey died two days later at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. Early in the investigation, Dets. Robert Dionne and Stephen Grabowski arrested two men, Christopher Brown and Benjamin Smith, who police said helped the shooter.
Smith was convicted in August for his involvement in the Nealey case. Smith pleaded guilty in June to third-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery. The latter plea was entered under the Alford doctrine, meaning Smith did not admit guilt but acknowledged that the state had enough evidence to convict him. He is currently serving more than 18 years in prison for his involvement in two unrelated robberies.
No court information was available Friday about Brown's case.
Of Rose's arrest, Phyllis Nealey, of Hartford, said, ``I was happy and grateful when they found him.''
But she said she doesn't want Rose to face the death penalty. ``I hope they give him life. I wouldn't want him to die. I'd love for him to spend the rest of his life in jail thinking about what he did to my son,'' Nealey said.
The young Nealey loved lifting weights and listening to rap and R&B music. He is still missed by his family, including three relatives who have named their children after him.
``His name is living on,'' she said.
THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IS DEFINITELY BROKEN
Crash scene on Brown Street
Photo Courtesy of Anonymous Source
The vehicle above is part of the results of an accident caused by a couple of convicted felons who were fleeing from the Hartford Police and members of the Shooting Task Force. That isn't entirely unusual but the convicted felons in the vehicle were and when you finish reading, you will wonder why they were on the streets at all.
It all started when members of the STF were in the area of the Cleveland Cafe on Main Street. Due to recent gunfire in the area as well as a recent shooting, the area was getting increased attention from the STF. A minivan with New York plates attracted their attention and officers eventually conducted a traffic stop and approached the vehicle in the area of 251 Asylum Street.
As officers approached the vehicle , they noticed the front seat passenger making movements and appeared to be reaching for something alongside the front door. As officers approached, the vehicle sped off and headed for I-91 South from Pulaski Circle. The van exited at the Airport Road exit. HPD Officer Parker laid out stop sticks in an effort to deflate the vans tires and force it to stop. The van proceeded west on Airport Road and in the area of Franklin and Brown, the driver lost control and crashed.
The only injuries in the crash were to the vans 2 passengers, Shermane Rose and James Canidate, The operator of the van fled on foot and despite the use of a Police K-9 to track him, the effort was unsuccessful.
Now here is where it seems to get interesting. Remember during the original stop on Asylum as Officers approached the van they observed the movement by the passenger door by the front seat passenger? After the crash, police located a fully loaded Luger 9mm Hi Point handgun in the door pocket , along with several grams of crack cocaine.
The real interesting part is that Shermane Rose was convicted of Murder, Robbery and Kidnapping in 2001 He was sentenced to 20-30 years in prison at his sentencing. I am not sure how long he has been out, but he definitely seems to have served less than 13 years on a possible 30 year Murder Sentence.. And not to mention running around with a gun and crack cocaine and eluding the Police.
Our Courts and the judicial system are failing us when they put violent criminals back on our streets after serving about one third of their sentence. The police can only do so much. Apparently they had already built a case against Rose that resulted in his conviction on Murder , Robbery and Kidnapping charges. I think it is safe to say they did their part.
What now for Mr. Rose? A few hours of Community Service? Gun control can only go so far if we aren't serious about getting convicted felons with weapons off of our streets.
The official release from HPD:
On February 1st, 2014 at 12:01am, members of the
Shooting Task Force (STF) were conducting directed patrols in the area
of Main Street at Cleveland Avenue. A blue Dodge minivan with a NY
registration was observed traveling at a high rate
of speed south on Main Street. Officers attempted to catch up to the
vehicle on Main Street at Asylum Street. The minivan turned west on
Asylum Street and went through a red traffic control signal at Trumbull
Street. A motor vehicle stop was conducted in the
area of 251 Asylum Street by STF Officers. When the officers approached
the minivan, the front passenger made furtive movements as if he was
reaching for an item along the side of the door. At that point the
operator accelerated away from the officers. Officers
followed the vehicle to Pulaski Circle and onto Interstate 91 south
bound and kept a visual on the vehicle from a safe distance. Officers
advised via radio that the vehicle was exiting off exit 27 towards
Airport Road. As the vehicle approached Airport Road,
Officer Parker deployed stop sticks deflating the mini vans tires. The
minivan continued west on Airport Road, across Wethersfield Avenue. On
Brown Street just west of Franklin Avenue, the minivan lost control and
struck one occupied vehicle and one parked
vehicle. Vehicles were heavily damaged. The only injuries to occur were
non-life threatening injuries to the two passengers in the minivan
(Accused Rose and Canidate). The operator fled on foot and has yet to be
located. Located in the passenger side front
door pocket was a Luger Hi-Point 9mm pistol with a chambered round and
magazine containing ten (10) live rounds of ammunition. Also located was
several grams of Crack Cocaine.
Investigation will continue the investigation to identify the operator of the vehicle.
Both Rose and Canidate are convicted felons with extensive criminal histories.
Rose was convicted of Murder, Robbery and Kidnapping in 2001.
Canidate is a career
criminal with 35 previous arrest (just in Hartford) dating back to
1993, with numerous Narcotics and Firearms related convictions.
Arrest #1: Shermane Rose, 34, of 21-23 Capen Street, Hartford CT.
Charges: Weapon in M/V, Criminal Possession of a Firearm and Possession / PWITS Narcotic charges.
Arrest #2:James Canidate, 37, of 4 Cornell Street, Hartford CT. (35 Previous Arrests)
Charges: Weapon in M/V, Criminal Possession of a Firearm and Possession / PWITS Narcotic charges.
Shermane Rose
SOMEONE HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO
It is never a good thing to lose $160,000 of your bosses money. Especially when that boss may allegedly be a drug dealer.
Hartford Police along with other agencies served a search warrant at a home at 34 Pembroke Street in Hartford Friday evening. During that search Police recovered a Colt .38 Special firearm, ammunition, approximately 15 grams of crack cocaine, drug packaging materials and $164,700 in U.S. Currency.
Hartford Police along with other agencies served a search warrant at a home at 34 Pembroke Street in Hartford Friday evening. During that search Police recovered a Colt .38 Special firearm, ammunition, approximately 15 grams of crack cocaine, drug packaging materials and $164,700 in U.S. Currency.
The target of the investigation, a convicted felon, Michael Fairnot DOB 4/17/57 34 Pembroke Street Hartford, CT. He was charged with Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Possession Narcotics, PWITS Narcotics, PWITS within 1500 feet of a School, Operating a Drug Factory ( PWITS= Possesssion with intent to sell)
It is difficult to lose $160,000, but I would guess that right about now, jail might be the safest place for Mr. Fairnot to be when his boss comes looking for his money
CAN YOU PUT A PRICE ON POSITIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS ?
.JPG)
A crowd gathers around Daley and Hartford Police Mounted Officer Flynn
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the "luxury" of the Hartford Mounted Police Unit. Today I was at the last day of skating at the Winterfest Ice Rink in Bushnell Park. I was watching as Mayor Segarra arrived at the rink. There wasn't even much notice by most in attendance, a few people approached him for the obligatory hellos and handshakes.
.JPG)
A child petting the nose of Cody in Bushnell Park
.JPG)
A man and his horse. Hartford Police Chief James Rovella nnd Daley discussing the HPD Budget
It dawned on me as I listened that this may be the first interaction for most of these children and maybe even adults with a Police Officer. How do you put a price on the value of that contact? I have never seen anyone approach an officer in a cruiser as quickly as they did to an officer on horseback. Hopefully that will be an image the people will remember for years and realize that police officers are actually pretty decent people and not something to be feared.
How can any Councilperson or budgetary wonk put a price on that. The mounted police may be a luxury but a luxury we need and a luxury we need to find a way to afford. I didn't see anyone approaching the Mayor's scheduler to pet his nose as he accompanied Segarra on the ice. Now there is a luxury we can't afford..
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