Category: Bridgeport

Woman Charged With Assaulting, Robbing Man

#Bridgeport, CT – April 17, 2014– A 22-year-old woman faces charges that she robbed and assaulted as 76-year-old man.

Officer Frank Cuccaro responded to a Yacht Street apartment Wednesday and spoke to the victim, who stated that he was robbed in his apartment. He stated someone knocked at his door and, when he opened it, a female entered and began looking through his possessions. He stated the woman slapped him in the face and took $14 out of his pants pockets, a ring and a watch.

At 2:40 p.m., about 90 minutes after the initial call, dispatchers received information that the suspect had returned and was in the area of 55 Shell St. When Cuccaro and Officer Kenneth Ruge arrived, the victim exited a car and pointed out the suspect.

Rachel Plotkin, of Bridgeport, was charged with second-degree robbery, second-degree assault on an elderly person and sixth-degree larceny.

Her bond was set at $25,000.

 

Street Fight Leads to Five Arrests

 

(Bridgeport, CT – April 14, 2014) – Five people face charges after a street fight Saturday on Taft Avenue.

Police Officer Juan Esquilin was sent to 146 Taft Ave. at 9:30 p.m. for a street fight.

He was told by a witness that two cars pulled up and about 10 people got out and started to fight with her boyfriend and other people on Taft Avenue.

He also spoke with Marcos Dasilva, 24, who stated that he was struck by a car driven by Sean McNamara, 20.

Witnesses stated that Dasilva was knocked to the ground during the fight, got up and threw a can of beer at McNamara’s vehicle as it drove away, smashing its rear window. McNamara then backed up and struck Dasilva.

That incident was still under investigation when police responded to a report of someone shooting a house at 375 Silver Lane. It was later determined that McNamara lives there. Police were on scene when McNamara drove up.

Police ultimately arrested five people. Cassandra Narvarez, 20, of Stratford, and Marlene Rodriguez, 22, of Bridgeport, were arrested for fighting each other. They were issued summons and given court dates.

Dasilva also was issued a misdemeanor summons for third-0degree assault, breach of peace and criminal mischief.

McNamara and Jimmy Josue Avila, 19, both of Bridgeport, were booked and had bond set at $2,500 each.

Avila was charged with third-degree assault, breach of peace and two counts of threatening. McNamara faces two counts of second-degree assault and breach of peace.

Both sides accused the other of provoking the fight.

 

McNamara                                                   Avila

Detectives Obtain Arrest Warrant for Suspect in Groping Case

(Bridgeport, CT – April 14, 2014) — Detectives have secured an arrest warrant charging a city man with approaching and groping two high school students on separate occasions in the East Side.

Detectives Martin Heanue and Jorge Cintron secured the warrant on Thursday charging Harry Rodriguez, 40, of Hallet Street. He currently is jailed on unrelated charges. The warrant charges him with two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, unlawful restraint and two counts each of risk of injury to a minor and breach of peace. He will be served with the warrant in Superior Court.

The warrant stems from an investigation started after a report of six incidents in March where a male approached females, improperly touched them and then ran off. Rodriguez has been charged in connection with two of those incidents, and the investigation remains ongoing. Based on descriptions by the victims, the same person is believed to be responsible for all six. Additional charges are possible.

“This case was a priority and Detectives Heanue and Cintron did an outstanding job in linking Rodriguez to two of the incidents,” said Capt. James Viadero, the head of the detective division. “The suspect showed no signs of stopping. Only when police locked him up did the incidents stop.”

School Police Officer John Forestier and other school resource officers also provided key assistance, Viadero said.

“The most important thing is keeping our kids safe,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “Great work by detectives and SROs did exactly that.”

The victims ranged in age from their early to late teens.

The initial incident happened on March 20 near Harding High School. That victim, 18, described being grabbed by a thin male who ran away and fled in a grayish-colored Buick. Rodriguez also was charged with a March 27 incident in which a 14-year-old was accosted on East Main Street at Arctic Street while she waited for a bus. She provided a similar description.

Heanue and other detectives canvassed the area and checked for any video that might help identify a suspect or vehicle. Heanue located video from multiple locations from the morning of March 27 that showed a gray Buick in the immediate area of East Main and Arctic before and after the incident.   Heanue on video also saw a male matching the description of the assailant walking in the area and running away a few minutes later.

On March 31, Lt. Paul Grech located a silver Buick parked on Maple Street near Hallet Street. The car matched the description of the car believed to be used by the assailant with the exception that it had tinted windows.

When detectives went to the address to which the car was registered, they spoke with Rodriguez. He stated he had the windows tinted a few days before.

Later in the conversation, he stated “if this is about the kids being touched at the bus stops there is another gray car just like this one with tinted windows going around the East Side doing stuff like that.”

Later, police showed photographs of the car to Rodriguez’s wife. The photos were from video taken just before and after the March 27 incident. She identified the car as hers and said her husband was the only other one with keys.

She then consented to let police search her house and detectives recovered a hooded sweatshirt with a half-face ski mask similar to what was described by several of the victims. Inside the Buick, police recovered a second ski mask.

The warrant carries a bond of $250,000.

Rodriguez was arrested on April 2 and has been jailed since on a violation of parole.

 

Three Males Report Armed Robbery

 

(Bridgeport, CT – April 14, 2014) – Three youths reported being robbed by two people, including one with a handgun.

Officer Daniel Orlich responded to Moffit Street Sunday for a possible shooting but could find no evidence of an incident.

A short time later, he was sent to a house several streets away and spoke to the victims. They stated that they were walking just before 9 p.m. when two males approached and robbed them at gunpoint. When one of the victims attempted to flee, he heard a loud gunshot. No one was injured.

Bridgeport Schools Air Quality Program

City of Bridgeport Expands Indoor Air Quality Program in Schools, Targets Efforts to Reduce Absences Among Students Affected by Asthma

“I am thrilled that we have taken the steps necessary to roll out the Tools for Schools program district-wide as a preventative program in maintaining healthy school environments for our children and teachers.”— Mayor Bill Finch

 

Bridgeport, CT (April 14, 2014) — The City of Bridgeport is moving forward in its effort to reduce asthma and allergy-related absences among children and the adults that serve them each day through the “Tools for Schools” air quality program. And today, the City’s Health and Social Services Department will sponsor free trainings at Dunbar School from 3 to 8 p.m., and in the fall for every Bridgeport Public School.

 

“I am thrilled that we have taken the steps necessary to roll out the Tools for Schools program district-wide as a preventative program in maintaining healthy school environments for our children and teachers,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “Exposure to chemicals, pesticides and mold impede students’ ability to attend school and learn. I support the department of health and the department of public facilities who work collectively to keep our schools safe for all children and staff affected by asthma.”

 

Healthy schools are vital to the development and learning of every student and also benefit teachers and staff when indoor air conditions are healthy. The Tools for Schools program, developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will give each trained school the ability to adopt standard policies and procedures for maintaining air quality issues typically found within most schools, such as: HVAC system maintenance, moisture/mold control, pest management, green cleaning supplies, and school bus idling.

 

“Bridgeport has higher asthma rates than the statewide average due to a variety of factors beyond our control, including major highways running through our city,” said Kristin duBay Horton, Director of Health and Social Services for the city. “That’s why it is so important that we work together to address factors that we can control. I am thrilled that the Board of Education has adopted this plan that works to create healthier air for our children to breathe. If we all do our part, we can collectively make a big difference in our children’s health.”

 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, poor indoor air in schools and at home poses serious health risks and contributes to short- and long-term health problems including sore eyes, headaches, fatigue, respiratory tract infections and diseases, nose and throat irritation and allergic reactions.

 

To learn more about how to improve indoor air quality at home and at school, the city health department is sponsoring “Catch Your Breath: Things You Can Do to Improve Indoor Air Whether You Are 8 or 80”—a free event on April 14 at Dunbar School located at 445 Union Avenue from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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