Month: January 2014

Teen Arrested For Facebook Robbery

#Bridgeport, CT – Jan. 7, 2014-– A 17-year-old city teen faces charges that he robbed a 17-year-old West Hartford youth who answered a Facebook ad for sneakers.
Detectives Martin Heanue and Jorge Cintron responded to a report of a street robbery with a handgun on Hollister Avenue Sunday. There, they met with Officer John Forestier, a school resource officer, and the victims, the teen and his father.
The teen stated that he had arranged to buy a pair of Air Jordan sneakers on a Facebook page called “Connecticut Sneaker Exchange.” The alleged seller used a profile name and the two corresponded to negotiate a selling price. The Bridgeport Police Department is not releasing the profile name because it would identify the suspect, who is a juvenile.
On Sunday, the father and son traveled to Bridgeport to the agreed upon destination and approached two males. One of the males was holding a sneaker box. The teen stated that he asked to look inside the shoebox. Then, the suspects pulled out handguns, ordered them to the ground and took their money and the teen’s cell phone.
The teen victim told police he recognized one of the robbers from the Facebook profile picture of the person with whom he negotiated the purchase.
Forestier brought the victims to a nearby school so the teen could access the Facebook account on a computer, and the teen positively identified the individual as one of the robbers.
The detectives subsequently searched the police department mugshot database using information from that profile name and located a picture of a juvenile who strongly resembled the individual in the profile pictures.
The investigation progressed based on that information and detectives were able to verify the identity of the person from the Facebook page.
The investigation ultimately led police to an address on Alex Street.
Inside that house, police located the suspect and recovered a BB gun from his jacket.
The teen was charged with two counts each of first-degree robbery and sixth-degree larceny and counts of risk of injury to a minor and brandishing a facsimile of a firearm. The investigation is ongoing.

Bill Kaempffer
Public Safety Spokesman
Bridgeport Police Department
Bridgeport Fire Department

Governor Reactivates the State’s Severe Cold Weather Protocol

#HARTFORD, CT– With bitter cold temperatures expected again over the next few days, Governor Dannel P. Malloy has reactivated the state’s Severe Cold Weather Protocol, directing the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS), the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), and the Department of Housing (DOH) to coordinate with 2-1-1 and Connecticut’s network of shelters to ensure that the state’s most vulnerable people are protected from the severe cold weather.

“We continue to take the necessary steps to make sure that we can take care of those in need of shelter, especially our state’s most vulnerable populations,” said Governor Malloy. “I urge anyone in need of shelter to call 2-1-1 and encourage local communities to consider opening warming centers or other facilities to help people in need.”

Under the state’s Severe Cold Weather Protocol, DEMHS activates its WebEOC communications network – an internet-based system that allows local, regional and state emergency management officials and first responders to share up-to-date information about a variety of situations and conditions. The system is used to monitor capacity at shelters across the state, enabling 2-1-1 to act as a clearinghouse to assist in finding shelter space for those who need it. Local officials, working through WebEOC, can alert 2-1-1 and the state when they open temporary shelters or warming centers.

DSS and DOH coordinate with 2-1-1 and the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, as well as working with existing vendors to resolve transportation issues for people needing shelter during the period of severe cold.

DMHAS, meanwhile, has teams who specialize in working with homeless people to locate those who are at risk, spread the word about the 2-1-1 system, and encourage everyone to take advantage of the safety of shelters. The agency is also working with shelters to assess and meet the needs of individual clients during this cold weather outbreak.

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