Quantcast
Channel: NBC Connecticut
Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live

Man Tried to Steal $3K in Apple Watches from Walmart: Police

0
0

East Windsor police have arrested a man accused of trying to steal over $3,200-worth of Apple watches from Walmart.

Middletown resident Curtis Belin, 51, was arrested Saturday on larceny charges.

According to police, Belin broke into a storage cabinet behind the counter of the Electronics Department at Walmart and tried to steal the Apple watches by placing them in a shopping cart and covering them with clothing. When Belin realized he’d been spotted by an employee, he tried to take off. Police caught up with him at the entrance of the store.

Belin was charged with criminal attempt to commit larceny. Police said he has over 40 prior arrests in Connecticut.

A woman who was with Belin, identified as Debra McCain, 48, of Indian Orchard, Mass., was also arrested when officers found a black and silver BB gun that looked like a real gun in her car. She was charged with weapons in a motor vehicle.

Both Belin and McCain are scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 28.



Photo Credit: East Windsor Police Department

Trump 'Doesn't Know Who to Believe' About Moore: Mulvaney

0
0

Mick Mulvaney, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, defended President Donald Trump for his silence on the sexual allegations against Roy Moore, saying Trump "doesn't know who to believe."

"He has said that he thinks that the voters of Alabama should decide," Mulvaney told Andrea Mitchell on NBC's "Meet The Press" Sunday. "I think that's the most commonsense way to look at it."

"He doesn't know who to believe. I think a lot of folks don't," Mulvaney said of the president, adding that he personally believes the allegations "are credible."

Nine women have come forward with accusations against Moore, the Republican nominee and former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, including one woman who said she was 14 when Moore initiated a sexual encounter with her when he was 32. Moore has denied the allegations.



Photo Credit: AP/Evan Vucci, File

Man Arrested After 1-Month-Old Son Found Dead in Car

0
0

A Rocky Hill man is under arrest after police discovered his one-month-old child dead in the backseat of his car.

According to state police, on Saturday, November 18 around 6:23 p.m. Rocky Hill police received a 911 call from a mother stating that her one-month-old son was not breathing.

She told police that the child was with his father, Divya Patel, 34 of Rocky Hill, in a car parked at the Residence Inn on Cromwell Ave.

When officers arrived, they were unable to locate Patel or the child. They contacted him via cell phone but he was uncooperative and would not tell police his location.

After about 30 minutes, Patel returned to the Residence Inn where officers located the unresponsive child.

The boy was taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford where he was pronounced dead.

During their investigation, police learned that Patel was aware his son had died and did not render aid or seek emergency care.

Patel was arrested and charged with Risk of Injury and tampering with evidence.

Patel is being held on a $1 million bond. He will appear in New Britain Superior court on Monday, November 20.

Police say the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.

Windy Weather to Continue Through Sunday

0
0

Some people in Connecticut woke up in the dark Sunday morning after powerful winds and rain swept through and knocked out power.

Outage numbers have been bouncing back and forth all morning. At one point there were over 1,200 Eversource customers in the dark. 

In Old Saybrook winds whipped up the waves all morning. And while many would rather stay warm under the blankets, a few people braved the elements to watch the storm come in.


"It’s exciting to see all the waves and see what’s going on," said resident Paul Loomis

"The waves are wild. The water’s high," Jim Kochis commented.

The worst of the storm moved through overnight, bringing wind gusts around 40 mph. A wind advisory was in effect for most of the state, and a high wind warning for southeastern Connecticut, though the high wind warning was canceled by Sunday morning.

The NBC Connecticut meteorologists say wind gusts between 25 and 30 mph are expected through most of Sunday. For the full forecast, click here.




Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Trump Says He Should Have Left UCLA Players in Chinese Jail

0
0

Two days after LaVar Ball, father of detained UCLA player LiAngelo Ball, downplayed President Donald Trump's role in the return of three UCLA men's basketball players detained in China, the president fired back.

LiAngelo Ball, brother of Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, was one of the three UCLA basketball players detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting before Trump helped return them to the United States. In a Sunday morning tweet, Trump criticized LaVar Ball for being "unaccepting for what I did for his son."

"I should have left them in jail!" Trump added.

Freshman LiAngelo Ball was detained along with Jalen Hill and Cody Riley nearly two weeks ago and returned last week after Trump said he had a long conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the incident. 

At a press conference after their return, all three players had individually thanked Trump, and initially, Trump seemed to acknowledge the players' gratitude.

"To the three UCLA basketball players I say: You're welcome, go out and give a big Thank You to President Xi Jinping of China who made ... your release possible and, HAVE A GREAT LIFE! Be careful, there are many pitfalls on the long and winding road of life!" Trump said in two tweets.

However, Sunday remarks LaVar Ball made on ESPN Friday caused the president to change his tune.

LaVar Ball had seemingly diminished Trump's role in getting the three players back home when he spoke on the sports network.

"What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out," LaVar Ball said. "Like I told him, 'They try to make a big deal out of nothing sometimes.' I'm from LA. I've seen a lot worse things happen than a guy taking some glasses," he said.

All three UCLA players have been indefinitely suspended from the team, coach Steve Alford said. They will not travel with the team or suit up for home games.

"They will have to earn their way back," Alford said.



Photo Credit: UCLA Athletics

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thousands March Through DC for Puerto Rico

0
0

Thousands of demonstrators, including award-winning playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, marched through Washington, D.C. on Sunday to ensure people don’t forget the ongoing humanitarian crisis in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.

People carried Puerto Rican flags as they marched from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.

Some carried signs reading "We are not second-class citizens."

Hurricane Maria hammered the island in September, but the recovery effort is far from over. A little more than half of the U.S. territory is still without power, according to the Puerto Rican government website.

Speakers at Sunday's rally called for more federal support.

Miranda, marching with his father and mother, carried a Hispanic Federation banner reading "Fight For Puerto Rico" leading the latter half of the thousands of marchers. He joined in with the call and response chant of "Puerto Rico, Presente" (Puerto Rico is present) and in shouting a few drawn out "¡Weeepaaas! The term "wepa," sort of like "yowza," is a popular expression in Puerto Rico, NBC News reported.

The "Hamilton" creator has made a number of efforts to raise money and bring aid to Puerto Ricans. He has brought together artists to produce the single "Almost Like Praying." Sales of the single have raised $500,000 for the island, Miranda announced at the Lincoln Memorial rally.

The White House recently sent congress a $44 billion disaster aid request. Lawmakers from hurricane-hit regions said that is not enough money.



Photo Credit: Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Special Olympics CT Hosts Unified Sports Holiday Classic

0
0

Thousands of Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners were smiling right through a weekend of competition at the Unified Sports Holiday Classic.

Sunday was a good day for a lot of people including Dexter Braatz from Lisbon. "Lot of fun, people to see, you get to hang out with friends," said Braatz. "I have my own bowling ball, my own bowling shoes that have my name on them."

Bowl was the activity of choice for Dexter and teammates giving their all at Bowlero in Milford.

"Bowling is a great sport because everybody can do it," said Debbie Horne, Director of Communications and Marketing at Special Olympics Connecticut. "Everybody has fun doing it. It brings athletes of all abilities together," said Horne.

More than 2,400 athletes and their unified partners, which are their teammates without intellectual disabilities, have practiced together for weeks - in bowling, basketball, volleyball and powerlifting - all leading up to this weekend.

"I think I'm just going to try my best and see what happens," said Jack from Trumbull, who has made many friend through this program. "They're my best friends," he said. "It was great. I was so happy."

NBC Connecticut is proud to have partnered with Special Olympics West Hartford.

"We just get so much out of it," said Chief Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan, who was among those representing the team.

"You really get to grow close with the athletes and you form friendships that are really meaningful and rewarding," Hanrahan said.

Special Olympics Connecticut said more than five hundred coaches and eight hundred volunteers were helping out at events around New Haven County this weekend.

For more information and to find out about volunteer opportunities, visit www.soct.org.

What Ever Happened to the Other Manson Family Cult Members?

0
0

Charles Manson, who died Sunday, didn't carry out many of the horrifying crimes he's known for — they were executed by his cult, the so-called Manson Family.

NBC News examined where its most prominent members are today, including Patricia Krenwinkel, California's longest-serving female prisoner

The 69-year-old was denied parole 13 times. She helped murder the LaBianca family and stabbed coffee heiress Abigail Folger when the Manson Family members broke into the home of Sharon Tate. Leslie Van Houten also remains behind bars, where she is described as a model prisoner, like Krenwinkel.

Charles "Tex" Watson and Bruce Davis — once Manson's "right hand man" — both became ministers in prison as well, but Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, who tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975 but was never charged with murder, was granted parole in 2009.



Photo Credit: Bettmann Archive

Moore Accuser Details How Ala. Senate Candidate 'Seduced Me'

0
0

The woman who alleges that Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore had sexual contact with her when she was 14 and he was 32 says she feels "like a weight has been lifted" since she came forward, after waiting for nearly four decades.

Leigh Corfman appeared on the "Today" show Monday for her first television interview since accusing Moore, the Republican candidate vying to fill the seat once held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore has denied that he's committed sexual misconduct after Corfman and eight other women alleged sexual misconduct.

Asked about Moore's denial — he's said he doesn't know Corfman — she was skeptical: "I wonder how many mes he doesn't know."

Corfman said she has, over the years, told friends and her children her story: Going to Moore's house in 1979, where he laid blankets on the floor and "proceeded to seduce me," she said, recounting the meeting to Savannah Guthrie.

Moore took off her clothes down to her underwear, Corfman said, took off his own pants, touched her over her underwear and tried to get her to do the same. She said she felt uncomfortable, got dressed and had him take her home.

"I was a 14-year-old child trying to play in an adult's world," she explained, adding that it wasn't what she expected after reading Harlequin romance novels. "I was expecting candlelight and roses and what I got was very different."

Some of Moore's defenders have questioned why Corfman and the other accusers hadn't come forward with their stories before, suggesting they were motivated by politics.

Moore made national headlines in 2003 for defying a Supreme Court order order to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments he commissioned for the Alabama Judicial Building when he was chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He recently beat the candidate President Donald Trump supported in the U.S. Senate primary and faces Democrat Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney known for prosecuting the Ku Klux Klan, in the December special election.

Moore has lost support from many Republicans in Washington since Corfman and other women came forward. The White House said Trump has found the accusations "very troubling."

Moore's wife, Kayla Moore, has said he won't step down from the race, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has called for. She's also alleged that Corfman was paid for speaking to The Washington Post, which first reported Corfman's story earlier this month.

In Monday's interview, Corfman, a longtime Republican, denied both that coming forward was a political act and that she's been paid for speaking up.

"If anything this has cost me," she said. "I've had to take leave from my job, I have no tickets to Tahiti and my bank account has not flourished. If anything it has gone down."

Corfman said that she immediately told two friends about the incident after it happened, and later told her family. "I spent a lot of time every time he came up railing against him and what he had done to me when I was 14 years old," she said, but noted that she was a single parent of small children.

She did eventually tell her children about her story, once they were in junior high and elementary schools, but they decided together not to come forward so as not to have the kids be ostracized.

But after the Post persuaded her to go on the record about what happened after speaking to three other women who alleged sexual misconduct with Moore when they were much younger than him, Corfman said she's received lots of "amazing" support. More women have since come forward.

Though she cut off contact with Moore after the blanket incident, Corfman said it left her feeling guilty and without some self-confidence. "It took away a lot of the specialness of interactions with men," she said.

Shown a photo of herself at 14, Corfman said, "She sure did have a lot of promise ahead of her and she didn't deserve to have a 32-year-old man prey on her."



Photo Credit: "Today" Show
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Sharon Tate's Sister: Manson's Followers 'as Evil Today as They Ever Were'

0
0

Debra Tate got the call from Corcoran State Prison around 8:30 p.m. Sunday -- the man who ordered the killing of her sister was dead.

It wasn't a surprise. She'd been expecting it for at least a week after hearing about Charles Manson's poor health.

But it still took some time for her to process her feelings. After the phone call Sunday night, Tate said she prayed.

"I said a prayer for his passing, and I thought about it for a moment," Tate said in an interview with NBC4. "I don't have any animosity. One could say I've forgiven them. But that does not mean I've forgotten. I know very well they're still capable of those heinous types of acts."

The 83-year-old murderous cult leader's death came nearly five decades after a group of his followers broke into Sharon Tate's mansion in Los Angeles' Benedict Canyon, killing the actress and four others in the house. The Aug. 9, 1969 slayings marked the start of the Manson family murders.

Most of the Manson cult members who carried out the killings remain in prison. Tate said she will devote the rest of her life to keeping them there. She has served as a spokeswoman for victims' family members at parole hearings and published a coffee table book celebrating the life of her sister, who was 26 when she was killed.

"This is only one man," she said. "One tentacle on the octopus. There are others out there that actually committed the heinous acts. Those people, I have much more concern over than I do Charlie -- as far as, who the monsters are. Charlie had no desire to get out of jail. These people do, and they're still as evil today as they ever were."

Patricia Krenwinkel is California's longest-serving female inmate at age 69. She chased down and stabbed coffee heiress Abigail Folger after the Tate mansion break-in.

Leslie Van Houten was recommended by a parole board last year for release, but Gov. Jerry Brown overturned that decision. She was granted parole again in September, with a final decision expected from the governor.

Charles "Tex" Watson has been denied parole 17 times. Bruce Davis continues to serve out two life sentences. Bobb Beausoleil remains behind bars in Oregon. 


Tate was there when Manson was denied parole for a 12th time in 2012. 

Tate was there when Manson was denied parole for a 12th time in 2012. She plans to continue the crusade for victims' families at future parole hearings.


"I will never stop trying to influence others to help me keep them behind bars for the rest of their natural days," Tate said.

Tate said she remains in "close communication" with family members of other victims.

"We all share a common thread."




Photo Credit: Getty Images

Boy, 9, Behind Viral Christmas Card Wish Loses Battle With Cancer

0
0

A terminally ill Maine boy who spurred thousands of people around the world to send him homemade Christmas cards for his last holiday lost his battle with cancer on Sunday. 

Jacob Thompson's family announced on Facebook early Monday that the 9-year-old died after a 4-year battle with neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer that begins in nerve cells and generally affects infants and young children.

When doctors told Thompson's parents that their son might not live to see Christmas this year, his parents asked strangers to send Jacob homemade cards to help him celebrate the holidays early.

Their request then went viral.

"It's just amazing that one little boy has touched lives from all around the world," Michelle Simard, Jacob's mother, told necn.

At one point, Jacob received more than 10,000 pieces of mail in a day, according to a Maine Medical Center spokesperson.

His room at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in Portland was also transformed into the North Pole, and when word spread that his favorite things were penguins and police officers, law enforcement from around New England responded with a procession of hundreds of police cruisers that started in Boston and ended at his hospital.

The Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut also helped with a Christmas surprise by giving Jacob a chance to hold a real penguin.

In a Facebook post announcing Jacob's death, his family thanked those who took the time out to send him a card or present for his last Christmas celebration.

His family also suggested to those who would like to donate in Jacob's honor to do so for Operation Gratitude, "to a penguin rescue group, or pay it forward in your community," including blood and platelets donations.

"Each and every person who sent Jacob a Christmas card, a gift, a Facebook message or video, or a prayer made a difference in the final days of his life," his family said in a statement. "You brought Jacob joy, and you brought us all optimism for the future."



Photo Credit: necn
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Driver Taken to Hospital After Middletown Crash

0
0

Washington Street in Middletown is closed after a car hit a utility pole Monday morning.

Police on scene said the car struck a pole and flipped over. The driver was taken to Hartford Hospital. The extent of any injuries is unknown at this time.

Weather was not a factor, police said.

Washington Street is closed between Route 9 and Main Street while crews make repairs to the pole.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Gun Theft From Legal Owners Is on the Rise, Fueling Violence

0
0

Hundreds of thousands of firearms stolen from the homes and vehicles of legal owners are flowing each year into underground markets, and the numbers are rising. Those weapons often end up in the hands of people prohibited from possessing guns. Many are later used to injure and kill.

A yearlong investigation by The Trace and more than a dozen NBC TV stations identified more than 23,000 stolen firearms recovered by police between 2010 and 2016 — the vast majority connected with crimes. That tally, based on an analysis of police records from hundreds of jurisdictions, includes more than 1,500 carjackings and kidnappings, armed robberies at stores and banks, sexual assaults and murders, and other violent acts committed in cities from coast to coast.

"The impact of gun theft is quite clear," said Frank Occhipinti, deputy chief of the firearms operations division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "It is devastating our communities."

Thefts from gun stores have commanded much of the media and legislative attention in recent years, spurred by stories about burglars ramming cars through storefronts and carting away duffel bags full of rifles and handguns. But the great majority of guns stolen each year in the United States are taken from everyday owners.

Thieves stole guns from people’s closets and off their coffee tables, police records show. They crawled into unlocked cars and lifted them off seats and out of center consoles. They snatched some right out of the hands of their owners.

In Pensacola, Florida, a group of teenagers breaking into unlocked cars at an apartment complex stole a .22-caliber Ruger handgun from the glovebox of a Ford Fusion, then played a video game to determine who got to keep it. One month later, the winner, an 18-year-old man with an outstanding warrant for his arrest, fatally shot a 75-year-old woman in the back of the head who had paid him to do odd jobs around her house. She had accused the gunman of stealing her credit cards.

In Gilbert, Arizona, a couple left four shotguns out in their bedroom and two handguns stuffed in their dresser drawers even though they had a large gun safe in the garage. They returned home to find their sliding backdoor pried open and all six of the weapons missing. Police recovered one of the shotguns eight months later on the floor of a getaway car occupied by three robbers who held up a gas station and led officers on a harrowing chase in the nearby city of Chandler.

In Atlanta, a thief broke through a front window of a house and stole an AK-47-style rifle from underneath a mattress. The following year, a convicted felon used the weapon to unleash a hail of bullets on a car as it was leaving a Chevron gas station, sending two men to the hospital. Two months later, the felon used the rifle to fatally shoot his girlfriend’s 29-year-old neighbor. A 7-year-old girl who witnessed the killing told police the crack of the gunfire hurt her ears. She ran home crying to her mother.

After the Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs mass shootings, attention fell on exotic gun accessories and gaps in record keeping. Last week, a new measure intended to shore up the federal background check system was introduced by eight U.S. senators. But many criminals are armed with perfectly lethal weapons funneled into an underground market where background checks would never apply.

In most cases reviewed in detail by the Trace and NBC, the person caught with the weapon was a felon, a juvenile, or was otherwise prohibited under federal or state laws from possessing firearms.

More than 237,000 guns were reported stolen in the United States in 2016, according to previously unreported numbers supplied by the National Crime Information Center, a database maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that helps law enforcement track stolen property. That represents a 68 percent increase from 2005. (When asked if the increase could be partially attributed to a growing number of law enforcement agencies reporting stolen guns, an NCIC spokesperson said only that "participation varies.").

All told, NCIC records show that nearly two million weapons have been reported stolen over the last decade.

The government’s tally, however, likely represents a significant undercount. A report by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning public policy group, found that a significant percentage of gun thefts are never reported to police. In addition, many gun owners who report thefts do not know the serial numbers on their firearms, data required to input weapons into the NCIC. Studies based on surveys of gun owners estimate that the actual number of firearms stolen each year surpasses 350,000, or more than 3.5 million over a 10-year period.

"There are more guns stolen every year than there are violent crimes committed with firearms," said Larry Keane, senior vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade group that represents firearms manufacturers. "Gun owners should be aware of the issue."

On a local level, gun theft is a public safety threat that police chiefs and sheriffs are struggling to contain. The Trace requested statistics on stolen weapons from the nation’s largest police departments in an effort to understand ground-level trends. Of the 80 police departments that provided at least five years of data, 61 percent recorded per-capita increases in 2015 compared to 2010.

The rate of gun thefts more than doubled in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Madison, Wisconsin; and Pasadena, California, our analysis found.

More than two-thirds of cities experienced growth in the raw number of stolen-gun reports, not accounting for population change.

There were 843 firearms reported stolen in St. Louis in 2015 — a 27 percent increase in reports over 2010.

"We have a society that has become so gun-centric that the guns people buy for themselves get stolen, go into circulation, and make them less safe," said Sam Dotson, a former St. Louis police chief.

Identifying the precise nexus between stolen firearms and other forms of crime is a question that has flummoxed researchers and journalists for years, in part because of strict legal limits on the public’s access to national data. The ATF is barred under a rider to a Department of Justice appropriations bill from sharing detailed crime gun data, which could include information about whether a weapon was stolen, with anyone outside of law enforcement.

The Trace and NBC sidestepped federal restrictions, in part, by obtaining more than 800,000 records of both stolen and recovered firearms directly from more than 1,000 local and state law enforcement agencies in 36 states. Matching the serial numbers of guns contained in the two sets of records enabled our reporters to identify crimes involving a weapon that had been reported stolen.

The trend is unambiguous: Gun theft is on the rise in many American cities, and many of those stolen weapons are later used to injure and kill people.

A research paper published this year, using responses from the Harvard and Northeastern survey, estimated that three million Americans carry loaded handguns in public every day. About nine million people carried a handgun at some point during the month before the survey was conducted, researchers found. Six percent of respondents who said they carried a gun had been threatened with a firearm in the previous five years.

In the past two decades, dozens of states have passed legislation easing restrictions against carrying in public. Some, like Georgia, have made it possible to legally carry a concealed weapon in restaurants and churches. At least a dozen, including Missouri, Arizona, and West Virginia, have done away with all training or licensing requirements, meaning anyone legally allowed to own a gun can carry it concealed in public.

People who owned guns for protection or carried a gun in the previous month were more than three times as likely to have experienced a theft in the previous five years, according to a study published this year that was based on the Harvard and Northeastern survey results. People who owned six or more guns and stored their guns loaded or unlocked — or kept guns in their vehicles — were more than twice as likely to have had their firearms stolen.

In Texas, gun owners have reported thousands of thefts. Austin alone tallied more than 4,600 reports of lost or stolen guns between 2010 and 2015, more than 1,600 of which were swiped from cars, The Trace and NBC found. Over that same period in Austin, lost and stolen guns were recovered in connection to at least 600 criminal offenses, including more than 60 robberies, assaults, and murders.

Many gun-rights advocates, including Jerry Patterson, a former Texas state senator, believe that owners have a responsibility to guard their weapons from theft.

"You’re negligent if you don’t exercise good judgment," he said. "There’s too many guns in the hands of dumbasses that don’t know how to use it, don’t know how to store it."

In Houston about a decade ago, someone broke into Patterson’s truck, making off with a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. "Now I don’t leave handguns in the car," he said.

Instead, Patterson now keeps a shotgun under the back seat.

"It’s harder to steal a long gun discreetly," he said.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police recently tasked a team of top of law enforcement officials to develop a program that police officers and sheriff’s deputies can use to press gun owners into safeguarding their weapons. At the organization’s annual conference in Philadelphia in October, the team premiered a public service announcement that showed a burglar stealing a gun from an unlocked car and then embarking on a robbery spree.

"We leave our cell phones in our cars, and we go crazy. But you leave your firearm and it’s like we forget," said Armando Guzman, a chief of police from Florida who was one of the principal architects of the prevention effort. "Look at the consequences."

Most states don’t require gun owners who leave weapons in a car or truck to secure them against theft. Kentucky’s law specifically says that owners may keep firearms in a glove compartment, center console, seat pocket, or any other storage space or compartment regardless of whether it is "locked, unlocked, or does not have a locking mechanism."

Homes are generally a more secure place to store firearms, but even indoors, guns can be a magnet for thieves.

Researchers at Duke University and The Brookings Institution found in 2002 that thieves were more likely to break into homes in areas where gun ownership rates were high. The researchers concluded that instead of being a deterrent to crime, guns enticed thieves looking for a lucrative score.

In a large share of the burglaries in which a gun was stolen, it appeared that was the only item taken, suggesting that the thief knew the house had a gun in it and went after it, said Philip Cook, a professor at Duke who co-authored the study.

"That’s why people who put up signs that say, ‘This house is protected by Smith & Wesson,’ are taking a chance, just like people who put NRA stickers on their cars are taking a chance," Cook said. "It signals that this might be worth breaking into."

Of the nearly 150,000 records of stolen weapons analyzed by The Trace and NBC in which the type of gun was listed, 77 percent were handguns.

Law enforcement officials and researchers say that stolen guns are usually sold or traded for drugs. "Guns are the hottest commodity out there, except for maybe cold, hard cash," said Kevin O’Keefe, the chief of the ATF’s intelligence division. "This is a serious issue."

Most stolen guns were recovered within the same city or state as the scene of the theft, sometimes years or even decades later, The Trace and NBC found.

The Trace and NBC identified more than 500 guns that were stolen and then crossed state lines, sometimes traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles, before turning up at the scene of a crime. Many of those guns followed trafficking routes that are well known to law enforcement, flowing from states with looser laws to states with stricter ones.

A Smith & Wesson stolen from an unlocked pickup truck in Florida was recovered in connection to a shooting in Camden, New Jersey. A revolver stolen in Hampstead, New Hampshire, found its way to Boston, where police stopped a gunman at a high school graduation. A .380-caliber Jimenez pistol stolen from a house in Hammond, Indiana, came into the possession of an 18-year-old gang member in Chicago, who tossed it onto a front porch while he was running from police.

In South Carolina, a former state trooper reported his .40-caliber Glock stolen from his unlocked pickup in 2008. The gun was recovered during a drug arrest and the former trooper got it back, only to have it stolen from his truck again in 2011. Four years later, New York Police Officer Randolph Holder, 33, was responding to reports of a shooting in East Harlem when he encountered Tyrone Howard, a 30-year-old felon who had been in and out jail since he was at least 13. Howard pulled out the stolen Glock pistol and fatally shot Holder in the head.

Few states require gun owners to report theft

When a gun store is burglarized, it must report any missing firearms. Under federal law, licensed firearms dealers have to maintain records — including the make, model, and serial number of each gun in their inventory — and provide them to investigators so they can attempt to recover the weapons.

Everyday gun owners are not held to the same record keeping requirements. Only 11 states and the District of Columbia have a version of a law that requires gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm to police. Law enforcement officials say stolen-gun reports help them spot trends, deploy resources, and get illegal weapons off the street.

Keane, the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s senior vice president, said that while gun owners should lock up their weapons when they’re not in use, he opposes penalizing gun owners who don’t report a theft. "The focus has to be on criminals," he said. "If they’re using stolen firearms then there should be severe consequences from that."

Law enforcement experts and advocates of gun-violence prevention say that the attention should be on preventing thefts from happening in the first place.

Massachusetts is the only state where gun owners must always store firearms under lock and key, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. California, Connecticut, and New York require guns to be locked in a safe or with a locking device in certain situations, including when the owner lives with a convicted felon or domestic abuser.

All four states experience theft rates well below the national average, according to NCIC data.

"There ought to be some obligation in the law for gun owners to responsibly secure their firearms," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. "Congress should not only be looking at this issue, they ought to be acting on this issue."

— Daniel Nass, Max Siegelbaum, Miles Kohrman, Mike Spies of The Trace contributed to this story.



This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Icy Conditions Forced Closure of I-91 North in Cromwell

0
0

Interstate 91 north was closed in Cromwell after icy conditions caused multiple accidents Monday morning, but it has reopened.

Connecticut State Police described the area between exits 20 and 22 on Interstate 91 as being like an "ice rink" early Monday.  Multiple accidents were reported, though they were all relatively minor and no injuries were reported.

The Department of Transportation was called in to treat the roads.

Multiple accidents were also reported along Interstate 84, with icy spots reported in Southington and from exit 32 to the Plainville line.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Icy Roads Caused Issues in Parts of the State This Morning

0
0

Scattered snow showers are making slick roads a concern for parts of the state this morning. In Bristol, a school bus was involved in a fender bender. Students were onboard and no injuries are reported.

The snow showers came to Connecticut all the way from Lake Ontario and were the result of lake effect snow. Strong upper-level northwest winds allowed these snow showers to travel further than they typically do.

With temperatures hovering just around freezing, some of the snow melted and refroze, causing icy conditions on the roads.

A car flipped over on Interstate 95 in Branford. It's not clear if weather was a factor in that crash. 

Interstate 91 northbound was shut down in Cromwell when icy conditions caused multiple accidents.

Multiple accidents were also reported along Interstate 84, with icy spots reported in Southington and from exit 32 to the Plainville line.

In Winsted, a newspaper delivery driver slid off Torrington Road due to black ice. The driver was not hurt.

Officials from the Department of Transportation said they received a weather alert around 2:45 a.m. and there was not enough notice to pretreat the roads. 

"In this particular case, there wasn't really any advance notice." Kevin Nursick, of the DOT, said. "It was a weather alert, 2:30, 2:45 this morning, saying, 'hey spotty flurries coming in throughout the state,' so we started dispatching crews to deal with that, but not nearly enough time to set up for a pre-treatment scenario."

DOT crews started treat the roads in the area, which are covered in black ice.

Our latest computer models are showing that the snow shower activity should come to an end by daybreak. 

Take a look at the scene this morning in Lisbon. This video was taken just after 3 a.m.

Temperatures in southeastern Connecticut are just above freezing, therefore the snow didn't stick to the surface. It did however leave the road surfaces wet and with temperatures hovering right around 33 degrees this could lead to patches of black ice.


Many cities and towns throughout the state experienced snow. Make sure to give yourself a little extra time to clear off your car this morning.

If it snowed where you are, send your photos to shareit@nbcconnecticut.com or upload them here.



Photo Credit: @Frankm333
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Driver Accused of Sexually Assaulting College Student in Hamden Arrested

0
0

Hamden police have arrested a man who is accused of sexually assaulting a college student when she got into his car in October

Elsadiq Eltigani, 52, of West Haven, was arrested Friday.

The victim, a 20 year-old local college student, told police that she left a New Haven bar at 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 with two friends and they got into a man’s car. Police have identified that man as Eltigani. 

While he was driving the woman and her friends to Hamden, Eltigani continuously touched the victim in an inappropriate manner, police said.

The woman tried to escape, but Eltigani prevented it, according to police. 

Detectives arrested Eltigani as he was leaving his West Haven residence and he has been charged with third-degree sexual assault and first-degree unlawful restraint. 

He was detained at police headquarters on a $100,000 court-ordered bond and he is scheduled to appear in court in Meriden on Nov. 30.



Photo Credit: Hamden Police

Man Shot Inside Meriden Bar

0
0

A man is recovering after being shot inside a Meriden bar early Saturday morning.

Meriden police said they responded to the Red Room Grill at 575 North Colony Road around 1:45 a.m. for a report of shots fired. When officers arrived they found multiple shell casings inside the bar.

As officers investigated they were notified by staff at Midstate Medical Center that a gunshot victim had arrived at the hospital. Police determined the victim had been at the bar but left before officers arrived. The victim had non-life threatening injuries and has been treated and released.

There is no suspect description or suspected motive at this time. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information should contact Meriden Police Detective Eric Simonson at 203-630-6318.

Over 2 Million New Englanders to Travel for Holiday: AAA

0
0

The busy holiday travel season is here, with over two million New Englanders traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to predictions from AAA.

The automotive club predicts that 2.25 million New Englanders will be traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday, the highest number since 2005. Most of them will be driving to their destinations. The holiday is defined as between Wednesday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 26.

Despite gas prices higher than last year, almost two million people will hit the roads in New England, a 3.3 percent increase over last year, AAA reports. Drivers will pay an average of 40 cents more per gallon to fill their tanks this year.

Those planning to drive should make sure they are well-prepared for the trip. AAA estimates it will rescue more than 330,000 drivers over the weekend for reasons like lockouts, flat tires and battery issues.

Air travel is also up, with almost 250,000 New Englanders expected to fly over the holiday, a 5.5 percent increase. Travelers flying from Bradley Airport should give themselves extra time to get through security. AAA says that travelers will pay the cheapest airfares we’ve seen since 2013.

"Consumer confidence is up and airfares are down which means flyers will have plenty of company" says Suzanne Aresco, Director of AAA Travel. "Confusion over new TSA policies, winter clothing and adults traveling with children may slow security more than usual so travelers should expect delays."

In contrast, bus and rail travel is expected to be down in New England, the opposite of the national trend.

Nationally, 51 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or farther this holiday.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Hartford Issues RFP for Downtown North Properties

0
0

Hartford has issued a Request for Proposals for the Downtown North area surrounding Dunkin’ Donuts Park.

There are 32 city-owned properties, totaling 13 acres, that the city is looking to develop. The city is specifically looking for mixed-use space, with residential space as well as retail and office spaces.

The city estimates that nearly 400,000 attended Hartford Yard Goats games at the 6,000-seat ballpark, which makes the surrounding area ripe for development.

“We believe there’s significant potential for development in the area, and we hope bidders will recognize the importance of pedestrian-friendly development that connects Downtown North with the Clay Arsenal and Upper Albany neighborhoods as well as Main Street. We’re going to thoroughly vet any proposals to make sure bidders have the interest, capacity, and experience to follow through on their proposals,” Mayor Luke Bronin wrote in a statement.

The development rights for the area were originally awarded to Centerplan, the same company that was meant to develop Dunkin’ Donuts Park. Bronin’s administration called off that contract after ongoing construction and cost issues that delayed the completion of the park.

In October the city of Hartford terminated Centerplan’s contract to develop the surrounding parcels due to their "failure to deliver the ballpark and lack of honesty and transparency."

Centerplan Construction filed a lawsuit against the city last year after it was terminated from the stadium project. The city has since filed a counter-claim. The case is ongoing. 

Proposals must include some kind of structure parking to replace the lots that are currently being used as parking spaces on each parcel.

The city of Hartford is working with the state to make improvements to traffic in the area, specifically to redesign the intersection of Albany Avenue and Main Street.

The deadline to submit a proposal is Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 at 2 p.m. Before that, there will be a non-mandatory pre-bid conference at the Dunkin’ Donuts Park Community Center at 1214 Main Street on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 at 10 a.m.

Read the full RFP below:

[[458864733, C]]



Photo Credit: City of Hartford

Crews Battling Fire in Hamden

Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images