A 37-year-old Bridgeport man has died after two motorcycles crashed on Interstate 95 in Branford around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, according to state police.

Police said Kirk Orlando Valentine, 37, was pronounced dead at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

He was traveling on I-95 North near exit 54 and slowed his bike quickly just before the crash, according to state police.

Valentine and the other motorcyclist, Royce Burns Jr., 24, of West Haven, lost control of their motorcycles and ambulances transported them from the scene.

Burns’ injuries were not life-threatening, according to state police.

No charges have been filed. Police are investigating.
 

The state Department of Motor Vehicles is inspecting commercial trucks and buses this week to ensure their safety on the road.

Roadcheck 2014 is a three-day annual initiative that includes checking the brakes, tires and lights on vehicles, as well as longs to determine whether drivers are fatigued.

“We can get into the thousands of dollars of fines. We can, more importantly, take the truck off the road and make sure that it’s fixed or repaired before it continues,” Lt. Donald Bridge, of the Connecticut DMV, said.

DMV officials estimate that trucks are involved in more than 1,000 crashes each year in Connecticut.
 

A bizarre accident shut down the westbound lanes of Route 1 in Milford on Tuesday.

An SUV traveling west on the Boston Post Road stopped for oncoming traffic and was rear-ended by a car near West Clark Road just after 9:30 a.m., according to police.

The westbound lanes of Route 1 were closed from Plains Road to Erna Avenue while crews cleared the damaged vehicles. Traffic was detoured onto Plains Road and West Clark Street, police said.

No one was injured.

Three schools in Oxford are dismissing early on Tuesday because there is no water after a water main break on Christian Street.

Quaker Farms School is dismissing at 1:25 p.m. and there will be no afternoon pre-K or kindergarten.

Oxford Center School will dismiss at 1:20 p.m. and Great Oak Middle School will dismiss at 12:45 p.m. 

There will be no afternoon activities at any of the three schools.

Officials from the school district said they do not know what the problem is.

The three schools will follow their normal early dismissal times.

The high school is not impacted by the water problem.

North Haven police arrested a man accused of driving drunk on Tuesday morning, almost hitting a child at a bus stop and coming close to hitting a school bus head-on, police said.

Police started receiving 911 calls about an erratic driver at 8 a.m. One person told authorities that she was driving north on Pool Road when she saw a silver Toyota veer into the southbound lane, so she followed the vehicle, police said.

The driver, identified at Dennis Ohara, 48, of North Haven, swerved across the road, nearly hitting a child who was standing on the curb and waiting for a school bus, police said.

Ohara then pulled into the parking lot of Temple Pines Senior Housing, at 191 Pool Road, and hit a metal light pole, then fled south on Pool Road, drove on the wrong side of the road and nearly hit a school bus, head on, according to police.

Ohara then pulled into the parking lot of 334 Washington Avenue, where he hit a large air conditioning unit that was mounted on the ground, police said.

When officers arrived, Ohara tried to flee, but was pulled from his car before getting away, police said.
Ohara was arrested and charged with reckless driving, driving while intoxicated, evading responsibility and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

He was held on a $2,500 bond and will appear in State Superior Court.

Police ask anyone who witnessed Ohara driving or the crashes to call the North Haven Police Department at 203-239-5321.
 

Neighbors in Clinton packed town hall to show their opposition Monday to a propane storage facility. The plan is to put the facility on Knollwood Drive.

Residents are worried about their property values and congestion from trucks leaving this facility. But mainly they're worried about their safety.

"And if that thing ever blows I'm dead," said Merle Wade who has lived in Clinton for nearly 50 years. "I'm right across from the train tracks. No more than 1000 feet."

Proximity to a potential propane unloading facility was just one of a long list of complaints offered Monday night.

"You'll never be able to sell your house. Who's going to buy it if this thing goes through?" Wade added.

"Whether you live in Clinton or Madison, whether you visit Hammonasset State Park and you're from the state of CT this is potential for disaster," said Marian Kirby, a member of the Windemere West Owner's Association.

The potential for disaster is something developer Global Companies tried to ease during Monday's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in Clinton

Global Companies wants to bring propane in by rail spur to the former Stanley Bostitch plant, store it in 12 45,000-gallon tanks and then distribute it by truck. An estimate of fewer than two trucks an hour would leave the site. A site Global Companies says "is in harmony with the surrounding property, is sufficiently protective of the public and is appropriate for location on this property."

Yet people don't want to see propane anywhere near their properties.

"I am in favor of alternate fuel sources. I'm not in favor of having it this close to residents," said Katie McCollom of Clinton.

Even though Global Companies says this would generate more than $100,000 in taxes for the town, Merle Wade says "I don't want it and it's got to be stopped."

The town says the fire marshal has signed off on this project. There will be another meeting in the coming weeks to discuss more of these concerns.

Northeast Middle School in Bristol has been evacuated and students have been send home after a student found a note that said a bomb would go off.

Emergency crews received the first call at 12:34 p.m, responded to the school at 530 Stevens Street.

No injuries are reported.

The state police bomb squad was called to help search the building. Bristol’s Criminal Investigation Division is also at the scene to investigate the incident.

This is the third bomb threat at schools in Bristol since the last weeks.

On May 27, Bristol Central High School was dismissed after a student found a note on a desk that said a bomb would go off. The school was evacuated and students were sent home for the day.

Two days later, Bristol Eastern High School was evacuated when a student received a text with a bomb threat. Students were also sent home for the day.

Police have investigated each incident.

A convicted sex offender who walked away from Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown more than a week ago was taken into custody on Tuesday.

David Lane, 38, left CVH on May 23, according to police. He is a sex offender with a history of violent behavior, police said. Lane was committed to CVH by court order, but police did not say why.

He was found in Stamford on Tuesday, taken into custody and returned to CVH, according to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).

A spokesperson for DMHAS said the agency will review Lane's unauthorized leave and determine if any policy changes are needed.

A 21-year-old Milford man was arrested in Milford after police responded to a disturbance and stabbing outside 31 Lafayette Street early Tuesday morning.

Police responded to the house just before 1:30 a.m. after receiving several 911 calls about a disturbance in front of the house and found a 50-year-old man who had been stabbed twice. 

Police said the injuries are not life-threatening. 

A 20-year-old woman suffered a hand laceration and a 21-year-old man had other minor injuries, police said.

Gustave Meyers, 21, of 31 Lafayette Street in Milford, was taken into custody at the scene and charged with first-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace. 

Officials said a protective order is in place to keep Meyers from threatening the victims.

Everyone involved in the altercation knew each other, according to police.

One of Meyers' friends told NBC Connecticut that he was with Meyers at the time of the altercation and one of the victims attacked them.

Meyers was held on a $25,000 bond, but increased to $75,000 when he was arraigned in Milford Superior Court. He is expected to make bail.

Police officers who responded appeared to be checking bushes and shrubs around the house.

Police are continuing to investigate and towed a Jeep from the scene.

New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart denied a report on Monday that the Rock Cats are in talks to move the Minor League Baseball team to Hartford.

But a source familiar with the situation tells NBC Connecticut's Len Besthoff that "a deal is in place" to bring the Rock Cats from New Britain to Hartford. No deal has been signed at this time, the source said.  According to the source, Hartford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra has tentatively scheduled a news conference for noon on Wednesday.

According to the Hartford Courant, officials with the City of Hartford say a tentative deal has been reached to move the team to Hartford in 2016, but that the deal has not been signed. There is a proposal to build a stadium at Main and Trumbull streets just north of downtown, the Courant reported.

Hartford City Council Minority Leader Larry Deutsch said he has many concerns about moving the Rock Cats to Hartford, including a possible negative impact to the surrounding neighborhoods, cost, facility maintenance and unused space in the off-season as opposed to bringing in year-round businesses.

"We would have real reservations about locating a sports facility like that in a downtown area," he said.

However, Mayor Stewart told NBC Connecticut the report of the Rock Cats moving is nothing more than a rumor, and that there is no truth the team is moving. She said she's heard the rumor three or four times since November and that it's possible the management is exploring options but that the Rock Cats general manager reassured her it was news to him.

"We have a very open and honest relationship," Stewart said. "The city of New Britain really goes above and beyond to accomodate the Rock Cats. They're part of our city. We love them."

"SPOILER ALERT: The Rock Cats aren't leaving New Britain," Mayor Stewart tweeted Monday afternoon.

SPOILER ALERT: The Rock Cats aren't leaving New Britain. @RockCats #newbritain

— Mayor Erin Stewart (@stewartfornb) June 2, 2014

But she said if it ever became true, she would do everything in her power to convince the Rock Cats to stay in New Britain.

"I can assure the public, the people of New Britain, that I will not let them leave," Stewart reaffirmed on Tuesday.

Rock Cats General Manager Tim Restall told NBC Connecticut that reports of a move to Hartford were a surprise to him.

The Minnesota Twins, the Major Leauge team the Rock Cats are affiliated with, declined to comment and deferred all questions to Rock Cats management.

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra declined to comment on the rumored deal that would bring the Rock Cats from New Britain to Hartford.

"When we have something further, we will share it with you and we will let you know," he said. "As mayor I have an interest in everything that would be good for our city."

Fans at Tuesday's Rock Cats game said they would be sad to see the team leave New Britain.

"I've been their number one fan since 2000," Christina Gorneault, of Berlin, said. " I love these guys and I don't want to go anywhere near Hartford and neither should they."

Fan Ed Breare, of Beacon Falls, said he's "surprised" but disappointed as a fan of 24 years.

Another fan, Edward Cook, of Suffield, raised safety concerns.

"Honstly, I think they've got a great location here. Number one, it's safer," he said. "I just don't feel safe in the city anymore. I'd rather come to New Britain."

While nothing is finalized, a formal announcement could come on Wednesday. Hartford's City Council, which must approve any stadium deal, is expected to take up the issue very soon.

Three pedestrians were struck on Christian Lane in Newington around 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

Police said the pedestrians sustained serious injuries. Two were transported by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital. The other was transported to Hartford Hospital.

Witnesses said that a teal pickup truck hit three people crossing the road, dragging them as the driver continued to drive.

When the car wasn't stopping, a man in a white van crossed in front of him to block his path.

Juanita Madera said the man in the white van is her brother, a guy that she said would do anything for anyone.

"He called me and said there was an accident and someone hit three pedestrian (sic) and he stopped the guy," Madera said.

She drove to the scene to find flashing lights, officers and her brother's van still stretched across the road.

"My brother, he is all shaken up. This is the first time he did anything like that. I am so proud of him," Madera said.

Witnesses told NBC Connecticut that the scene was ugly but that without the van stopping the other car, it could have been worse.

Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call Newington Police at 860-666-8445. The accident remains under investigation

After weeks of searching for the mystery men who saved her 15-month-old daughter's life, a South Jersey mother fought back tears on Monday as she thanked the strangers for coming to the rescue.

• WATCH: Beam Plunges Through Hospital Window

"I'm eternally grateful for you saving my daughter. She's grateful, too. I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart," Shari Williams said to the men during a reunion on Monday, just feet from where the scare took place on May 13.

• Ex-Cop Says Father Is Serial Killer

The good Samaritans turned out to be New Jersey State Police Detective Sgt. Michael Davis and his partner Detective Sgt. First Class Michael Flory, both wearing plain clothes the day they saved Williams' toddler Diamon.

Shari Williams had just pulled up to the Olive Garden in Deptford, New Jersey, to grab lunch with her two daughters when she noticed Diamon had begun suffering a seizure and wasn't breathing.

• Baby Dies in Nap Nanny Chair

Although she is CPR-certified, Williams panicked and cried for help, worried her baby might die in her arms. Moments later, two men heard her high-pitched screams and rushed over to help.

Davis took the child from her mother's arms, cradled her atop the hood of her SUV and applied chest compressions.

Shari Williams with Sgts. Flory (left) and Davis and her daughters Kristina, 3, and Diamon, 15 months.

"We thought it was a joke at first. When we saw the mother, she was definitely in a state of panic. The baby was just lifeless. So we knew this wasn't a joke. This was the real thing," said Flory.

The state police partners, known as the "Mike and Mike Show," have been working together for the past nine years, but that day was the first time they were in a situation to give life-saving CPR. Davis said Flory kept him calm while he administered the CPR.

• Mother Wants to Thank Mystery Man

"We were fortunate enough to be here at the right place at the right time," said Davis. "Hopefully anyone in our situation who had the training in CPR would perform the duty to help out their fellow man."

Once Diamon gasped for air, there was a sigh of relief for all those who gathered in the parking lot. The baby was transported to Cooper University Hospital and was discharged hours later, diagnosed with having had a febrile seizure spurred by a increase in temperature.

"We were praying she was OK," said Flory. "We were curious to see her outcome and hoped she made it OK."

Williams tried getting in touch with the men but didn't know their names. So she took to her Facebook page, asking for anyone who may have known them to come forward.

NBC10.com told Diamon's story and also posted Williams' plea to our Facebook page hoping to find the men. Then, two weeks ago, the men came forward.

"I give all the credit to your daughter. She is the one who is the fighter. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time," Davis said. "She's the hero in this whole situation. It was Diamon's day to shine. I appreciate being able to help her out."

Diamon is doing fine and is expected to grow out of the condition that caused the seizure, her mother said.

Once the reunion was over, Williams took Diamon and her 3-year-old sister to the lunch they never made it to three weeks ago.

Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.

Scott Gellatly, the man accused of killing his estranged wife and shooting her mother, appeared in Milford Superior Court for the second time Tuesday morning and is facing new charges.

“He pleaded not guilty to a seven-count long form information that the state has filed today, charging him with murder, home invasion, burglary and robbery,” said State’s Attorney Kevin Lawlor.

In court Tuesday, Scott Gellatly waived a probable cause hearing where the court would have heard testimony to prove probable cause and send the case to trial.

“At this point he elected a jury trial at this point. If you elect a jury trial, you can always change your mind and go to a court trial. If you elect a court trial, you can't change your mind, you're stuck with that,” said Lawlor.

According to police, on May 7, Gellatly forced his way into his in-law's Sioux Drive home in Oxford and shot both his estranged wife, Lori Gellatly and her mother, Merry Jackson. Court documents said police found the two women lying next to each other on the kitchen floor. Lori later died at the hospital. Police say Scott Gellatly took off after the shooting, prompting a state-wide manhunt. He was later found, allegedly trying to take his own life.

Lawlor said Gellatly also approved another motion filed by the prosecution to move the investigation forward.

“The defendant did not object to the State's motion requesting that DNA be taken from him in order to compare with evidence that's been brought to the Connecticut State Police lab,” said Lawlor.

Gellatly is scheduled to be back in court in July.

Police say they've arrested a man after V. Stiviano, the companion of embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, was allegedly attacked by two men outside a Manhattan hotel Sunday.

The suspect, 40-year-old Dominic Diorio of Old Bethpage, is charged with a third-degree hate crime and aggravated harassment, according to the NYPD. He's scheduled to be arraigned sometime Wednesday.

It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney. Police haven't indicated whether they've identified another suspect in the attack. 

Stiviano was called to the Sixth Precinct police station Tuesday morning to identify the suspect in a lineup, according to her lawyer Mac Nehorary.

Nehorary told NBC News on Monday that Stiviano was leaving a restaurant near the Gansevoort Hotel in the Meatpacking District when two men approached her and “punched her on the right side of her face several times."

Celebrity website RadarOnline.com originally reported the story. According to the website, Stiviano, who has described herself as black and Mexican, was attacked by two white men who hit her and yelled racial slurs at her.

Last month, Stiviano was also the target of an apparent burglary attempt.

Stiviano gained notoriety after a recorded conversation between her and Sterling was posted online by TMZ Sports in which Sterling can be heard criticizing Stiviano about bringing black friends to Clippers games. He was also heard chastising her for posting a photo on Instagram with Magic Johnson.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has fined Sterling $2.5 million and sought to ban him for life from the league.

On Friday, Sterling filed a lawsuit seeking $1 billion in damages from the NBA after being forced to relinquish control of team.

On Sunday, Sterling attended a predominantly black church service on an invitation from a pastor who said he should be forgiven.

Four children aboard a school bus during a collision Tuesday in Manchester were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

A driver rear-ended the bus close to 5 p.m. and fled the scene, according to Manchester Fire Chief Bob Bycholski.

There were eight children, 8 to 9 years old, on the bus at the time, he said. Four of them sustained minor injuries. They were taken to an area hospital for evaluations and were scheduled to be released later in the day.

Three children were released to the custody of their parents and police took another child home, Bycholski said.

The road remained open after the crash.

The Hartford Courant reported that police have charged the driver in the hit-and-run. Manchester police said more information will be released soon.

More updates will be provided when they become available.

A 32-year-old driver for the rideshare service Uber was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a woman and taking her to a motel room, police said on Tuesday.

Frederick Dencer, 32, of Encino, was arrested on suspicion of kidnap for purpose of sexual assault, police said.

He was being held in connection with the incident, reported Monday at 6 a.m. A woman said she had just left a motel room where a man she did not know was lying next to her with his shirt off, said LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon. She didn't know how she got there.

An Uber spokesman said the company learned of the incident through the media, suspended the driver's account and are cooperating with police.

"The facts are unknown at this stage and it's certainly unclear that this is an Uber-related incident, as the driver in question was not logged in, connected to or operating on the platform at the time," said Lane Kasselman, a spokesman with Uber. "Nothing is more important to Uber than the safety of our riders."

The case came to light after the woman had woken up in a low-rent motel after a night of bar-hopping in West Los Angeles, police determined.

• Risky Ride: NBC4 I-Team Investigates Ride Share Services

Vernon said the driver was offered a fare from a valet at a nightclub. The fare was not assigned from Uber, he said.

Detectives believe the woman's ride was not arranged officially through Uber, Vernon said.

Had this been an official Uber assignment, Dencer would have received the victim's home address with the fare, but in this case, the victim was too drunk to tell him.

• Updates: Download the NBCLA News App

The investigation led to the Panorama Motel, where detectives found Dencer in a room, Vernon said.

"Dencer answered questions but his story didn't make sense," Vernon said. "So it looks like Dencer took advantage of the situation, and drove her to a cheap motel, which he had visited before, and carried her into the room."

He slept overnight in the room, and when the woman woke up, he let her leave, though he asked her to stay, Vernon said.

• Read: States Warn of Uber Riding Risks

"He took advantage of  where he was at, what he was doing and saw an opportunity," Vernon said.

It was not immediately clear if the suspect had a lawyer.

Chapel Street in New Haven has reopened after public works crews responded to cover up a sink hole near Derby Avenue.

The road was closed for more than an hour as public works crews responded. Crews covered the hole with metal plate until they are able to patch it up.

A neighbor noticed the sink hole, called police and blocked it off.

Police arrived around 7:42 p.m. and closed Chapel Street.

No one was injured, police said.

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Route 7 is closed in Kent near the Bulls Bridge Road intersection due to a fallen tree on utility wires.

State Police said that the road will be closed for hours.

No injuries have been reported.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

Police have arrested a Wallingford man suspected of stealing from a Shop Rite in Hamden and kidnapping a teenager. 

David Vega, 43, kidnapped a 17-year-old boy and ordered him to drive him to a local parking lot during a larceny incident at the grocery store on May 26, police said.

Police charged Vega with second-degree kidnapping, first-degree threatening and sixth-degree larceny after he turned himself into police headquarters on a warrant.

Vega was held on a $250,000 bond and was arraigned in Meriden Superior Court on May 30.

A Northern Virginia mom has been sued for allegedly damaging a daycare's reputation after leaving a negative review on the website Yelp.

Rebecca Gonzalez told News4 she wanted to warn other parents about what she said was her bad experience with Horizon Child Development Center, a daycare and school operating in Fairfax, Virginia.

"I felt like it was my responsibility as a mom," Gonzalez explained.

• MORE NEWS: Ex-Teacher Charged for More Than 100 Child Sex Crimes

Here is a section of Gonzalez's Yelp post about the daycare:

"Please do not send your child to this daycare. The owner of the daycare Sonya (sic) Jackson is extremely mean to children.... My son came home with a bruise (sic) ear.... We do not know what happened when that lady took him to her office ... and we will never know.... I exposed my own child to the physical and verbal abuse of this lady."

"I was shocked, embarrassed, offended," Sonjia Jackson, the owner of Horizon Child Development Center said.

• MORE NEWS: Man Pulled Over by Police With Boy, 5, Tied to Motorcycle

Sonjia's husband Jimmy co-owns the daycare. He says Gonzalez's review has erased 15 years of "hard work and positive steps."

"Even the bank that was considering refinancing my business because I wanted to get a lower interest rate, they called me up and they said, 'Jimmy, have you read this review that's on Yelp?' ... And I said, 'Yes'. And they said, 'Jimmy, you got to get that off of there,'" he explained.

• MORE NEWS: Opponents of D.C. Tax Do "Burpees for Change"

The Jacksons obtained an attorney and requested Gonzalez remove the post. At first, Gonzalez modified her comments, but kept the post up.

"She should be entitled to express her views, even if they're negative, and even if the daycare center doesn't like them," Gonzalez's attorney Lee Berlik said.

When the Jacksons filed suit for $75,000, Gonzalez eventually took down the post, but the lawsuit went forward. The couple's lawyer says Gonzalez' statements were false and made to injure the daycare and its owners.

"You have to be held accountable, especially in this case, when the statements were made for the intent of injuring, damaging, embarrassing and humiliating my client," attorney Dena Roudyboush said.

Court documents filed by Roudybush say Gonzalez was an active parent within the daycare community, until her son allegedly physically assaulted other children and was placed in time out.

Roudybush said at that point, Gonzalez pulled her son from the daycare and a week later, "willfully and maliciously" posted the negative Yelp review. At no point was Gonzalez's son physically or verbally abused by the Horizon Center staff, court documents allege.

On the other hand, Gonzalez's lawyer said his client had a First Amendment right to post the negative review.

"The issue is whether or not somebody writes a negative review like this, if you can get sued. For tens of thousands of dollars or more... we think the answer to that is no," Berlik said.

Court documents filed by Berlik said the review was "insufficient to support a claim for emotional distress."

Both sides will be in court Friday as a judge responds to the defense's motion to dismiss the case.

Last year, a Virginia woman implied in a Yelp review her contractor may have stolen her jewelry. In turn, the contractor sued her for $750,000 and the case is set to go to trial this year.