Vernon police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect in the strong-arm robbery of a Super Stop & Shop early last month.

Police said it happened Friday, Aug. 2 around 9:50 p.m. at the store on Hartford Turnpike. Authorities have released a surveillance photo of the suspect and are hoping for help in tracking him down.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Vernon Police Officer Aaron Grechko at 860-872-9126 ext. 249 or Detective Jim Grady at 860-872-9126 ext. 201.

Callers can submit anonymous tips by calling the Crime Tip Hotline at 860-872-9126 ext. 7301.

Newtown Police are trying to find a 50-year-old man who has been missing for more than a month.

Robert Hoagland was last seen at the Mobil Gas Station on Church Hill Road around 5:30 a.m. on July 28.

He is around 6-feet tall and weighs approximately 175 pounds.

He is bald and has blue eyes and was last seen wearing a white T-Shirt and khaki shorts. 

Anyone with any information should call Detective McAnaspie or Detective Frank at the Newtown Police Department at 303-426-5841.

Glastonbury police have arrested the woman who they say was the accomplice of a woman who stole more than $26,000 in jewelry from a real estate open house in January.

Sharon Lynn Nigosanti, 43, of 30 Trinity Street in Hartford, was arrested in May, and police say Angela Ruitto, 26, of 20 Briarwood Drive in Old Saybrook, was her accomplice.

Police said Nigosanti and Ruitto were targeting high-end houses for sale across the state. The investigation began when officers learned that $26,249.92 in jewelry was stolen from a Glastonbury open house on Jan. 20.

According to police, the homeowner reported that three bracelets, two pairs of earrings, five necklaces and two rings were missing. The jewelry had been hidden from plain sight.

The real estate agent holding the open house told police she believed the suspects had also attended two other Glastonbury open houses that same day. Another agent in town said $60 in cash and other items had gone missing from that house as well.

Police said the women were also suspects in open-house thefts in Clinton and Southington. The homeowner in Southington reported that $8,000 in jewelry had gone missing.

After checking a pawnshop database, police found that Nigosanti had made 33 transactions between Aug. 7, 2012 and Feb. 3, 2013, mostly for jewelry.

Both women were charged first-degree larceny. Ruitto was also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny.

Nigosanti was held on a $100,000 bond and appeared in court May 6.

Ruitto was released on a $75,000 surety bond and was due in court Aug. 29. She has a history of drug offenses, including possession of narcotics and operating a motor vehicle under the influence.

Chick-fil-A is eyeing Connecticut.

The Georgia-based restaurant has locations in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, but none so far in Connecticut.

The company has submitted an application to open on North Colony Road in Wallingford, according to the agenda for tonight’s Wallingford Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission. 

The Meriden Record-Journal reports that the fast-food joint known for chicken could open at the Midas site at 1098 North Colony Road.

The application mentions 1094, 1098 and 1100 North Colony Road.

No presentation on the proposal is expected until the next meeting, the Record-Journal reports.

The attorney representing the suspect in a fatal shooting outside a Hartford nightclub shooting on Friday said his client did not start the fatal fight and this is not a murder case.

Angel Morales, 25, of New Haven, was arrested yesterday  and charged with murder and criminal possession of a firearm, according to police.

Morales, who was arraigned today, is held on a $1 million bond.

Police said Morales is the suspect in the fatal shooting at the Up Or On The Rocks nightclub on Church Street in Hartford on Friday morning.

Miguel Delgado, 21, of East Hartford, died of a gunshot wound to the chest after he reportedly got into an argument over a spilled drink.

Investigators said they believe Delgado and Morales got into an argument at the club. The fight escalated outside, and Delgado was shot.

Around 20 members of Delgado's family attended the hearing and said they want swift justice.

They said they are grieving the loss of a family member who was ready to embark on a new chapter in life by going to college, but they are holding on 

John Williams, Morales' defense attorney, said this is not a murder case.

Some details in the police department affidavit were inaccurate, Williams said, and he thinks his client might face a less severe charge, or even be acquitted for self-defense.

"I think that certainly shows that we're looking forward to coming into court and participating in the justice system, and then I think justice will be done in this case to all parties concerned," Williams said.

Morales goes by the nicknames "A" and "Bobo." He has a history of arrest including firearms violations in the New Haven and Windsor areas, according to police.

He is due back in court next week.

This is the second fatal shooting this month at Up Or On The Rocks, and the nightclub is now closed. Police said both shootings resulted from fights that started inside the club.

During a news conference Friday, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra said he asked the club to close down and the owner agreed.  

The owner will meet with city officials next week to come up with a plan to possibly reopen in the future, Segarra said.

A vigil for Delgado took place Tuesday night outside the nightclub.

Celebrate our nation’s history with a Statue of Liberty themed corn maze this fall in Middlefield.

The Lyman Orchards annual corn maze is opens and the Statue of Liberty is the theme for this year’s event in Middlefield.

“It wouldn’t be fall in New England without the experience of getting lost in a corn maze,” John Lyman, executive vice president and an eighth generation Lyman family member, said.

This year, you can get lost for a good cause because $1 from every admission will support the American Cancer Society.

The corn maze has raised more than $392,000 for the American Cancer Society since 2000.

The maze is about four acres in size and there are two miles of pathways. There are also trivia questions along the way.

The maze is open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 4 to 12 and free for children 3 years and under.

It will stay open through Sunday, Nov. 3.

For more information, to purchase tickets, or to get group rates for companies and outings, log onto www.lymanorchards.com.
 

Willimantic police and fire officials are responding to Riverside Drive after a resident found the body of a man floating in the water nearby.

The body was discovered in the Willimantic River just after 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to Willimantic Fire Chief Marc Scrivener.

Police have identified the body as that of a 37-year-old white man, and said that his death appears to be accidental.

The man's identity is being withheld pending notification of the family, according to police.

The investigation is ongoing. The Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an examination to determine the official cause of death.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Willimantic Police Department at 860-465-3135.

A Bridgeport man is in custody after sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl on Fairfield Avenue, according to police.

Harold Frazier, 33, was arrested after allegedly forcing the victim to have sex with him.

Police said the victim and a friend had stopped to talk to someone when Frazier pulled up in a red Dodge Charger and offered the victim a ride. The victim told police that she was reluctant but said her friend reassured her, so she accepted Frazier’s offer.

According to police, Frazier brought the victim back to a home near Harriet Street, took her inside and forced her to have sex with him.

Frazier confessed to the assault after his arrest, police said.

He was charged on Tuesday with second-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor and reckless endangerment. Frazier is being held on a $75,000 bond.

Police are investigating whether a University of Virgina student who died after collapsing at a D.C. club over the weekend took a drug known as "molly."

Two people who were with Shelley Goldsmith at the club EchoStage told first responders that Goldsmith had taken the drug molly, several law enforcement sources told News4. They also said she had come up on a bus from U.Va.

• I-Team Investigates: Molly Usage in the D.C. Metro Area

Goldsmith was taken to Providence Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 7:44 p.m. Saturday evening. The cause of her death has not been determined; an autopsy and toxicology tests are being performed.

Molly, or MDMA, is a purer reboot of ecstacy and has been linked to several recent deaths: Two at a concert in New York and one in Boston, just this past week.

Goldsmith was 19 and from Abingdon, Va. "We were real lucky to have her for almost 20 years," said Goldsmith's father, Rob Goldsmith.

Shelley Goldsmith had a full scholarship to U.Va., where she was beginning her sophomore year. She was a Jefferson Scholar and a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.

Students remembered their friend by painting the Beta Bridge near campus with the message "Shelley our Shooting Star."

"Several people have been asking why, and what happened," Rob Goldsmith said. "I don't even need to think about that. I just know that she's not here anymore."

In New York, over Labor Day weekend, a dance music festival had to be canceled after two people died and four others were hospitalized because of apparent drug overdoses. The city has said the deaths appear to have been linked to drugs, specifically molly, though a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner said autopsy results were inconclusive.

The state Department of Consumer Health is warning residents to be wary of unsolicited contractors who might show up at their doorsteps offering a great deal on home improvement.

According to a Dept. of Consumer Health representative, these “contractors” are usually scammers who will offer what they say is a good deal on driveway paving, chimney sweeping and other services, and will take your money and run.

Especially at risk are older residents living alone. Officials say it’s important to take time to find the best person for the job, and that the best answer is always, “No, thank you,” when someone comes to your door offering contractor work, even if you’re in the market for whatever service is being offered.

“When someone is pressuring you to get work done immediately, it’s because they want your money as soon as possible so they can move on,” said Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein, in a release. “To be done well and be worth your money, any repairs or improvements to your property should be well-thought out and planned in advance.”

The Dept. of Consumer Health said the scammers usually drive unmarked utility trucks and vans.

Anyone who encounters a solicitor should call the local police department and contact the state Dept. of Consumer Protection at 860-713-6100 or dcp.frauds@ct.gov.

Two pedestrians were struck by a car this afternoon at the corner of Fairfield and Clinton avenues in Bridgeport, police said.

One person was transported to Saint Vincent's Medical Center and the other was taken to Bridgeport Hospital, according to police.

Police said the victims' identities and conditions are unknown.

It's not clear whether or not the offending driver stayed at the scene.

Police are actively investigating.

Traffic is at a standstill on Interstate 84 eastbound near at exit 1 in Danbury due to a major crash across the New York state line, according to Connecticut Department of Transportation officials.

Witnesses at the scene say traffic is heavily backed up on I-84 east coming into Connecticut, leaving some drivers stranded.

Three ambulances, two fire trucks and one flatbed are at the scene, according to witnesses. The extent of injuries is unknown.

Witnesses say it looks like a multiple-car crash, but it's not clear exactly how many vehicles were involved.

State police said the crash happened on the New York section of the highway and have no information.

DOT officials say traffic on the westbound side is moving just fine.

Three men are now charged in the death of a San Jose State University nursing student who was shot and killed while she drove through downtown San Jose last month.

San Jose police announced on Wednesday the arrests of Caris Warren, 22, and Jessie Grant, 23, both of San Jose. Those arrests follow the arrest of Johnny Lozano, 23, of San Jose on Aug. 7.

The trio are now all allegedly connected to the killing of Kimberly Chico, 19, who died Aug. 3 when a stray bullet whizzed into her car. Chico was in the passenger seat and caught in the crossfire.

She and her friend were driving in the area of 3rd and E. San Salvador streets when the shooting happened at 1:20 a.m.

MORE: Woman Shot, Killed in Downtown San Jose

San Jose police said the shooting was "gang-motivated" and Chico was an innocent bystander.

Police said there was no known link between the suspects and the victim.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has now charged all three suspects with Chico's murder as well as a gang enhancement.

"This was a very sad case of a victim in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Homicide Unit Commander Michael Kihmm. "My condolences go out to her family. "

Chico’s family told NBC Bay Area that Chico was out with her friend celebrating their last night together before her friend went back to San Diego for school.

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit at (408)277-5283. Persons wishing to provide information anonymously may call Silicon Valley Crimestoppers at (408)947-STOP (7867) or may visit www.tipsubmit.org and may be eligible for a reward.

The Bay Area jury who found accused serial killer Joseph Naso guilty of killing four women in California between 1977 and 1994 in a notorious series of killings known as the "alphabet murders" is now being asked to decide if he should die for his crimes.

The sentencing phase of the trial began Wednesday morning in Marin County and is expected to last several weeks.

Naso was convicted of murdering Roxene Roggasch, 18, whose body was dumped in Fairfax in 1977; Carmen Colon, 22, who was found near Port Costa in 1978; Pamela Parsons, 38, who was found in Yuba County in 1993; and Tracy Tafoya, 31, who was found in Yuba County in 1994.

"I don't deserve the death penalty," Naso said.

The same jury found Naso guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, as well as the special circumstance of committing multiple murders, which makes him eligible for the death penalty.

 "I should not get the death penalty because I have a lot of reverence for life. I care about others," Naso told the jury Wednesday.

He said he's been an advocate for the mentally ill and has been active in the national alliance for the mentally ill.

He said he's visited a lot of facilities and hospitals and has seen a lot. "I do what I can for those who need help," Naso said. "I care about people. I will continue to care about people. For the rest of my life I will continue to care about people who need help."

He says he'd rather help others than go on vacation. "A good time for me, a vacation for me is to help somebody who needs help. It's the gift of giving. That's better than taking a vacation," Naso said.

He admitted he's not perfect. "I've made mistakes in my life", but added that his "good days and good relationships far outweigh the few people are talking about."

Even if Naso is sentenced to death, it is unlikely he will be executed. There are 725 inmates already on California's Death Row and executions have been on hold since 2006, when a federal judge ordered an overhaul of California's execution protocol.

Just after 10 p.m. on Tuesday, a West Hartford resident found an intruder in the kitchen and police are searching for the man.

The Glen Hollow Road homeowner went to investigate after hearing a loud noise and found a stranger in the house, according to police.

The resident tried to restrain the burglar, but the man ran out the kitchen door, which is how police believe he got in.

The door, which had been locked, was damaged.

This is the second house break-in in West Hartford in less than two weeks.

On Friday, August 23, a burglar smashed through the back door of a home on Ridgewood Road while the homeowner was at work. 

After two crimes in the community, residents are talking about increasing security.

"We need to be more vigilant about who's coming and going in our neighborhood," Rob Herbert said.

The man police are looking for in connection with the break-in last night is 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-10 tall and was wearing a gray, hoodie-type sweatshirt with "SOA" or "SQA" written on it, according to the description police received.

He might have also had some type of facial hair.

No injuries are reported and nothing appeared to be missing from the house.

Several officers and detectives responded to the scene, including a K9 team from the New Britain Police Department.

 

Two men were shot and killed after getting into fights at the Up Or On the Rocks nightclub in Hartford last month and the victims' families are calling for the club to remain closed. 

Brian Simpe, 19, of Manchester, was shot and killed outside the club early on the morning of Aug. 4 and Miguel Delgado, 21, of East Hartford, was shot and killed outside the Up or On the Rocks Nightclub early Friday morning.

On Tuesday night, dozens of people gathered in downtown Hartford to hold a vigil for Delgado.

“He never ran the streets. ... He wasn’t a bad kid,” said Cheri ta Torres, Delgado’s mother, who still can’t believe her son is gone.

“I have no words. ... It's unexplainable,” Torres said.

She and dozens of his friends lit candles for Delgado just feet away from where he was shot and killed.

“It's sad how people out here are just shooting each other ... taking innocent lives,” Torres said.

Hartford police officers arrested the suspected gunman, Angel Morales, 25, who turned himself in on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said Morales and Delgado got into a fight inside the club over a spilled drink.

When the club closed, the problems spilled onto the street, and that is when Morales allegedly pulled the trigger.

“Words can’t even begin to describe how I feel. This is the second one of my friends that died in a month; this one really hit home,” Kasey Brown said.

Brown was friends with Delgado, and said he was at the Up or On the Rocks Nightclub a few weeks earlier when his other friend, Brian Simpe, 19, was killed after a fight started inside that business.

“He died in my arms. It’s like history repeating itself,” Brown said.

The owner of Up or On the Rocks temporarily shut down the club after demands from Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra.

On Tuesday, the Hartford police chief met with the owner and told him he had to hire Hartford police officers to watch over the crowd as a condition to reopen.

Both of the victims’ families said they want the club closed for good.

Simpe’s father, who attended the vigil, said the club is a liability. 

“It should have been shut down the first time, but it didn’t,” Derrick Yeboah said.

The club’s owner could not be reached for comment .

The man suspected in the death of Simpe, Mike Cruz, was arrested in Florida and is expected to be extradited to Hartford this week.
 

Just days into the start of the new school year, a Norwalk elementary school was placed on lockdown for almost an hour after a teacher heard what he or she thought were gunshots from outside the school. 

Nothing was found and the lockdown was lifted as of 12:20 p.m.

Police said they received the report of possible shots fired at 11:25 a.m. and responded to Cranbury Elementary School, which was placed in lockdown as a precaution.

Two officers were in the immediate vicinity and did not find anything suspicious, police said. 

Officers checked the area, as well as the trails at Cranbury Park, and received no other reports of shots. Nothing suspiicous was located, police said.

Police have not identified the source of the noise, but said construction is happening nearby.

Police have continued to monitor the area and have maintained a presence at the school to assauge fears or security concerns.

Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik said the school responded appropriately to the suspected emergency.

East Hartford police have arrested two young men in connection with the deadly crash that killed teenage brothers Robert and La’Andrew Swain in July.

Gustavo Moreno, 20, of 44 Forest Lane, and Eric Watson, 18, of 22 Saint Regis Street, were arrested and charged.

Both were driving on the morning of July 14 and were on their way home from a trip to McDonald’s when Watson's car went off the road, according to the warrant for their arrests.

Police said the group had attended a party on Main Street the night before.

The Swain brothers were riding in Watson’s BMW, which went off the road near 380 Forest Street.

According to the arrest warrant, Watson was attempting to pass Moreno’s car and was driving at least 70 mph when he lost control and fishtailed while going around a curve. Police said the posted speed limit on Forest Street is 30 mph.

Moreno had previously passed Watson, according to the warrant.

Watson is facing several charges, including two counts of second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, two counts of second-degree manslaughter, two counts of misconduct with a motor vehicle, one count of second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol while under 21 and reckless driving.

Police said a 1.75-liter bottle of vodka was among the items they recovered from Watson's car.

Moreno, of 44 Forest Lane in East Hartford, was charged with reckless driving.

Watson said that after the crash, he saw a phone pole snapped in half, passenger Henry Le lying on the ground, Robert Swain hanging out of the car and La’Andrew Swain pinned inside, according to the warrant for Watson’s arrest.

Le, 20, was seriously injured but survived. He was sitting in the front seat and the Swain brothers were sitting in back, according to police.

La’Andrew was a student at the Manchester Regional Academy, and Robert had recently graduated from East Hartford High School.

Cities and towns across Connecticut have been evaluating school security in the months since the tragic school shooting in Newtown and Waterbury tonight will decide whether to hire a school security chief.

The Waterbury Board of Education will meet tonight and they are expected to make a decision tonight on whether to hire a school security and safety coordinator.

Should they choose to approve the position, the coordinator would work with school resource officers and be responsible for ensuring that schools and staff members have the right training and equipment in the case of emergencies or attacks.

Waterbury is one of several communities weighing school security as the new school year begins in response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown last December that killed 20 children and six adults.

If the board approves the position, the security chief could make up to $90,000 per year.

The board of education will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School at South Elm Street and the public is invited to speak.

Earlier this week, Norwich officials approved adding two armed school resource officers to both of the city’s middle schools.

Enfield has already placed 18 armed and uniformed guards in the school.

Illinois officials said Wednesday that three sets of copper-plated wooden doorways being installed at the Illinois Capitol cost the state $669,608, and that more of such doors could be installed in the years to come.

The price tag for the ornate doors, part of a $50 million renovation of the Capitol, was revealed almost two weeks after officials told reporters on a tour that the cost could not be itemized.

At a time when the state faces serious financial constraints, officials explained the cost of the doors by noting the historic nature of both the building and the doors, and that they need to last decades before having to be replaced again. They lead from the west entrance to the central rotunda.

"We must remember that these are custom doors with carvings that do not exist on a shelf at your typical home improvement store," wrote J. Richard Alsop III, the capitol architect, in an e-mail. He added that craftsmen were needed to give the doors "the desired and appropriate historic fabric."

Steve Brown, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, said the doors are meant to bring the building as close to their original construction as possible. He stressed that the Capitol is a national historic landmark.

Alsop III told the Associated Press Wednesday that the doors cost $535,808 for materials and fabrication, $55,800 for project management and $78,000 for installation. The doors were installed in recent weeks at the Capitol's west entrance.

The project is being paid for by construction bonds that were sold by the state with the project in mind. The renovation comes at a time when state lawmakers are struggling to resolve a $100 billion unfunded public pension liability and millions in unpaid bills to schools and social service providers.

The new doors replace doors that were made of glass and metal. The original doors were composed of oak and black walnut, with bronze ornamentation, Alsop said.

The new doors are expected to last about 30 years, but officials said they will turn a dark brown in a matter of months.

In an email explaining the costs, Alsop included an exchange between himself and Frank Huschitt, president of Palatine-based Imperial Woodworking, who provided the breakdown of the doors' cost.

"The doors are stunning and that seems to be ruffling some feathers," Alsop wrote to Huschitt.

There are three other entrances to the Capitol, including the main visitors' entrance. Brown said he didn't know if a decision had been made to add similar copper-plated doors to those other entrances in the future.

"Part of it might depend on how those doors work, traffic in and out of the building," Brown said.