A man was arrested on the roof of a building in Middletown early Saturday morning after breaking in to steal copper wire, according to police.

Roman Skrzypecki, 38, of Southington, was charged with burglary, possessino of burglary tools, larceny and criminal mischief after reportedly stealing copper from Electric Wholesalers at 705 Middle Street in Middletown.

Police went to investigate after receiving reports of burglaries there. Video surveillance captured a man breaking into the building several Saturdays in a row at approximately 5:30 a.m., authorities said.

Police set up surveillance early this morning to see if the suspect would return.

According to police, Skrzypecki arrived on schedule and entered the building through the roof around 6:30 a.m., climbing down a hatchway and landing on metal storage bins. Police said he walked across the bins until he found the wire, never touching the floor.

Middletown police, state police and the Westfield Fire Department apprehended Skrzypecki on the roof of the building.

Police said they're investigating other burglaries at Electrical Wholesalers to see if Skrzypecki had any involvement.

Skrzypecki had a pending court case from an arrest in Farmington for a similar incident.

He's due in Middletown court on Feb. 11.

Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is in the ICU at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, officials said Saturday.

The mayor was taken to the hospital Friday evening after returning from Arizona on business feeling ill.

Law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, where Daley holds a counsel job, sent out this statement Saturday:

"Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, 71, was taken by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital after returning yesterday (Friday) evening from Arizona on business feeling ill. He is in Northwestern's ICU for monitoring and evaluation. Mayor Daley's family is with him and they are visiting between tests."

Heard said Daley communicated with his family that he wasn't feeling well in Phoenix and that the family sent an ambulance to Midway because "otherwise he might not go [to the hospital]."

Daley walked to the ambulance, however, sources tell NBC Chicago's Ward Room blogger Mark Anderson that he was brought into the hospital by a stretcher.

Heard would not describe the nature of Daley's symptoms, but insists he lives a healthy lifestyle.

A former state senator and county prosecutor, Daley was elected mayor in 1989, to complete the term of the late Harold Washington.

He was the longest serving Chicago mayor, holding the top seat for six terms before announcing in 2010 that he would not run again for office.

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Former-Mayor-Daley-Taken-To-ICU-243082851.html#ixzz2s6oiTDK8

 

One person was wounded in an officer-involved shooting on the Maple Street Bridge in Ansonia Saturday afternoon.

According to authorities, Ansonia police officer Joe Jackson responded to call of a vehicle leaving the scene of an accident near Maple Street Bridge shortly after 2:00 p.m. 

When Jackson got to the location, he saw a vehicle fleeing the scene and managed to stop the male suspect and removed him from the car.

Police said the suspect, who is in his 30's, assaulted Jackson and got back into his vehicle to flee.

The suspect drove directly toward the officer and that is when Jackson fired his gun at the vehicle, authorities said.

The suspect was able to flee from the scene and drove to East 9th St in Derby where he stopped.

According to state police, an ambulance transported the suspect from Derby to Yale-New Haven hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police said Officer Jackson was taken to the hospital for evaluation and appears to be okay.

The State Police Major Crime Unit is conducting an investigation.

I-95 South in Stratford has reopened after a crash involving a state police cruiser on Saturday night.

The crash happened between exits 34 and 33.

According to state police, a vehicle struck a state trooper parked on the side of the highway.

Police said the trooper suffered  minor injuries.

The other driver was not injured and will not be charged.

Police are investigating a shooting in Hartford that sent one person to the hospital.

According to police, the shooting happened in the common hallway of 500 Garden Street.

The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Detectives from the Hartford Major Crimes Division are investigating.

With raffle tickets purchased, drinks poured, and money piled up, the Saturday night fundraiser for New Britain Police Officer Brett Morgan at Belvedere Cafe and Restaurant said a lot about the city.

New Britain resident Roger Peterson felt it was absolutely necessary to be there and support a man he's never met.
 
"I believe everyone in the community should support our police department and officers that are always willing to give everything of themselves up to and including their lives," said Peterson.
 
Nearly two weeks ago police say Morgan was intentionally hit by a car and dragged 100 feet. He's been in the hospital ever since.
 
"We were scared," said New Britain Police Chief Jim Wardwell. "Thought we might lose him."
 
Along with raising money, Saturday night was also a chance to celebrate Officer Morgan's life and strength.
 
"His spirits are high, his hopes are up, and it'll be a long road to recovery for him. But I am so proud of the New Britain community coming together like this to be able to support him," said Mayor Erin Stewart.
 
Morgan and his wife released a statement thanking everyone, saying, "Because of God's grace and the support of so many wonderful people, we are able to move forward stronger and more hopeful than ever."
 
The event showed the character of the city, and Morgan's goal to step back onto the streets in uniform shows his character too.
 
"I happen to know that's his hope, and it's certainly my hope and the hope of the entire police force and the hope of the entire community," said Chief Wardwell.
 
So far the fund for Brett Morgan has raised more than $10,000.
 

A University of Connecticut student was arrested Saturday, accused of selling drugs out of his dorm room on campus, according to UConn police.

University police arrested 22-year-old Alexander Angeloff, of West Haven, after police found more than $30,000 in illegal drugs in his dorm room.

Officers raided his room in Grange Hall as part of an narcotics trafficking operation on the Storrs campus. Police said the investigation has spanned over several  months.

According to UConn police, authorities seized three pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, over two grams of heroin, PCP, 488 doses of LSD, 1,782 doses of Ecstasy,  marijuana, more than one gram of crystal methamphetamine and $4,716 in cash.

Angeloff is facing 14 separate drug charges, including possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operating a drug factory.

He is scheduled for arraignment in Rockville Superior Court on Monday.

One person has died and two are in the hospital after the car in which they were riding slammed into a tree in South Windsor early Sunday morning.

Homeowners on Hillside Drive were awakened around 2 a.m. when the car smashed into a tree in their front yard, according to emergency officials.

One of the residents, a South Windsor volunteer firefighter, ran outside and called 911.

"Fortunately for us, the gentleman in the house is a volunteer firefighter with South Windsor so he was able to give us a very accurate on scene report and that gave us a lot of valuable information on our way here," said John Hoffman with the South Windsor Fire Department.

Due to the extensive damage to the car, it took the fire department nearly 40 minutes to get all three occupants of the car out and transported to the hospital.

LifeStar was called to the scene but couldn't fly due to foggy condiitons, authorities said.

Police said one of the passengers has died. The driver and second passenger are being treated at the hospital and are in unknown condition.

"The driver was talking," said witness Pat Plummer, who lives nearby. "The guy in the backseat was ok. I mean, I say ok, but the only one I didn't see was the passenger in the front. They had to cut him out and all that stuff."

The victims have not been identified, but emergency responders said all three are over the age of 18.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact South Windsor Police Agent Halibozek at 860-644-2551.

A mysterious object fell through a northern Virginia woman's home Friday morning and members of the Federal Aviation Administration were visiting her home on Saturday.

The FAA is trying to figure out if a piece of metal that crashed through an awning and landed in a dining room came from a plane.

"We have no idea if it's an aircraft part or where it came from and we have to investigate it," FAA investigator supervisor Barry Barbini said.

Homeowner Abby Baker said she found the piece of metal and the hole in her awning and her ceiling Friday morning when she returned from taking her child to school. Her house is in the flight path for aircraft from Dulles International Airport.

"At first, I thought maybe a gas pipe burst or something, and then i found this piece here that i thought maybe was a pipe from a gas pipe,” Baker said. “But when i had the gas company come out, they identified it as likely a piece of aircraft."

The piece of metal is about four inches long and weighs a couple of pounds.

Barbini said the FAA plans to have the National Transportation Safety Board analyze the object and send inspectors to Dulles on Monday.

"We need to do some ground work to see if any airlines have reported any incident with one of their aircraft," he said.

Baker said she's glad no one was hurt and hopes this never happens to her or anyone in the flight path area again.

"Had it been a little this way or a little that way it could have hit my dog. It could have hit the kids in the elementary school if they had been playing out over there,” she said. “And that's scary to me for sure."

Bristol police are investigating after a gas station was robbed Saturday night.

According to police, a man walked into the Gulf gas station at 180 Riverside Avenue in Bristol just before 9:30 p.m., implied he had a gun and demanded money from the register.

He took an unknown amount of cash and fled, police said.

The suspect is described as a white man weighing around 200 pounds with a black knit hat and dark brown puffy coat.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Bristol police at 860-584-3044. 

New Haven Police apprehended a convicted felon after a small foot pursuit on Saturday night.

New Haven officers Catlin Zerella, Derek Huelsman and Carlos Conceicao were on Kensington St. when they spotted 25-year-old Michael Stanley.

The officers knew that Stanley had an outstanding warrant and pursued him on foot.

Stanley was taken into custody by officers as he threw a Glock 21 .45 caliber pistol in the back yard of 30 Garden St. The gun was stolen and Stanley was in possession of crack cocaine. He is also a convicted felon.

He faces multiple criminal charges.

A man was arrested in the food court of a New Jersey shopping center Friday for having an imitation handgun, police said.

Devin Rivera, 18, was arrested after police received calls that he was brandishing a black semi-automatic handgun in Paramus' Westfield Garden State Plaza food court.

Police said they determined the weapon was a realistic appearing BB handgun after surrounding Rivera and taking it from him.

According to authorities, Rivera said he was carrying the weapon because he was afraid of other individuals who might also be at the shopping center. He was charged with possession of an imitation firearm for an unlawful purpose.      

Information on a lawyer for Rivera was not immediately available.

 

The state Department of Transportation will begin a $10 million project to upgrade the power system to Metro-North’s New Haven line starting Feb. 3, Gov. Dannel Malloy announced at a press conference at New Haven’s Union Station on Sunday afternoon.

Malloy said the DOT will work with Connecticut Light & Power to replace four transformers in Greenwich servicing the New Haven Line in an effort to “prevent the type of catastrophic power failure that occurred this past fall in Mount Vernon, New York, seriously disrupting service on the New Haven Line.”

The transformers will be replaced one by one. A back-up emergency transformer will be activated and placed on standby throughout the construction process. Metro-North will also provide complete substitute service in case a power problem arises while the work is being done, Malloy said.

“The New Haven Line is the busiest single rail line in the country and, each day, takes more than 60,000 travelers off of our already congested highways,” Malloy said in a release. “In anticipation of adding even more service on this state owned rail corridor, we want to ensure riders have as safe and reliable a commute as possible and prevent the major system interruptions that we experienced in September.”

Replacement of the first transformer will begin Feb. 3 and should be completed within 16 days, according to Malloy. The second transformer will be replaced immediately after and should be done by mid-March.

“The implementation of this project is designed to prevent a disruption of service similar to one caused by a Con Edison power outage in Mount Vernon last fall,” said DOT Commissioner James Redeker in a release. “Both CL&P and Metro-North have partnered to ensure a successful project for New Haven Line customers.”

Malloy plans to meet with incoming Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti and MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast on Feb. 13 to "discuss his concerns about the operation of the New Haven Line," according to a press release issued today.

Emergency crews are responding to a fire on Westford Hill Road in Ashford, and the road is shut down while firefighters work to battle the blaze.

No additional information was immediately available.

Check back for updates.

Police arrested several people Saturday in San Francisco for protesting the city's nudity ban.

Advocates rallied and held what they called a "Body Freedom" parade in the Castro District. San Francisco's so-called nudity ban has been in effect for one year as of Saturday and nude activists staged the rally to mark the anniversary.

Protest leader Gypsy Taub said since the ban has been in effect, she was arrested for standing naked in front of City Hall on the first day of the ban. She said there has been growing acceptance of the body freedom movement.

"We're here to protest the nudity ban," she said. "This is draconian legislation. Somehow it's a crime to appear in your most-natural state."

There are exceptions under the nudity ban for children under 5 and for certain events, such as the Folsom Street Fair and Bay to Breakers.

While family and friends cheered from the side lines, the 25,000 Miami Marathon runners focused on making it to the finish line.

And one runner was met with a shocking surprise when she crossed that line.

Rachael Avisrur, who was running with Team Lifeline, found boyfriend Ari Wolf at the end of the race with flowers and an engagement ring in hand.

"I'm like the happiest person ever," Avisrur said. "I thought he was in New York."

Wolf said he chose the Miami Marathon for the proposal because he knew it would be meaningful for Avrisur.

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"You only live once," he said. "She supports Chai Lifeline. I knew she was here and wanted to surprise her with something she loves to do."

Team Lifeline is a group of more than 300 runners who pushed cancer survivors and children with chronic illnesses along the race route.

For others running the marathon, the finish line represented pride and perseverance.

Runners from more than 80 countries came into town to participate in the race and held up their nation's colors proudly throughout the route.

Samuel Malakwen of Kenya won the 26.2-mile race in two hours, 19 minutes, and 46 seconds. He said running in the Miami weather was a little challenging.

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"I was happy because yesterday I was kind of [thinking], 'Will I be able to run this race?' Because of weather," Malakwen said.

For the second year in a row, Mariska Kramer of the Netherlands was the first woman to cross the finish line. Kramer, however, wasn't happy with her end time.

"I was very slow today," she said. "I didn't have a very good day, I got sick last night and well it's not a good thing to do when you want to run a good marathon."

Athletes with disabilities also participated in both the half and full marathon.

White Lodging, a franchise management company for nationwide hotel brands including Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton and Westin, is investigating a reported data breach.

The alleged breach, first reported by security blogger Brian Krebs Friday, may have exposed credit and debit card information of thousands of guests at White-managed hotels.

“An investigation is in progress, and we will provide meaningful information as soon as it becomes available,” White Lodging said in a statement.

Krebs, citing  banking industry sources, alleges some White-managed Marriott hotels, including those in Chicago, Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, Louisville and Tampa, were affected by the breach.

“One of our franchise management companies has experienced unusual fraud patterns in connection with its systems that process credit card transactions at a number of hotels across a range of brands, including some Marriott-branded hotels,” Marriott said in a statement. “They are in the midst of the investigation and are in close contact with the banks and credit cards companies. We are working closely with the franchise management company as they investigate the matter.”

White Lodging, based in Merrillville, Ind., manages 168 hotels in 21 states.
 

Connecticut's own groundhog, Chuckles VIII, predicted six more weeks of winter Sunday morning at the Lutz Museum in Manchester.

Hundreds crowded around to learn the outcome of Chuckles' forecast. The groundhog saw her shadow and her handlers declared that winter is here to stay in Connecticut.

Chuckles has a good track record. She predicted a long winter last year just days before the February blizzard arrived.

Pennsylavania's Punxsutawney Phil also predicted six more weeks of winter this morning.

Authorities are seeking the public's help in finding a missing 39-year-old adjunct professor at the Housatonic Community College, who disappeared on Dec. 28th.

Jarvis Smith was last seen by family members dressed in business attire for work, police said.

Police describe Smith as 5-foot-6 with a stocky build and weighing 190 pounds. He is clean shaven with frame classes and a bald head.

Police said they consider him as possibly endangered, but there is no immediate indication of foul play.

If anyone comes into contact with him or knows his whereabouts, you are urged to contact the Bridgeport Police Detective Bureau at 203-581-5201 or Det. Keith Bryant at 203-581-5239.

All information received will be kept confidential.