With an 11-page, handwritten complaint, a convicted rapist in Georgia convinced a judge to investigate and eventually open to outsiders its solitary confinement unit, NBC News reported.

Timothy Gumm said that, in isolation for five years at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison after an escape attempt, he was "deprived of almost any environmental and sensory stimuli and of almost all human contact."

The federal judge noticed other prisoners making similar complaints and allowed Gumm's complaint to go forward. His lawyers hired solitary confinement expert Craig Haney, a social psychologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, to examine the unit, and his report led to a settlement in which the state agreed to curtail solitary confinement usage.

"I saw things there I'd never seen before," Haney told NBC News, including cells with metal shields over the window that left inmates "hermetically sealed" inside.

Milford police have arrested a man who is accused of hitting a police car, then leading police on a chase Monday afternoon. 

Officers responded to Town Fair Tire on Boston Post Road around 2 p.m. Monday to investigate after receiving reports that a man was trying to use gift cards that had been bought with fraudulent credit card accounts.

As officers arrived, the man was trying to leave the parking lot and crashed into an officer’s patrol vehicle, police said.

Then he drove away and got onto Interstate 95 South, so Milford police called state police. 

The vehicle was spotted on I-95 and the driver crashed into the guard rails on the exit 38 off-ramp/Route 15 connector, police said. 

Police identified the driver as 46-year-old Phillion Harvey, of New Haven, and said he ran from police but officers took him into custody.

Harvey was charged with engaging police in a pursuit, evading responsibility, interfering with police, reckless driving, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, no insurance, misuse of a license plate, operating a motor vehicle without a license and criminal attempt larceny in the fourth degree.

He was released on a $15,000 bond and is due in Milford Court on March 19.

Nature's Path Foods is voluntarily recalling more than 400,000 boxes of its gluten-free EnviroKids cereal over concerns that they may be contaminated with "undeclared gluten."

According to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall notice, the company is recalling certain 10-ounce boxes of EnviroKidz Choco Chimps, Gorilla Munch and Jungle Munch with specific "Best Before" dates.

• EnviroKidz Choco Chimp: UPC(058449870241) Best Before Date (08/27/2019)
• EnviroKidz Gorilla Munch: UPC(058449860020) Best Before Date (08/24/2019)
• EnviroKidz Gorilla Munch: UPC(058449860020) Best Before Date (09/21/2019)
• EnviroKidz Jungle Munch: UPC(058449870289) Best Before Date (08/01/2019)

The FDA said the error occurred at one facility and was due to air contamination as a result of an incorrect production scheduling.

Nature's Path spokeswoman Wendy Kubota noted that while the company is recalling the entire production run, totaling 450,648 boxes, not all of the produced boxes came into contact with the gluten and are being recalled out of abundance of caution. 

The cereal boxes were shipped to retailers nationwide in the U.S. and in Canada. It was not immediately clear how of the many recalled boxes were shipped within the U.S. 

Other gluten-free Nature’s Path and EnviroKidz products are not impacted and are not part of the voluntary recall.

People who have a wheat allergy, celiac disease or sensitivity to gluten and wheat should not consume the recalled cereals due to potential adverse health effects, the FDA warned.

"Making healthy, nutritious, organic food is our passion," said Arjan Stephens, Executive VP of Sales & Marketing at Nature’s Path, in a statement. "This failure to meet the gluten-free standard our consumers expect and trust from us is a deep concern. We have reviewed and changed our internal practices to ensure our gluten-free cereals are not impacted in the future."

Kubota told NBC in a emailed statement that those changes include 

ensuring gluten-free and gluten cereals are never run at the same timeframe or overlapping in their plants, and increasing the testing for gluten while the cereal is in production to every hour versus twice per 12-hour shift.

"With much smaller testing windows, we don’t believe gluten in our cereal will again be an issue," Kubota added.

Customers can return the recalled product to their point of purchase for a refund. For more information about the recall, consumers may also contact Nature’s Path Consumer Services at 1-866-880-7284 between Monday and Friday, 8:00 a.m. PST to 4:30 p.m. PST, or email the company at ConsumerServices@naturespath.com. 

A man Middletown police arrested is accused of threatening to kill a person and burn the house down with a blow torch and siccing his dog on one of the victims during a domestic incident on Valentine’s Day, according to police.

Police said they received the report the next day and were told that 27-year-old Kevin Gray, of Bristol, had yelled at three residents in the home, including two 93-year-old residents, and threatened to kill one of the victims.

Gray had a lit blow torch in one hand and a waved a knife around with the other hand, according to police. Then he told his German Shepard to attack and the dog bit one of the victims on the arm.

The victims could not call 911 at the time because Gray locked the house phone in a room so no one could use it, according to police. 

Gray was not at the home when the complaint was made but police arrested him when the animal control officer returned to the home on Feb. 16 and saw him driving toward the residence, according to police.

Gray was charged with interfering with an emergency call, second-degree assault of elderly and first-degree threatening. Bond was set at $250,000 and he is due in court on Feb. 19.

Metro-North Railroad is asking passengers to "be courteous" by covering their coughs and sneezes this flu season.

The rail service is warning passengers to cover their noses and mouths with a tissue or with the bend of their arm to prevent the spread of germs.

They request riders wash their hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol.

Metro-North aims to enforce "healthy habits" on their vehicles.

Manchester police are investigating reports of a home invasion Tuesday afternoon. 

Police said it happened just after 12:30 p.m. on Wetherell Street and it appears that the victim case knew the suspects. 

No injuries are reported. 

Police said investigators are following up on leads.

A New Haven man has been arrested after a four-month-long investigation into multiple sexual assault accusations and robberies of perceived prostitutes.

Navardo Lockhart, 26, was charged with first-degree sexual assault, first-degree robbery and unlawful restraint in the first and second degree, according to New Haven police.

The incidents allegedly took place in the Edgewood Park area, police said.

The investigation started when New Haven Police responded to a home on Norton Street on Aug. 26 where a woman reported she was sexually assaulted and her phone was stolen. Police found a weapon at the home. A few days after the incident, the victim reported photos on her iCloud account of the man. This incident led to the suspect's identification and arrest, police said.

Lockhart was arrested on Sept. 15 for the warrant obtained as a result of the investigation and an outstanding motor vehicle warrant.

During the investigation, the New Haven Special Victims Unit met with several women who reported they were sexually assaulted by a man fitting similar descriptions to one another.

Police said that the State of Connecticut’s Forensic Lab linked six sexual assault evidence kits to Lockhart’s DNA.

The SVU obtained five arrest warrants for Lockhart and will serve three more on his next court date.

A dozen people were forced from their homes during a fire on Edwards Street in Hartford Tuesday.

Fire officials said the fire started in the rear porch of 100 Edwards St. around 1:51 p.m. As of 3:20 p.m., firefighters were still working to get the flames under control.

No injuries have been reported.

No other details were immediately available.

Saving the life of a K9 officer can come down to seconds and a revolutionary device now available in the state will help law enforcement train better for the unexpected.

“The fact that they’re able to give themselves day in and day out for us and everybody else and sacrifice their body and not ask anything of us in return is remarkable,” Connecticut State Police trooper Matthew Warren said.

On Tuesday, Hartford Healthcare’s Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation or CESI unveiled a robotic dog that can simulate various injuries, from a gunshot wound to a broken bone to a blocked airway.

“Everything is exactly like a real dog,” explained Trooper Philip Soucy. “It bleeds like a dog would, so your hands get covered in blood, so it increases your stress, so just the realism is out of this world.”

“It’s really going to up the ante for them on the realism of actually packing real injuries,” Stephen Donahue, CESI’s Director of Operations, said.

Used by the military and special forces, the robotic dog is the first one in the country available to local law enforcement agencies. There are only 31 in the world.

“The medical portion is very small in what we do, so having something like this bridges the gap…the old method was just scoop your dog, throw him into the car and drive to the hospital as fast as you can,” Soucy said.

Connecticut troopers say they are embracing the training knowing it has the potential to save their partner.

“The soul that they put into it for us to rescue other people, to save other people, to protect people, that’s a…you can’t put a price on it,” said Warren.

It’s the cough that just won’t quit. If you haven’t caught it, you probably know someone who has, and chances are they’re still fighting this virus.

“I think it is different than last year. It seems to be the cough seems to be lingering quite longer,” Michelle Charette of Bristol said.

This winter’s stubborn cough is the gift that keeps on giving.

“Oh yes, definitely lingers,” said Jackie Robinson of Plymouth.

Robinson’s family has been dealing with a winter bug off and on for months. In fact, she said her 7-year-old son Harper was sick for two weeks straight.

“Cough, and sneezing, and runny nose,” said Robinson.

Dr. Michael Gutnman, medical director for New England Urgent Care, said a persistent cough is a common symptom of an upper respiratory infection.

“The cough can linger for weeks or even a couple months,” said Gutman.

Usually it’s treated with a round of steroids. If that persistent cough is accompanied by a fever an X-Ray may be needed.

“Make sure you don’t have pneumonia because the flu can lead to pneumonia,” said Gutman.

A blast of winter has hit the Town of Windsor, but it's not all Mother Nature. Organizers for Special Olympics Connecticut are hard at work getting the courses competition-ready for the winter games this weekend.

“Behind us I’ve got two 100-meter cross country ski tracks,” explained Eversource Program Administrator Andy Ouellette. “Right over here is going to be the snowshoe race. It’s a big oval. The far south end of the course is going to be the long course. It’s a 250-meter long course event.”

Close to 1,000 athletes will compete in events around the state, from skiing to skating and hockey. Gold medalist Sandy Stanislawski is competing for a fifth year.

“I like to be outdoors. I love everybody. All the athletes. All the coaches.”

“It gives them an outlet to have a really good coach, get out there and train,” said Special Olympics Connecticut President Beau Doherty.

Organizers say the signature event would not be possible without the 1,200 volunteers, who devote hundreds of hours to make sure it all comes together.

“You have hundreds and hundreds of volunteers, Eversource employees, retirees,” said Mitch Gross, of Eversource. “People from all walks of life come together, from all over the community. We all get together for one weekend after hours and hours of planning, and we enjoy the weekend.”

A pet supply store that’s been a staple in Berlin for more than 140 years is closing its doors for good.

A.S. Labieniec is a small business that’s been around since the time of horse-drawn carriages on Connecticut streets. The owners say it was a difficult decision to close.

Stepping into the old barn that houses A.S. Labieniec is like stepping back in time.

“It’s been an icon in town,” said owner, John Connery. “It’s been here forever, literally. It’s an old feed store that’s changed over time to supplies. Probably over three-quarters of the business is pet supplies.”

Today a big white sign that reads “store closing” is posted outside. Connery said it was just too tough to keep up.

“Feed stores are just going away due to the big box stores,” he said. Internet sales are really doing a toll on small businesses.”

Connery bought the business from the Labieniec family four years ago. Owning it was a dream of his.

“I worked for the Labieniec family for a long time,” he said. “It was my first job, and I worked here right into being a young adult, and it’s how my wife and I met, she was actually a customer of mine.”

Customers we spoke with said they will miss the face to face experience of shopping in a store like Labieniec’s.

“The internet and all the great things you can do, but when it puts businesses like this out of business it’s unfortunate,” said A.J. Stewart from Southington.

“We want to thank our loyal customers who have supported us over time,” Connery said. “It was a tough decision to say goodbye, so we are going to miss everybody. We had a lot of great people come through here.”

The store will close for good on February 28.

Police are investigating a suspicious death in Cheshire and the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail is closed.

Cheshire police said they received a call just after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday about suspicious items in the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail area and have focused their investigation on the area between School House Road and West Johnson Avenue.

They called the State Police Major Crimes Division in to assist in the investigation of what they are calling an “untimely death.”

Police have not released any additional information.

The trail has been closed to the public.

A man is dead after a shooting in Hartford Tuesday evening, and police are currently questioning another shooting victim found at a separate location to see if the cases are connected.

Police said the fatal shooting happened in the area of 240 New Britain Avenue. The victim, a 46-year-old man from Bristol, was dropped off at Hartford Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police are speaking with the person who drove the victim to the hospital.

According to Lt. Paul Cicero, investigators believe the shooting was drug-related. Large amounts of marijuana were found at the scene.

Around the same time, police found a second shooting victim near Atwood and Ashley streets. Cicero said that victim was conscious and alert and is being questioned by detectives. Investigators believe the two incidents may be connected and are looking into whether the victim found on Atwood Street may have been transported from a different location.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

A shoreline veterinarian is putting out a warning after she said two dogs that she treats were rushed to animal hospitals in the last five days for likely ingesting marijuana.

John Bruno said he took his most 2-year-old dog Jodi on her regular three-mile walk in Old Saybrook and to his neighbor’s house, which was nothing out of the ordinary.

But Monday night he had to rush her to the Pieper Veterinary Madison’s emergency center.

“She was very lethargic and it was almost like having a seizure. It seemed like she had a stroke and it scared the daylights out of me,” Bruno said.

Usually Jodi is an active dog.

“She was twitching, and she’d jump, and she was very nervous. The vet looked at her and he said it could be something neurological, but I’m willing to bet, I’m 98 percent sure that she ingested marijuana,” Bruno said.

Bruno had no idea where Jodi found it.

Pieper Veterinary Marketing Manager Jesse Ferguson confirmed the center did see a dog that ingested marijuana.

Jodi’s regular vet, Dr. Kathy Clark, of Clark Veterinary Hospital in Old Lyme, has the paperwork and confirmed it, too.

Clark said two of her four-legged canine patients were rushed to animal hospitals for likely marijuana ingestion over the past five days after being out for a walk. The other dog was walking in Niantic, Clark said.

“It’s suggesting we are going to see more problems where marijuana’s available fairly close,” Clark said, adding she’s seen more cases since medicinal marijuana was legalized in Connecticut.

Clark also said both young dogs had symptoms come on very quickly and it’s important to keep a closer eye on your pup.

“If they’re really sniffing something under the bench, pull them out because there may be something in there they shouldn’t be getting into,” Clark said.

It’s something Bruno is already aware of but said he’s going to pay extra close attention to.

“It was painful just watching her trembling, having these tremors, just not being herself,” he said.

Jodi is about 80 percent back to her normal behaviors.

Dr. Carol Himsel, an emergency and critical care doctor at Pieper Veterinary Madison said their doctors do see cases of dogs ingesting marijuana about once a week. Before medicinal marijuana became legal in Connecticut, that number was around once a month, she said.

Symptoms for a dog could include suddenly being uncoordinated and stumbling, tremors, potentially reactive to sounds and light, dilated pupils, and dogs often vomit because THC is powerful in dogs, according to Himsel.

The Pet Poison Helpline said in the last six years, Pet Poison Helpline experienced a 448 percent increase in marijuana cases. More information can be found here.

What some say is artwork supporting police at the Capitol has been removed over concerns that it could actually represent opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement.

A handmade wooden plaque was donated weeks ago by a member of the Capitol Police. The office of Legislative Management said they decided to hang it in the police memorial in the concourse that connects the Legislative Office Building to the Capitol building. The thin blue line is recognized by some as a symbol of support for law enforcement.

But others view it as a symbol of opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement, and it was seen during a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017.

“In the context of history behind it a lot of my members expressed a lot of concerns especially in this building,” said Rep. Brandon McGee, (D) chairman of the Black & Puerto Rican Caucus.

“We are not anti- you know - police we support our men in blue but we also know that given the history around black people, people of color with respect to this particular issue. I just think it was necessary to share our concerns with our leadership,” McGee explained.

The plague was taken down Tuesday morning. The Fraternal Order of Police, who represent thousands of officers throughout the state, said its removal is an attack on police officers and that they would like to see it placed back on the wall.

“I’m saddened and disappointed that in times the times were in now that something like this could actually happen,” said John Krupinsky, president of the Connecticut State Fraternal Order Of Police.

Artwork in the concourse is usually put through a vetting process, but the Office of Legislative Management said they felt the piece was appropriate to hang without vetting in a corner that is specifically reserved for the police memorial, and that they also made the call to take it down. They said the piece itself is now in a storage room waiting to be returned to its owner.

People sent a strong message that they don’t want tolls in the state at a rally in Enfield on Tuesday.

“I don’t even see as just a Republican thing. This is a Connecticut thing,” said Mary Ann Turner.

Turner, the town’s Republican Committee chairman, says she’s disappointed Governor Ned Lamont is now talking about options for tolling, including charging tractor-trailer trucks and cars.

“People are angry. They’re worried about their homes, their kids, going to work every day,” said Turner.

On Tuesday, the Enfield Town Council also weighed in on the issue.

While some councilors argued it was too early to take a stance, the council voted 6-4 to oppose tolls.

“I think it’s important we let the state know as a border town this is going to have a great impact on us,” said Mayor Michael Ludwick of Enfield.

There is the concern about heavy traffic in town if drivers try to avoid the tolls.

Then there’s the expected increased cost for businesses and everyone who takes highways.

“I think the state would become unaffordable and I wouldn’t want to live here,” said Mark Anderson of Granby.

There are also worries for those from out-of-state, whether they travel here for shopping or work.

“This toll is really going to take a toll on me,” said Maryellen Diluzio.

Diluzio lives in Massachusetts and owns a business in Windsor.

“I never thought I’d see the day where I’d be taxed to drive to work to earn the money to pay my income tax. To me that’s absolutely un-American,” said Diluzio.

Governor Lamont has argued tolls could be a steady stream of money for transportation upgrades and about half would be paid by out-of-state drivers.

Another anti-toll rally is planned on Wednesday in Hartford as the governor gives his budget address.

Residents of East Lyme will vote on whether there should be a new public safety facility on Wednesday.

If Wednesday's referendum approves the proposal, it means the new public safety facility would be at 277 West Main Street.

The Honeywell Office Building would be bought and renovated for $5 million.

The current facility police are working out of was always meant to be a temporary location.

First Selectman Mark Nikerson argues that the temporary facility is deteriorating, has several safety and environmental concerns and simply can't hold everyone.

The 30,000 square-foot facility would consolidate the town's dispatch center, fire marshal's office and emergency operations center, all of which are spread out.

First Selectman Nickerson says he's working with local leaders to potentially transform the old facility into a restaurant or retail space.

Voting begins at 8 a.m. and goes until 8 p.m. at the East Lyme Community Center.

A former Philadelphia Police Department detective pleaded not guilty Tuesday to allegations that he sexually assaulted male witnesses and suspects over more than a decade.

Philip Nordo allegedly "groomed" his victims during ongoing investigations and engaged in conduct to make these men "more susceptible to his sexually assaultive and/ or coercive behavior," the heavily redacted grand jury report said.

He was denied bail. His next hearing is set for late March.

In their report, a Philadelphia grand jury recommended that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner charge Nordo with several felony counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, indecent assault, stalking and dozens of related charges.

A phone call to an attorney previously listed for Nordo was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Nordo, 52, was fired in 2017 after serving 20 years on the force in some of the department's most prestigious units, including the Homicide Unit. 

He first joined the police force in 1997 and was promoted to detective in 2002. Seven years later, he was on the Homicide Unit. During that time, Nordo allegedly "used his position of authority" to intimidate, rape and assault men associated with his cases. He then bullied them into silence, the heavily redacted report said.

In at least one instance, Nordo stared at and commented on a man’s penis while the suspect was under arrest. He also discussed having sexual relationships with his victims over the phone using code words, the grand jury found.

He asked incarcerated sources to tell him when so-called “homosexual inmates” were to be released “so he could have sex with them or sexually groom them,” according to the report.

Much of this behavior occurred during active investigations. He also volunteered to work closely with his victims, including transporting inmates and witnesses for other detectives. These encounters allowed him to identify new victims or conceal his relationships with existing victims, the report said. 

He often targeted people who were already handcuffed or shackled, according to the grand jury findings.

He also diverted up to $20,000 from the mayor's office's Crime Reward Program to the victims he favored. Nordo would pay off his victims using city money, according to prosecutors, with the detective submitting witnesses involvement in investigations to crime reward programs.

Victims alleged Nordo would display his firearm during these grooming sessions and would tell suspects no one would believe them if they reported the alleged incidents.

In one 2005 encounter, Nordo allegedly forced a robbery suspect to masturbate in front of him. He then gave his victim a cigarette. That victim reported the incident to another officer who then called the department's Internal Affairs Division.

Officers from Internal Affairs conducted an interview with the victim, according to the grand jury's report. The victim was murdered 10 years later — a case that remains unsolved.

The status of the internal investigation remains unclear.

A spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department did not immediately have comment.

A spokesman for the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police said the organization will not represent Nordo during his legal battle.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in July the district attorney's office had agreed not to challenge the dismissal of charges in at least one murder case where Nordo had been accused of having inappropriate contact with several witnesses. A second suspect who had pleaded guilty to charges in the same homicide was granted immediate parole instead of being sentenced to potential decades in prison.

Krasner declined to comment on the case during a Tuesday news conference, but said it was "far too early" to speculate whether past cases involving Nordo will be compromised as a result of the report.

The Consolidated School in New Fairfield is opening on a three-hour delay Wednesday because of a heating problem. 

The school department’s website said morning Pre-K will be canceled.

No other schools are affected.