Fotis Dulos, the estranged husband of missing New Canaan mother Jennifer Dulos, is due in court today in connection with a second tampering with evidence charge after Connecticut State Police arrested him last week.

Fotis Dulos was arrested on Sept. 4, posted the $500,000 bond and is expected in court today.

His attorney, Norm Pattis, said they intend to plead not guilty to the new charges.

"The requirement to make another bond seems simply a stunt on the state's part to try to wear down our will to resist," Pattis said.

In a later statement to NBC New York, Pattis said that the prosecution is "trying to convince itself" that Fotis Dulos is behind Jennifer's disappearance.

"When and if the state decides it can prove its case, we will welcome the chance to meet the case in open court," Pattis said. "The new warrant speaks of a lying lover and handyman with something to hide. When do we get the chance to question these folks?”

Fotis made a brief statement to reporters as he left Connecticut State Police Troop G in Bridgeport last Wednesday.

“It’s an exhausting fight. I love my children, that's about it," Fotis said.

Jennifer Dulos has been missing since May 24. She was in the midst of a divorce and custody battle with Fotis at the time of her disappearance.

Background on the Missing Mom Jennifer Dulos Case

For weeks, the search for Jennifer has spanned the state and authorities sifted through trash at a facility Hartford after bags containing Dulos’ blood were found.

Law enforcement officials said surveillance video captured two people resembling her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, throwing out bags on Albany Avenue in Hartford that ended up in the trash plant.

Fotis and Troconis were both charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence. They have both pleaded not guilty.

Court documents in the case say investigators who responded to the missing person report in May found blood splatter and evidence of cleanup attempts at Jennifer’s New Canaan home.

The New Details From the Fotis Dulos Arrest Warrant

The new arrest warrant states that Troconis admitted to police that she and Fotis were on Albany Avenue that day, but claimed she did not know what Fotis was doing. Troconis also told investigators that several handwritten notes found in Fotis’ business office that outlined his activities on May 24 and May 25 included information that was inaccurate and described events that had never happened.

In a follow-up interview, Troconis told police she did not see Fotis when she woke up on May 24 and did not see him until sometime after noon that day.

On Sept. 5, Troconis was arrested and charged with tampering of physical evidence.

The court documents also include multiple surveillance photos of a red Toyota Tacoma, which Fotis had access to, in New Canaan on the morning Jennifer disappeared. According to the warrant, the vehicle is owned by one of Fotis’ employees, who regularly leaves the vehicle at Fotis’ Farmington home and takes another vehicle for his work.

That employee told police that when he returned from work on May 24 to pick up his truck he couldn’t initially find the keys. He said the following week, Fotis took the car to be interior detailed and washed without his knowledge.

The employee went on to tell police that Fotis kept pushing him to replace the seats in the truck. When he questioned his employer, Fotis said he was concerned Jennifer’s hair may be in the car because he hugged her when he saw her on Mother’s Day.

The employee was cleared as a suspect.

During an interview with Troconis on Aug. 13, detectives asked her why she thought Dulos had the Tacoma washed. Troconis answered "Well obviously - all the evidence says because - you showed me the picture of the blood in the door - it's because the body of Jennifer at some point was in there," according to the arrest affidavit.

In the court documents, investigators state they believe Fotis laid in wait for Jennifer at her home on May 24, committed "the crime" and cleaned it up, then returned to Farmington.

When police searched the Toyota, they found a “bloodlike substance” that was a DNA match to Jennifer, according to the court documents.

Fotis has only been charged with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.

Jennifer and Fotis’ five children have been staying with Jennifer’s mother, who was granted temporary custody by the court.

Police urge everyone with information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance to contact them. In addition to the tip line, 203-594-3544, tips and information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance can be sent to FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov and submitted anonymously at www.FindJenniferDulos.com.

Route 140 is closed between the Melrose and Broad Brook roads intersection in East Windsor and the intersection of Sadds Mill and Reeves roads in Ellington after a vehicle hit a pole. 

Minor injuries are reported. 

Utility companies estimated the road will be closed through the morning commute.

Two years after a white couple in New Jersey gave birth to a baby girl through in-vitro fertilization, they realized that she had "Asian features" -- and now they want to know the identity of the girl's biological father. 

Although the parents say they love their daughter and wouldn't change anything, they're suing the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in what is the latest mix up at fertility clinics across the country, according to the family's lawyer David Mazie.

DNA results showed that there was 0% possibility that the northern Jersey man was the child's biological father. Mazie says the discovery was heartbreaking for two people struggling to have kids by themselves. 

"They love her. She's their daughter and they wouldn't change anything from that perspective but it was devastating to find this out," he said.

The couple ended up getting a divorce, citing the stress of the fertility clinic mix-up, Mazie said. They are demanding financial compensation from the medical center as well as a list of sperm donors so they can find the child's biological father.

They want "to find out her genetic history and possibly have a relationship with her genetic father, who has no idea as we sit here right now, that he was this child's father," Mazie tells News 4.

The clinic says it is taking the matter very seriously and it's "thoroughly examining the alleged incident, which is said to have occurred in 2012."

The parents' lawsuit comes two months after a New York couple claimed in a lawsuit that a California fertility clinic got the wife pregnant with someone else’s babies.

The couple said in a federal lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of New York that after years of failed efforts to have children and spending over $100,000 to get pregnant at CHA Fertility, doctors used embryos that belonged to two other couples who had also received treatment there.

Armory Street in Hamden is closed at Whitney Avenue because of a water main break, according to the Hamden Fire Department.

Repairs are expected to take several hours.

Drivers are urged to seek alternate routes.

The heaviest of the rain to move through Thursday is clearing out and most of the afternoon will be dry. 

The day will be mainly cloudy, with breaks of sun and a stray passing shower. 

Temperatures will stay cool today -- in the upper 60s and 70s. The humidity will drop off throughout the day as well. 

Friday looks awesome. It will be sunny and in the 70s.

A 26-year-old woman was shot in New Haven on Wednesday night. 

Police said officers responded to Exchange Street, between Blatchley Avenue and Poplar Street, just after 9:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting and the victim was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital. 

Her injuries were determined to be non-life threatening. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the New Haven Police Department Investigative Services Division at 203-946-6304. 

No additional information was immediately available.

A University of Connecticut student has died after a crash in Tolland Wednesday night. 

State Police said 20-year-old Nathan Sterling, of Ellington, was driving along a curve on Peter Green Road in Tolland while going around a curve just before 8:45 p.m. and struck two trees. 

Sterling was not wearing a seatbelt, according to a news release from state police. 

No other vehicles were involved in the crash. 

Nathan had transferred this year to UConn as an economics major after graduating last spring from Manchester Community College, according to UConn. 

Officials at the school said they learned early this morning of his death and will be reaching out to offer assistance to his friends and classmates. 

“Although Nathan hadn’t been at UConn for very long, it’s clear from his accomplishments at MCC and his promising start here that his potential was unlimited. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who are affected by this very sad loss,” UConn said in a statement. 

State police are investigating the cause of the crash. They ask anyone with information to call Trooper Hoyt at Troop C in Tolland. 

Dogs are some of the most social, pack-minded animals on the planet, with a seemingly endless desire to be good boys and girls (Really, do we deserve them?).

Perhaps that's why Jax was all smiles, even after getting stuck with a needle at a vet's office in Bristow, Virginia. The pit bull-bull dog mix wasn't there to get a checkup, though: He was donating blood.

It's an often-unconsidered fact that in case of illness or injury, blood transfusions can save the lives of not just humans, but those of our furry companions too.

That's what happened after Indy, a Lab who's now 5 years old, ate gum containing xylitol — which is fine for humans, but very poisonous to dogs.

Indy's owners rushed her to the vet, where she had a seizure because of low blood sugar. The pup was transferred to Virginia Vet Centers in Fredericksburg, and over the next seven days, received intensive treatment including IV fluids and antibiotics.

Indy went into liver failure and was given six double units of canine plasma to keep her from bleeding to death, her owners said.

It took seven days before Indy was recovered enough to head home. Now, her blood is back to normal and she's happy at home.

"Without the plasma donated from other dogs, Indy surely would not have survived this ordeal," her owners told News4 in an email.

Not every dog gets so lucky. Casey Mills, an account manager at the North American Veterinary Blood Bank, shared the story of another dog who came in to the emergency room needing multiple blood transfusions.

There was no blood available, and the dog died.

"There is a critical shortage of animal blood affecting the D.C. area right now," Mills said.

The North American Veterinary Blood Bank (NAVBB) is battling that shortage. It currently accepts donations at a vet's center in Bristow, Virginia, and is looking to expand to D.C. and Maryland. That would allow more people to donate conveniently.

A wide donor pool is needed: Animals have blood types just like humans. Cats have three different feline-specific blood types, and canines have a whopping 12. 

Blood types aren't breed specific, but greyhounds are known for being universal donors, Mills said. Most dogs aged 1-7 that are in good health, have a good temperament and weigh more than 50 pounds can donate. (Cats must weigh 9.5 pounds. Here's more information on requirements).

"Many people do not realize the significant impact their dog could make," Mills said.

The dogs that donate under NAVBB's community donor model live at home with their families and come into the Bristow office to donate once a month.

Of course, dogs and their owners get perks for their efforts.

"They’re always so excited when they come in the door to see us because they know we’re going to give them tons of peanut butter or Milk-Bones ... whatever their little heart desires," Mills said.

The owner of one donor dog, Freddie, told News4, "Honestly, he does it for the peanut butter!"

Smiley Jax, who was rescued from a junkyard, hardly even notices the procedure, his owner Kristina says.

Pet owners get discounts on checkups and disease screenings — plus the satisfaction of knowing they could be saving the life of someone's best friend.

Claire Savage reported on this story

A Stratford woman has been missing for almost four weeks and police said she is endangered. 

Forty-three-year-old Michelle Pierce, who is also known as Michelle Schmader, was last seen in Oneida County, New York on Aug. 16 and could be in Rome, New York, according to police. 

She has a history of medical problems and no known connections in New York. 

Anyone with information should call or text Detective Jon Policano at 203-726-0275.

Six more people in Connecticut have now been hospitalized for severe lung disease that could be connected to vaping or e-cigarettes, according to the state Department of Public Health, bringing the number of cases in the state to 11.

As of Sept. 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was aware of more than 450 cases nationwide of lung illness associated with using e-cigarettes or vaping. The investigation has not yet identified any single substance or product that is linked to all cases. 

Connecticut health officials are urging people not to use e-cigarette, vapes, electronic nicotine delivery systems, liquid cartridges or e-pipes amid the national investigation into lung injuries. 

The state was previously investigating five illnesses and said Thursday that six more Connecticut residents were hospitalized for severe lung disease, bringing the total to 11 cases reported to the Department of Public Health. 

The first case of lung disease possibly tied to vaping was reported to the department on Aug. 14. 

Seven patients are residents of Fairfield County, three reside in New Haven County, and one resides in New London County. 

All patients are between 15 and 50, all are recovering and most have been discharged from hospitals, state officials said. 

“Connecticut residents should consider not using e-cigarette products, at least for now, while we and our counterparts in other states and the federal government look into what is causing these severe respiratory symptoms,” Connecticut DPH Commissioner Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell said in a statement. “The exact cause of these illnesses has not yet been identified, but we have seen patients suffer from severe infections, and there have been fatalities in a number of states. This is a serious public health concern.” 

The CDC recommends that people who do use e-cigarette or vapor products not buy them off the street or modify products or add any substances that are not intended by the manufacturer. 

People who use e-cigarettes or vapor products and are concerned about respiratory symptoms should consider seeking medical advice. 

On Wednesday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters that the Trump administration is preparing to ban flavored e-cigarettes as federal health officials call for restrictions to combat an outbreak of a mysterious lung disease that has sickened hundreds and killed at least six people.

More information about the investigation can be found on CDC’s website.  

Part of an Avon neighborhood was evacuated Thursday when a car crashed into a home and broke a natural gas line.

Police said an elderly driver crashed into a housing unit at 5 Pond Place around 1 p.m. No one was home, but the crash damaged a natural gas line. Police and firefighters evacuated the area while Eversource and Connecticut Natural gas responded to cut service to the home.

The gas line repairs are underway and should be complete between 6:30 and 7 p.m.

Residents have been allowed to return to their homes.

The driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. No one else was hurt.

Connecticut State Police have been at the West Hartford Reservoir property Thursday searching for clues in the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, sources with knowledge of the investigation confirm to NBC Connecticut.

Jennifer Dulos has been missing since May 24, and according to court paperwork, police no longer believe she is alive. She was in the midst of a divorce and custody battle with her estranged husband Fotis Dulos at the time of her disappearance. Fotis and his girlfriend Michelle Troconis were arrested in June on to tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution, and again on additional counts of the same charges earlier this month.

Fotis appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the second tampering with evidence charge.

Just after the court appearance Dulos’ attorney, Norm Pattis, spoke outside the court and said his client pleaded not guilty.

“Here is our message to the state of Connecticut, Mr. Dulos is not guilty. When you’re ready to try a case by appropriate evidentiary standards in a court of law, you’ll know where to find it. We’ve got three words for the state – bring it on,” Pattis said.

A judge has placed a gag order on the case, New Canaan police said Thursday.

• Read the Fotis Dulos Arrest Affidavit

The search for Jennifer has spanned the state, including searches at the West Hartford reservoir, properties that belong to Fotis’ company the Fore Group in Farmington and New Canaan, Jennifer’s New Canaan home, and properties in New York that belong to Jennifer’s family. Authorities spent days sifting through trash at a facility Hartford after bags containing Dulos’ blood were found. Law enforcement officials said surveillance video captured two people resembling Fotis and Troconis throwing out bags on Albany Avenue in Hartford that ended up in the trash plant.

Court documents in the case say investigators who responded to the missing person report in May found blood splatter and evidence of cleanup attempts at Jennifer’s New Canaan home.

According to the most recent court documents, Jennifer’s blood was found on the seat of a pick-up belonging to his employee, the same truck investigators believe Fotis drove to and from New Canaan the day Jennifer went missing.

The investigation is ongoing. Police urge everyone with information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance to contact them. In addition to the tip line, 203-594-3544, tips and information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance can be sent to FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov and submitted anonymously at www.FindJenniferDulos.com.

A Shelton man who smashed a window at the Plumb Memorial Library said he was trying to bring awareness to the homeless situation, according to Shelton police.

Police said 58-year-old Kevin Smith walked into the Shelton Police Department Thursday and told officers he smashed the window. When police responded to the library to check, they found a smashed window pane and a rock beneath the window.

Smith was charged with criminal mischief and bond was set at $1,000.

A Portland man is facing manslaughter charges in connection with a fatal overdose in Middletown on April 30.

Police said the suspect, 35-year-old Angel Gonzalez, sold fentanyl to a 20-year-old woman who died of an overdose on April 30.

During the investigation police executed a search warrant at Gonzalez home and found fentanyl packaged for sale. Gonzalez was arrested and charged with possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, and risk of injury. He was also charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and sale of narcotics in connection with the woman’s death.

He was held on a $500,000 bond.

The two candidates for Middletown Mayor have very different backgrounds.

Ben Florshiem became the Democratic candidate Tuesday night. He's 27 years old.

"Something new,” said voter Roxanne Betty. “Thinking that he's young, maybe he's thinking ‘I have to prove myself. I got to show them what can be done."’

Sebastian Giuliano, the Republican candidate, has held public office in Middletown for more than a decade.

“I would be voting for somebody that has more experience," said Middletown voter Helga Mazzei.

Florshiem grew up in the Midwest. When he was entering Wesleyan as a freshman, Giuliano was finishing up his third term as Middletown mayor.

"I think we want to see what I was able to see about nine years ago when I first moved here, which is, this is a place worth fighting for, it's worth investing in, and worth staying?” said Florsheim.

NBC Connecticut made multiple attempts to talk to Giuliano Thursday, but he wasn't available. We did talk to Giuliano’s campaign manager who says he plans to lower taxes.

Florshiem says he wants to make improvements.

“There are a number of assets that we just aren't capitalizing on the way we ought to be," he said.

One thing the candidates can agree on is the riverfront has potential for development.

Hamden High School and Hamden Police are investigating after a student discovered anti-Semitic comments and swastikas written inside a bathroom stall.

School leaders say the graffiti was discovered in two separate student bathrooms with each location containing similar handwritten words and images.

The graffiti did not indicate any specific or imminent threats.

The event sparked a lot of emotion from Hamden High School senior Jack Shane.

“There’s no place for that and that doesn’t belong in any school,” said Shane. “Everyone should see it as a problem, not just kids who are necessarily affected by it.”

A letter from school officials states: “The administration takes an uncompromising stance against such abhorrent, exclusionary displays and is investigating the matter alongside school security and the Hamden Police Department to identify and hold the offending party accountable.”

Board of Education member Walter Morton is a 2009 graduate. Morton says the incident is a poor representation of his alma mater and Hamden Public Schools.

“Those types of remarks and images have no place in this community,” said Morton. “We will not stand for hate speech, or inflammatory and racial remarks.”

This summer, HHS student ambassadors began working with the Anti-Defamation League in pursuit of being the organization’s first No Place For Hate school in Connecticut.

Michelle Pincince is the education director with the Anti-Defemination League.

"It's disheartening that this is happening on such a consistent basis," said Pincince. “It is absolutely deferential to our educational process if we don’t have an inclusive and respectful school environment.”

The ADL and several Hamden student ambassadors are working together to spread awareness about the dangers of hateful graffiti.

"We are putting together a number of different programs that reach the entire student body,” said Pincince. “Our goal is to create several different school-wide programs that will get students talking to each other, that will help break down barriers.”

It’s a painful reminder from the past for Zoey Hoffman Kamrat.

Last year, the Hamden High junior says she experienced hate-speech first hand.

“This year started off really well and I could kind of feel like I could forget what happened last year and then this incident happened again,” said Hoffman Kamrat. “I think it’s popping up again, the administration is handling it pretty well by telling everyone about it.”

Hoffman Kamrat is hoping to work with the administration to put together a forum about the dangers of hate-speech.

New Haven Public Schools are apologizing after serving breakfast to students that may have contained nuts.

According to a letter sent to the school community, the pre-packaged breakfast kids served Thursday included a Nature Valley granola bar that is processed in a plant that also processes nuts. Nuts are not an ingredient in the bar and the wrapper did contain a cautionary message that the product bar “may contain peanuts, almonds or pecan products.” Officials said the product was not on the approved food list and the school kitchens were informed as soon as officials learned of the situation.

School nurses were instructed to check students with known nut allergies. There have been no reported allergic reactions, officials said.

“The health and safety of our students and families are paramount. We very much regret the error and our Food Service team has redoubled efforts to ensure no similar repeat of this issue occurs,” the district wrote in the letter.

Anyone with questions can contact Jennifer Vazquez, director of nursing, at 203-946-6364, or Gail Sharry, food service director, at 475-220-1600.

One person was seriously hurt when a car crashed into a pole in Bloomfield Thursday.

It happened at the intersection of Mountain Avenue and Regency Drive. Police said the North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction Team was called in to investigate.

No other information was immediately available.

Ten candidates take the stage Thursday evening in Houston for the third debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race. With a higher threshold to qualify, tonight's debate is the first in which all the candidates can fit together on one stage.

Scroll below to follow along with our minute-by-minute live blog of Thursday night's event.

Police have added several additional criminal charges in the wake of a public cow slaughter in Bloomfield on July 13.

Officers charged Bilal Musid, of Saba Live Poultry, with two counts of animal cruelty, and one count of cruelty to poultry.

These new charges stemmed from an inspection of the halal butcher shop, where inspectors found health violations.

Inspections took place after a cow from the store got loose, and an employee chased it down and slit its throat in a public area.

Musid’s attorney said his client denies the allegations and looks forward to his day in court.

Musid and co-worker Badr Musaed are scheduled to appear before a judge later this month.

The store has remained closed while its owners complete repairs needed to correct violations inspectors discovered.