Stratford firefighters contain a fire to a detached garage on Stonybrook Road Feb. 16. (Stratford Fire Department photo)

Stratford firefighters and six equipment apparatus were dispatched to 460 Stonybrook Rd. for a garage fire on Sunday afternoon Feb. 16. The first to arrive reported a detached garage heavily involved with fire, approximately 15 feet from a house. The fire was knocked down with no injuries reported.

Fire marshal Brian Lampart reported that the fire was contained to a two-car detached garage with two vehicles located on the inside. The fire apparently started on the inside of the Ford Escort shortly after the owner experienced an odd, unidentified noise coming from the engine compartment, Lampart said.

The owner attempted to extinguish the fire prior to calling the fire department but was unable to suppress the flames. The fire consumed the car, damaged the vehicle adjacent to it and heavily damaged the garage.

The fire is still under investigation to determine an exact cause, however, at this time, Lampart said, “It is more likely a mechanical problem with the Ford Escort that initiated the fire.”

There were no injuries reported.

Michael Meade

Michael Meade, 25, of Stratford, was arrested on Feb. 4, by warrant for multiple burglaries in the town. Investigators linked Meade to residential burglaries which occurred on Highland Avenue, Tucci Drive, Henry Avenue, Canaan Road and Broadbridge Avenue.

Meade was charged with several counts of Burglary and Larceny. He was subsequently held on bond.

Terell Reid

Terell Reid, age 27, of Bridgeport, was arrested by Stratford Police on Feb. 12, following a narcotics investigation. Reid was the subject of an investigation conducted by members of the Narcotics Unit.

Search and arrest warrants were served for Reid at his home on Granfield Avenue in Bridgeport, with the help of the Bridgeport Emergency Services Unit. During that warrant, service investigators found that Reid was in possession of a loaded 9mm handgun, as well as crack cocaine and a small amount of marijuana.

Reid was taken into custody and charged with the following: Illegal manufacturing or sale of prescription medication; Distribution of a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a schoo; Failure to properly store a loaded firearm; and Risk of injury to a minor.

Reid was held on a $100,000 dollar bond.

Randy Frank Thomas, age 57, of Massachusetts, was charged with strangulation on Feb. 16, following a domestic disturbance with his girlfriend in Stratford.

During the incident Thomas allegedly hit and attempted to strangle her during. When officers arrived on scene they found that several items in the home were broken and the victim had obvious injuries.

Thomas immediately surrendered to officers and was subsequently taken into custody for the assault.

Thomas was charged with strangulation, assault and disorderly conduct. He was held on a $100,000 bond.

Thomas also had two outstanding warrants for violation of probation.

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part story on the Stratford Police Department.

As the Stratford Police Department combats recent increases in burglaries and automobile thefts and continues to make more arrests of narcotics criminals (see story Jan. 31, page 1), Chief Patrick Ridenhour has challenges managing the internal affairs of the department, too.

A top concern of Ridenhour, he told The Star during a January interview, is to make the department personnel “realize there are no hidden agendas” held by the department administrators.

Ridenhour, who came to Stratford from the Waterbury Police Department, said there is a problem “in policing in general — not just Stratford — where people feel there is a disconnect” between front line officers and a department’s administration. “I am trying to make [the front line officers] realize that we are here for them.”

One way he does that, the chief said, is by changing assignments of his personnel, so they learn a variety of aspects of policing and running a department and become truly qualified for promotion to a higher rank. By giving officers experience in a variety of duties and by providing leadership opportunities, Ridenhour aims to have a high level of job satisfaction throughout the department.

Ridenhour said he considers his job to “provide support and resources to officers to get the job done, and I take that very seriously,” as well as to keep the community safe and improve relations with community. It is a dual job of “officer safety and public safety.”

Staffing and budget
The Stratford Police Department is currently budgeted to have 108 officers, but it has 93 officers. “We are trying to get back to 2009 staffing levels,” which budgeted for 112 officers and had 108, Ridenhour said.

He said he is hoping to add 10 new hires, who would be untrained, in the next few months, to get to 103, and possibly add two already-certified officers to get to 105.

“If we can maintain 104 or 105, there could possibly be a drop in overtime” rates paid to current personnel, said Ridenhour.
Most of the new hires would be added to patrol duty, he said.

Of the department’s $10-million budget, about 5% goes to pay overtime. We are diligent managing what money we are given,” Ridenhour said. Overtime, he said, is “consistent at about $500K to $525K,” which he considers “not exorbitant.” Ridenhour said you cannot eliminate it; it is normal to have some overtime costs as some officers get sick or hurt or go off to military service.

He added, “It is not that easy to hire people.” Most who are hired are uncertified, and they take a year of training.

There is always some concern from the public about the amount of money paid in overtime, and how overtime may be used to drive up a pension benefit as retirement approaches. Officers and administrators are both concerned about possible misconceptions by the public.

Officers seen standing on the streets around utility company jobs are often on duty for non-town contractors, Ridenhour said. The companies hire police for traffic and personnel safety, and often pay the town for the police time. Those private-duty jobs do not count toward pension, which is based only on pay from the town, Ridenhour said.
He added that private-duty jobs do pay at higher overtime rates, which is good for the workers, but those payments are not calculated toward pensions.

Three benefits plans are in place for police officers. Plan A calculates a pension based on all town pay during the last two years of employment. The number of personnel in this plan is declining, the chief said. Plan B bases pension amounts on the years of service and the final-year salary and does not calculate overtime into the pension. This covers the majority of department members, according to Ridenhour. Plan C is for new hires and has no pension. Those workers have a 401(k) in their benefits package.

Mapping and mentoring
Elsewhere with internal affairs, the chief is excited about the department’s high-technology crime mapping system. The technology highlights “hot spots” for activities like crime and accidents, and the mapping is customizable by shift and duty of police. The system is not brand-new, said the chief, but personnel are getting more familiar using it, and it is now readily available to shift commanders throughout the department.

On a personal front, Chief Ridenhour has been a mentor in recent years to a Stratford High School student and later started mentoring a Second Hill Lane student. Ridenhour remains a mentor for that student, who is now at Flood Middle School.

“It makes me feel like I am making a difference,” Ridenhour said of mentoring. “It is what this job is all about — giving back. I like being a public servant.”

Stratford Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour. Greg Reilly photo.

DUI

Lee J. Bargo, 24, of Stratford, was arrested for driving under the influence on Feb. 23 after police responded to a report of a car driven into a snowbank. Police say that when they arrived at the scene Bargo showed signs of intoxication and failed a field sobriety test.

A man was seen on Feb. 3 walking erratically to his truck and then drove away, according to a police report. The witness called police who located the vehicle and pulled it over on Mary Street. The driver, Gary Camp, 49 of Stratford, was indicating signs of intoxication, according to police. Camp failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence and failure to obey a stop sign.

Forgery, credit card theft

A local woman complained to Stratford police last September that her soon-to-be ex-husband opened a credit card account in the woman’s name. Police say that over a period of time the man, Jason Lamonica, 33, of Milford, charged about $37,000 to the account in the woman’s name. After a lengthy investigation police issued a warrant for Lamonica’s arrest. He turned himself in to Stratford police on Feb. 19 and was charged with identity theft, forgery, illegal use of a credit card, and credit card theft.

Refusing to be fingerprinted

A Bridgeport man, Joseph Carter, 48, was arrested on Feb. 19 for shoplifting some baby formula from CVS. Carter made matters worse by allegedly using physical force to get away, which led to a robbery charge on top of larceny, and then being charged with refusing to be fingerprinted after he was uncooperative with police.

Burglary

Michael L. Nevells, 20, of Stratford, was arrested for burglary and violating conditions of a release on Feb. 3. Police say that Nevells was arrested earlier for stealing a snowblower from his father. As a condition of release from police custody, Nevells was told not to go back to the father’s residence, according to a report. Allegedly Nevells went back to the residence to take more items. Police responded to a complaint and make the arrest.

Drugs and speeding

Police say an officer on Feb. 7 witnessed a car speeding and discovered the registration had expired a year ago. When they used sirens and lights to have the car pull over, the car did not stop, according to police. The car eventually stopped on Columbus Avenue. The driver, Jerome Smith, 32 of Stratford, was found in possession of what was suspected to be crack cocaine and marijuana. He was arrested on charges of illegal drug possession, engaging police in pursuit and driving without registration and insurance.

Gunshot

Police responded to a local hospital on a report of a gunshot wound on Nov. 26, 2013. A woman said she accidentally shot herself. When police went to a residence to investigate, Ishmael Marrow II denied knowing where the gun was, but a gun was found in his backpack. The investigation concluded on Jan. 27 when police arrested Marrow for tampering with evidence and interfering with an officer.

Stratford Fire Department at the scene of a fire at McDonald’s restaurant on Barnum Avenue Cutoff on Feb. 20. The fire was contained to the kitchen. John Kovach photo.

A suspected grease fire has closed the McDonald’s restaurant on Barnum Avenue Cutoff, near Restaurant 99, Thursday morning, Feb. 20.

Firefighters responded to the call at about 7 a.m. and cleared the premises. Stratford Health Department also responded to the scene.

The fire was quickly extinguished by fire department personnel and damage was contained to a deep fryer and the area in close proximity, according to the department.

Damage was significant enough to suspend business operations.

Andrea L. Boissevain, Stratford’s director of health, said her staff was at the fire scene “nearly all day inventorying food to be thrown out, issued the required Cease and Desist letter (they were in no shape to operate), and provided direction for cleanup.”

She said her workers “returned at the end of the day for inspection, [McDonald’s] passed and they reopened by 6 p.m.

The Stratford fire marshal’s office was conducting an investigation into the cause of this fire.

Breaking into car

Police report that the recognized a man walking along Main Street on Feb. 27 and followed him as he went onto Linden Street, near the railroad station. Police say the man, Cale Haslam, 23, of Stratford walked along checking the door handles of parked cars to find a car unlocked and was seen breaking into a car. Police arrested Haslam who was in possession of stolen $1.31 in change. He was also in possession of a white powder that was believed to be cocaine. Charges were larceny, burglary and illegal possession of controlled substance.

Drug sale

After police had received complaints about possible drug sales near West Avenue, they patrolled the area and observed a person walk up to the window of an automobile with New York registration and apparently make an exchange on Feb. 24. Police say they then followed the car, which did not signal a turn. The driver, Shanice Breeden, 25, of Bridgeport was found to be in possession of crack cocaine and not on the rental agreement of the rented car she was driving, according to police. She was charged with possession with intent to sell narcotics near a school and using a motor vehicle without owner’s permission.

Drugs and reckless driving

Police had received reports of possible drug sales in a Knowlton Street neighborhood and were patrolling the area on Feb. 25 when they say they witnessed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. After the car allegedly speeded through a yield sign police followed the car onto I-95 and off at Exit 33. After the car stopped in the middle of the road, police say that the driver, Daniel Williams, 36, of Stratford, admitted to discarding drugs from the vehicle. Williams was charged with tampering with evidence, engaging police in pursuit and reckless driving.

DUI

Police responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident on Thompson Street on March 1 and found that a vehicle driven by Carlos Maldonado, 35, of Stratford has struck a parked car. Police noticed an odor of alcohol and signs that Maldonado may have been intoxicated. Maldonado failed a field sobriety test and was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence and failure to drive right.

An 18-year-old Torrington woman was arrested by Torrington police and faces charges related to verbally threatening Stratford and Danbury schools, NBC Connecticut reported March 5.

Natalie A. Carpenter was arrested Tuesday afternoon after making “verbal threats concerning acts of violence at schools in Danbury and Stratford,” according to Torrington police.

Officials in Danbury and Stratford were notified of the threats Monday, police told NBC Connecticut.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said Bunnell and Danbury high schools received threats. No specific students were targeted, according to NBC, and the town has stepped up security at both high schools, and parents have been notified.

Carpenter was reportedly charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree assault and criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault and held on a $300,000 bond and appeared in court Wednesday morning.

Police said the investigation is ongoing.

Check back to this website for more updates.

Following their arrest of former Stratford resident Natalie A. Carpenter on Tuesday March 4 on felony charges of first degree attempting to commit assault and conspiracy to commit assault resulting from threatening a school in Stratford, Torrington police said today that they expect to arrest a 19-year-old Torrington resident on the same charges related to the same crimes. A warrant has been issued for the arrest.

Police say the male suspect, whose name they are withholding, is currently receiving medical care at a secure facility, and arrangements have been made with the health care facility to take him into custody immediately upon his release.

Natalie Carpenter was arraigned March 5 at Bantam Superior Court and remains in custody on a $300,000 bond, at Women’s Correctional facility in Niantic, according to Lt. Bruce Whiteley of Torrington police.

The investigation remains open, but no further arrests are anticipated, Whiteley reported.

Carpenter, 18 of Torrington, was arrested following a complaint that she had made threats concerning acts of violence at schools in Stratford and Danbury. Officials in those areas were notified of this incident on Monday. Police have not said if a particular Stratford school was named or targeted. Court documents are under seal.

Timing of notification
Torrington police report, “Officials in those areas (Stratford and Danbury) were notified of this incident on Monday March 3.

Stratford Superintendent of Schools Dr. Janet Robinson told families of Stratford Public Schools in a March 6 email that Stratford police received information from Torrington police on Wednesday March 5 about the Carpenter arrest.

“We were informed that the person already had been arrested and hospitalized, possibly one or two days earlier,” Robinson said in her letter to parents.

“At the time we received this report it was clear that the individual was already in custody,” Robinson said in her letter. It continued, “It was also clear from the police report that the individual, who had been in a supervised group home, was being held in a facility quite a distance from Stratford. The one thing that was not clear at the time was whether the threat was directed against Bunnell or Stratford High School.

“In light of these details, the administrators of the high schools elected not to notify parents since any potential threat or danger to students or staff had already been neutralized. However, the Stratford Police Department did increase security patrols around both schools in order to provide an extra level of security, and both high school resource officers were asked to be especially vigilant,” according to Robinson’s letter.

Further addressing the timing of notification of school parents, Robinson said in her letter, “We will notify parents and staff any time we have reason to believe that notice would help to protect or reassure staff and students. In this instance, however, we believed that there was no advantage in notifying you about a remote threat that had already been addressed effectively by law enforcement.”

Dr. Janet Robinson, superintendent of Stratford Public Schools. Greg Reilly photo

Due to the many carbon monoxide stories recently exposed to the public, the Stratford Fire Marshal’s Office would like to offer some guidance and facts about the poisonous gas that we all may encounter in our homes and at businesses that we may visit.

Carbon Monoxide is a deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. This gas is produced by the incomplete combustion of various fuels, including natural gas, propane, heating fuel oil, wood, coal, and kerosene. Many of us sleep in a house and or work in a building that generates heat (including cooking appliances) using one or more of the fuels described above.

The early symptoms related to a low or moderate exposure of carbon monoxide are very similar to flu symptoms, including, but not limited to: headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness.

An overexposure to, or an excessive amount of, carbon monoxide introduced to the body may result in a more severe reaction including vomiting, loss of consciousness or even death.

Much like being alerted to a fire, the most reliable notification should come from an early warning device such as a carbon monoxide detector. These alarms should be located in an area that can best sample the air we breathe, including the area outside any sleeping rooms.

If carbon monoxide is detected, it is important to vacate the area — preferably to the outside — leaving the conditions just as they are, and call 911.

Do not attempt to ventilate any rooms by opening windows and or doors as this can make it difficult for firefighters to detect and or locate the source. It should be a priority to remove yourself, family and pets to fresh air whenever carbon monoxide is detected or if symptoms become noticeable.

Residents should feel free to contact their local fire marshal’s office for answers to any questions related to this matter.

Stratford police report that they increased enforcement of town ordinances regarding snow removal, abandoned vehicles in streets and alternative side of the street emergency parking plan.

According to Lt. Curtis Eller, who oversees the traffic division of the Police Department, during the two-week period between Feb. 12 and Feb. 26, the numbers of citations issued for violations are:

Unshoveled sidewalks — 20; parking too far from curb — 13; parking on wrong side of the street — 14; obstructing sidewalk with vehicle — 1; parking in spot designated for handicapped — 5; parking in no-parking zone — 16; parking the wrong way — 3; parking too close to fire hydrant — 3; parking too close to a corner — 1.

During this period 35 vehicles were towed away, according to Eller.
Stratford ordinances ask residents to cooperate with the following guidelines (excerpted):

Alternate side of the street parking: Regulations are automatically in effect during any period of ice or snow accumulation. The municipal ordinance prohibits any person who has access to a driveway from parking on the adjoining public street during a snow or ice emergency.

Parking is permitted on the odd-numbered side of the street from 8 a.m. of the odd-numbered day to 8 a.m. the following morning and only on the even-numbered side of the street from 8 a.m. of the even-numbered day to 8 a.m. the following morning.

Town snowplows will push the snow in front of a driveway. Each homeowner is responsible for access to his or her driveway.
Property owners are responsible for removing snow and ice from the sidewalk along their property line within 24 hours after the storm and keeping the sidewalks clear of snow and ice.

The town prohibits private snowplow contractors or residents from pushing or blowing snow from driveways, parking lots or sidewalks onto town streets.

Town ordinance bans parking on both sides of the street during and shortly after snow storms, because it makes it impossible for plows to clear the snow to the street curb. The problem is evident here on Jackson Street Feb. 13. Greg Reilly photo.

Stratford police officers are assigned in Stratford Public Schools’ middle and high schools as a community resource, a parent resource, a department resource, and an administrative resource.

At Wooster and Flood middle schools and Stratford and Bunnell high schools, the school resource officers, or SROs, park their cruisers in front of the school or nearby. They wear their uniform to work every day, including their service weapon, and that uniform carries the weight of respect and meaning from the kids, and the community.

“It’s true,” said Lt. Melissa Niemiec, who oversees support services, which includes the SRO program, school safety and the Police Activities League. “The uniform itself is like a kind of ‘force.’”

To help, not write tickets
Officer Al Voccola is assigned to Wooster. He left patrol 11 years ago to take up his position as SRO. He’s 53, and his own children are past school age, yet he says he connects with the middle school kids. He surprises them by knowing their music, knowing their apps, and most of all, knowing how to intervene when trouble is afoot.

“The kids don’t look at me as a police officer,” Voccola said. “I’m ‘Al’ not Patrol Officer Voccola. I am not in the hallway writing tickets. They don’t question it. It is a positive reality. Kids come up to me in the hall and tease and talk to me. They know they can come to me, and they know I am here to help, not to hurt.”

The whiteboard behind his desk, covered with silly words of thanks and love from students, is proof of his relationship there.

Voccola, along with Frank Sapione at Flood, Trish Tesla at Bunnell and Jose Escobar at Stratford High, make up the team of SROs in the district. These SROs work a beat in the schools that may be more proactive than being on patrol. They are there for prevention. For the kids, they are counselors and educators. The SROs develop educational programs for the district on bullying, drugs, sexting, driving programs, and social media, to name a few.

They are there, in the hallways, to say hello and to just answer a kid’s question about a cell phone app, or give advice about bullying. Recently one student pulled the fire alarm at Wooster and another student felt comfortable to say, ‘Officer Voccola! I can tell you who did it!’

Helping troubled youths
But students do make mistakes, get in trouble and get arrested. Tough domestic situations at home invade school life. The administration and the SROs work together to intervene and provide support, Voccola says.

“One time this mother came up to me and hugged me and thanked me, saying, ‘You arrested my daughter!’” Voccola says. “What happened was after the arrest, I gave her all the information to help the daughter out, the people to contact, and the daughter later turns out wonderful. That’s the resource part of my job.”

Social media
One of the biggest vulnerabilities, the SROs and the administrators agree, is right in each student’s pocket — mobile phones. The SROs agree this is the students’ biggest distraction. Voccola stays on top of the latest apps. He says Facebook is dead for kids, SnapChat is on the way out, and the next latest app is just waiting to be discovered.

“We will tell these kids, Be careful what you put out there because you can’t erase it,” Voccola says. “You maybe want be a teacher or a cop someday? Well, they want you to sign a release for all your social media. Even going to colleges now, they look at this.”
Last week, Bunnell SRO Tesla bused students from Stratford High School for a texting and driving simulator class. On monitors, students are able to watch a fellow student drive a real car while texting and see the terrifying results.

“The texting and the inappropriate texting is our biggest problem,” Tesla says. “Getting them to the point they understand the full ramifications of it, of how it will impact their future. Sexting has come up as a problem and it is difficult. Social media is a school and a police officer’s nightmare.”

A unit with school
At Bunnell, Tesla works closely with the administrative team. “It is not just me. We are a team here,” Tesla says. “I work with the administration. If there is a kid with trouble, we come together to devise a plan. It’s not the Police Department over here and the high school over there. We are a unit that works together to get the result we want.”

Tesla and Bunnell Assistant Principal Nancy Dowling make a striking pair sitting across from one another — one in full police uniform, including body armor vest, and one in refined office attire. The school’s philosophy, Dowling said, is that students “have to feel they are loved and are cared for before [they] can make progress. [Tesla] is right here as a part of that philosophy.”

“I think the intent of the SRO program is to approach kids as kids. To try to understand the big picture of them as a person, as a kid, before you deal with behavior. That’s second,” Dowling says.

Having the “force” of the uniformed police in the school is meaningful to the community, too, Dowling says. Before the Sandy Hook incident, she says, having a police cruiser sitting in front of a school gave an impression that something negative was going on in the school. Now, she says, it sends the message that the school is safe.
Our primary objective is to keep kids safe. These are other people’s children. That is a priority. Trish being in the uniform is important. Not to keep the kids accountable, but to keep the community accountable to our kids.”

Complex role
So the SROs’ role is complex and multi-layered. To the parents and community, they are protectors. To students, they are counselors and teachers. To administrators, they are consultants and team members. To their patrol colleagues, they are liaisons and, in a sense, social workers.

Having the SROs as liaison between the schools and the Police Department has been one of the best outcomes, Niemiec says. While all the team members respect privacy laws, Dowling says, the SROs have bridged the gap between the schools and the police. If patrol officers or the Fire Department need to enter the school, Wooster Principal Jack Lynch says, they have the SRO on the ground to answer questions easily. And SROs are in regular communication with their department, which helps them understand the school communities needs and problems, Dowling says.

“There is a level of trust that has been established and enhanced between the school administration and the police. If there is a medical emergency or the police are here to supervise an event, there is a seamless, sort of quiet, unobstructed collaboration.”

Voccola and Tesla agree that as SROs, they knows the kids better. They know their backgrounds, and are able to respond to incidents with more knowledge and more compassion than they did when they were on patrol.

“I have learned just as much from the kids as they have learned from me,” Tesla says. “I learned there is more to them than I thought there would be. You don’t realize the complicated lives some of these kids have, the diverse backgrounds, and the obstacles that some of them have overcome. It makes me cherish them, and what they have accomplished.”

Stratford Police Lt. Melissa Niemiec and Wooster Middle School Resource Officer Al Voccola show off Voccola’s whiteboard full of students’ notes of thanks. Elizabeth G. Howard photo.

Director of Public Works Maurice McCarthy joined calls from Mayor John Harkins for people in Stratford to keep parked cars off the streets whenever possible during and up to a day after a snow storm.

For cars that cannot be parked off of town streets during snow events Stratford instructs that they be parked only on the odd side of the street on odd-numbered calendar days, and only on the even side of the street on even days.

This is to allow plows to clear the streets efficiently.

When cars are on both side of the street and start to get plowed in, narrowing the street even more, it not only makes it difficult to clear the streets efficiently but it can make it difficult for fire trucks to pass through.

If people are not compelled to abide by the parking plan for their own benefit, McCarthy said they ought to realize that “It is unfair to neighbors” to leave cars on both sides of the street during a storm.

This Town snow plow was having trouble getting through Jackson Street during the Feb. 13 storm and accidentally hit the red car here at left. It is against town ordinance to have cars parked on both sides of the street during snow storms. Greg Reilly photo.

A Stamford man was charged on March 11 with trying to burn down his family’s Stratford home in 2012, allegedly to prevent it from being sold.

Jason Raveis, 38, of Selleck Street, was charged with attempted first-degree arson, threatening, breach of peace and reckless endangerment in the first degree. He was released after posting a $50,000 bond.

Stratford police had a warrant on file for Raveis’ arrest, and Trumbull police came across him and detained him for Stratford police, according to Stratford Lt. Frank Eannotti.

The police report indicates that they received a call from Raveis’ sister on Aug. 8, 2012, saying that her brother was threatening to burn down the Unity Drive home. When officers got to the home they said they could smell the strong odor of gasoline. Police said gasoline had been poured around the house and inside the kitchen and the garage.

The sister told police that Raveis had become upset when she had put the house on the market and threatened to burn it down before it could be sold, according to Stratford police.

Police said it appeared Raveis had fled the location as officers arrived.

Stratford Police Department has announced they will have a sobriety checkpoint Saturday, March 15.

Additionally, they will be conducting roadside sobriety checkpoints and increased patrols for impaired driving enforcement throughout this pre-St. Patrick’s Day weekend and through the spring.

Stratford police participates in the 2014 Comprehensive DUI Enforcement program, which, they say enables them to conduct roadside sobriety checkpoints as well as increase the number patrol units dedicated specifically to reduction of impaired driving, and to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities that they can cause.

We continually try to educate the community on the dangers of impaired driving which is the primary objective of increased patrol presence and sobriety checkpoints.

A message from Stratford Police: Have a safe St. Patrick’s Day weekend and, remember, please do not drink and drive.

Many of the students who crowded into Bunnell High School’s auto shop were experienced drivers, but quite a few were not. The occasion: the Peer Awareness Tour Safe Texting program, an all-day event held Feb. 28. More than 200 Bunnell and Stratford High School students tried their hand at driving — while texting.

Using a specially equipped compact car and visor headsets, the program took participants through a texting-while-driving simulation. The goal of the exercise is to demonstrate how difficult it is to do, and how texting impairs driving performance.

“Our message through programs such as these is, driving is tough enough — don’t add texting to the equation,” said Tammy Trojanowski, administrator for Stratford Community Services, which obtained a grant for the program as well as for education on drinking and prescription abuse. The program is sponsored by the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based PEERS Foundation.

“We all know how fast an automobile accident can happen,” Trojanowski said. “It takes just one serious accident to forever alter one’s life or end a life. Our message in this campaign is, whatever the message someone is sending us is, it can wait until we arrive at our destination safely.”

Mobile phones have been a great source of convenience for people today, but they also serve as a serious hazard for teen drivers. Studies show that texting while driving can be eight times more dangerous than drunk driving. As more research comes, more legislation is passed to make it illegal to text while driving.

The statistical evidence is pretty conclusive on the dangers of texting while driving. On average, a text takes five seconds to compose and send. Cruising along at 55 mph, a driver will traverse the length of a football field in that amount of time.

Moreover, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), about 1.6 million automobile accidents each year involve drivers using cell phones and texting. That is about one-fourth of the total car crashes in the United States. The NSC has called for a nationwide ban on driving while on cell phones or texting.

The texting experience
Bunnell’s auto shop hosted the event because it is the only school facility with a door wide enough to accommodate a car. While each student “drove,” others students observed, on computer monitors, what he or she saw.

On command, each participant had to send a text message while staying as close to the speed limit as possible. The car’s steering wheel, gas pedal and brake pedal were also equipped with sensors to record student driving performance. Most students had to slow down considerably while composing and sending a message.

Afterward, students gathered in groups for breakout sessions with teachers, administrators and other school officials. “This was a good eye-opener,” said Trish Tesla, the Stratford Police Department’s school resource officer at Bunnell High. “As a student resource officer, I see students texting while driving every day I’m at work. I think most of the kids who participated in this exercise now realize how dangerous that can be.”

According to Joe Crapanzano, an assistant principal at Stratford High School, several students admitted to having firsthand experience with texting while driving. Still others talked about using mobile phone applications that automatically block calls and texts while a car is in motion. AT&T DriveMode, CellSafety and tXtblocker are just a few of the apps now available.

“When they are driving, their phone will automatically send a message to the sender that the message will have to wait until they stop,” said Crapanzano. “That’s good problem-solving on the part of these students and their parents, and more of our students need to download these apps.”

All of the officials hope to see a replay of the exercise. “Students were quite sobered to learn that they weren’t as adept at texting while driving as they had thought — which is an important lesson,” said Tesla.

Trojanowski said the event was praised by students, teachers, administrators, and parents. While the phenomenon is usually associated with young drivers, adults have been shown to be just as careless in their driving habits.

“The timing for this exercise was perfect — right before prom season,” Crapanzano noted. He was one of two assistant principals from Stratford High School to attend the Feb. 28 event, but time precluded him from getting behind the wheel.

Stratford Police announced on March 18 that their increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend between March 14 and March 18 yielded the following results: Three arrests for driving under the influence, two seatbelt infractions, three child seat violations, three suspended licenses, three uninsured motorists, one drug arrest, 15 other motor vehicle citations.

The police department had announced before the St. Patrick’s Day weekend that there would be increased patrols and checkpoints.

Christian KIng

Stratford Police arrested Christian King, 18, of Stratford on March 12 on weapons charges after members of the narcotics unit approached him concerning alleged drug dealing in the area of Gregory Circle and Birch Drive.

During the incident King was found to be in possession of a stolen .38 caliber handgun, according to police. The recovered firearm was one of 111 weapons stolen last year from Smith and Wesson. King was charged with the following and held on a $300,000 dollar bond: theft of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit and larceny by possession.

King was also arrested for an outstanding re-arrest warrant for failing to pay a ticket.

After receiving a call of an apartment filling with smoke shortly before 10 p.m. on March 12, Stratford Fire Department was dispatched to 1958 Main Street for a possible fire. Fire personnel found that unattended cooking had created a fairly extensive smoke condition within the apartment and resulted in one occupant being transported to the hospital for evaluation.

Firefighters found that there were no working smoke alarms in the two-family house resulting in the damage found, according to Dep. Chief and Fire Marshal Brian Lampart.

Firefighters remained on scene until after midnight ventilating the building, removing the hazards related to the incident and installing smoke alarms. The fire marshals office is investigating the incident.

The American Red Cross reported that it is helping with emergency housing, food and personal care needs for the three adults and one child from two families displaced after that March 12 fire.