Naugatuck police Officer Thomas Grant was put on paid administrative leave this week following his arrest on Wednesday. -CONTRIBUTED

NAUGATUCK — A borough police officer is facing criminal charges following a domestic incident with his girlfriend.

Officer Thomas Grant, 38, of 32 May St. was arrested on a warrant Wednesday.

Grant’s live-in girlfriend reported he punched her, pulled a chunk of her hair out and threatened to kill the two of them during a drunken argument.

Grant has served in the department for nine years as a patrolman and a dispatcher and earned the Life Saving Award last January after he and a fellow officer helped to save the life of a Naugatuck man who was having a heart attack.

Grant had been drinking Monday afternoon when he asked his girlfriend to take a bath with him and she refused, according to a sworn affidavit. Grant began yelling and insulting the girlfriend, using racial slurs at one point, according to the affidavit. Grant, following his girlfriend into the bedroom, told her she had put him in debt and ruined his life, according to the warrant.

While Grant’s girlfriend was lying on the bed, he “came after her,” the document states. She raised her hands and feet to block him and he began punching, eventually hitting her right calf, which was bruised two days later, according to police. Grant also pulled a chunk of his girlfriend’s hair out before he calmed down, she told police.

The next day, Grant began drinking beer at 3:30 p.m., according to the warrant. Grant and his girlfriend began fighting “because he thought her kids felt they were not good enough for his kids,” she told police.

He “made comments saying he has nothing to look forward to, he should shoot himself, blow his brains out, and that he should kill her,” she told police.

A friend of Grant’s died of a drug overdose a few weeks ago, his girlfriend told police. “Since then Grant has been acting weird and mean, and blaming himself that it should have been himself who died,” her statement reads.

Grant then left for the night. His girlfriend called him repeatedly and he kept threatening suicide, according to the warrant. Grant came back the next day, said he had spent the night at a Frederick Street house with a woman who was a friend, and he was going to a different friend’s house to shower. When he never showed up for the shower, his girlfriend called police, who found him at the Frederick Street house.

Grant told police his girlfriend was lying and he had not threatened to hurt himself or anyone else. A superior, Sgt. Ronald Hunt, took his gun away, according to the warrant.

He was committed to Waterbury Hospital after his arrest and appeared Thursday in Waterbury Superior Court, where he was charged with disorderly conduct, assault in the third degree and threatening in the second degree. Grant was also given a restraining order.

The names of Grant’s girlfriend and her children were redacted from the warrant to protect their identities.

This incident is not the first time Grant has been arrested in relation to a domestic issue.

In 2007 Grant was charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct after being involved in a domestic incident at his home while he had been drinking.

Two years later, Grant was suspended for 20 days without pay following a drunken altercation at a sports bar on Rubber Avenue. At the time, Chief of Police Christopher Edson threatened to fire Grant if he violated the department’s alcohol policies again.

A release issued by the Naugatuck Police Department stated Grant has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation.

John Julian, left, and Shane Pucci, right, were sworn in as patrol officers Thursday by Mayor Robert Mezzo, center. –CONTRIBUTED

NAUGATUCK — The Naugatuck Police Department received an infusion of new blood this week.

On Thursday, two new patrol officers, John Julian and Shane Pucci, were sworn in by Mayor Robert Mezzo during a ceremony at Town Hall.

Julian and Pucci recently finished the hiring phases, which consisted of a written exam, oral interviews, and an extensive background investigation. Both Julian and Pucci began training today at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden. Their training at the academy will last approximately five months after which both officers will be put through the Field Training Officer Program, according to a release issued by the department.

NAUGATUCK — A borough police officer is facing criminal charges following a domestic disturbance with his girlfriend.

Officer Thomas Grant, 38, of 32 May St. was arrested on a warrant Wednesday and charged with threatening, disorderly conduct, and assault in the third degree. According to a police report, Grant’s live-in girlfriend told police on Monday he punched her calf and grabbed her during an argument. Police reported that Grant also made threats of harming her further.

A message left with police seeking further comment was not returned as of this post.

The Republican American reported Grant also threatened to kill himself and his girlfriend.

Grant has served in the department for nine years and earned the Life Saving Award last January after he and a fellow officer helped to save the life of a Naugatuck man who was having a heart attack.

The Republican American reported Grant was committed to Waterbury Hospital after his arrest and appeared Thursday in Waterbury Superior Court.

Naugatuck Patch reported Grant has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation to determine whether he violated any department policies.

This incident is not the first time Grant has been arrested in relation to a domestic issue.

According to Republican American archives, in 2007 Grant was charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct after being involved in a domestic incident at his home while he had been drinking.

Two years later, Grant was suspended for 20 days without pay following a drunken altercation at a sports bar on Rubber Avenue. At the time, Chief of Police Christopher Edson threatened to fire Grant if he violated the department’s alcohol policies again.

It was unclear as of this post whether Grant had been drinking during Monday’s domestic incident.

Officer Michael Favale said police received confidential tips that Ony Hoymoune, 34, of 14 Bar­bara Drive in Shelton and Anthony Maxwell, 24, of 30 Greenfield Ave. in Waterbury were selling heroin in Naugatuck.

After receiving the information, the police department’s detective bureau initiated separate uncover investigations of the two men. The investigations culminated with undercover officers buying heroin from the men.

Favale said an undercover officer bought heroin from Hoymoune out of his car at the McDonald’s on Rubber Avenue in the winter.

Hoymoune sold officers 2.7 grams of heroin, Lt. Robert Harrison told the Republican American. Hoymoune was also seen selling 10.8 grams of heroin us­ing surveillance equipment on Rubber Avenue near Mountview Plaza, Harrison said.

Officers set up a buy from Maxwell last spring, Favale said, at the KFC on Bridge St.

Police bought 3.4 grams of heroin from Maxwell, Harrison said.

After the buys, police were able to obtain arrest warrants for the two men. Hoymoune surrendered to police Jan. 13 and was charged with illegal sale of controlled substance, distribution of controlled substances within 1,500 feet of a school, possession of controlled substance and use of drug paraphernalia.

Maxwell was arrested Jan. 13 after a motor vehicle investigation on North Main Street. He was charged with illegal sale of controlled substance and distribution of controlled substances within 1,500 feet of a school, conspiracy at illegal sale of controlled substance, and conspiracy at distribution of controlled substances within 1,500 feet of a school.

Along with the arrests for heroin dealing, police charged a former borough woman with selling marijuana.

Police also bought 2.2 grams of marijuana last spring from Rachel Stanislawski, 27, of 1 Crest­wood Road in Ansonia, Harrison said. Stanislaws­ki was selling in front of a North Main Street apartment where she lived at the time, Harrison said. She surrendered to police Monday and was charged with illegal sale of controlled substance.

Prudencio Ortiz, 34, of 41 Prospect St. in Waterbury, was with friends at a gathering at 59 School St. in the borough Tuesday when an argument erupted over cigarettes, said Lt. Robert Harrison of the Naugatuck Police Department.

At about 10:30 p.m., Ortiz’s friend, a woman who lives in the house, asked him to leave, Harrison said. After Ortiz got into his Ford Explorer, the woman went up to him, continuing the argument, Harrison said. Ortiz put her in a headlock and scratched her with his car keys, Harrison said.

Another man tried to intervene and Ortiz punched him more than once, Harrison said. The man claimed he saw Ortiz holding a black and silver gun in his left hand, pointing downwards, Harrison said.

Ortiz then began driving away, but suddenly reversed until he hit the woman, Harrison said. She complained of pain to her knee but refused medical treatment at the scene, Harrison said.

Ortiz surrendered to police Wednesday on weapons and assault charges and other misdemeanors. He denied having a gun, which police never located, Harrison said. Ortiz was held on a $50,000 bond and scheduled to appear Thursday in Waterbury Superior Court.

-Special to the Citizen’s News

The borough's crime rate went down during April, May and June.

NAUGATUCK — The borough’s crime rate for the second quarter of 2011 dropped 45 percent compared 2010, according to statistics from the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

The numbers are totals for certain felony crimes – murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson – during April, May, and June.

For that same time period in 2010 to 2011, Naugatuck’s index crime total went from 224 to 124 incidents.

Lt. Robert Harrison, spokesman for the Naugatuck Police Department, said there’s no specific reason for the drop in crime.

“Sometimes things just happen for no particular reason,” Harrison said.

Harrison said the police didn’t make any concerted efforts that were different than what they did last year.

“It’s not that Naugatuck has been seeing a significant increase in any crime, so a decrease is certainly welcome,” Harrison said.

Harrison explained a single spate of crime by one perpetrator, like a series of car break-ins, for example, could make a big difference in the final statistics.

“It tends to be things like that that cause such a big swing,” he said.

Naugatuck is not the only town that saw a big change. Ansonia’s crime rate went up 56 percent, while Cheshire’s went down 32 percent. Madison had a 51 percent decrease, Middlebury went down 41 percent and Shelton increased 61 percent.

Smaller towns saw bigger percentage changes due to the smaller number of total crimes. Big cities like Hartford (-2 percent) and New Haven (-8 percent) saw smaller swings in their total crime index.

Naugatuck Crime Index

                             2010    2011

Murder                 0          0

Rape                       1          1

Robbery                3          3

Agg. Assault       4          0

Burglary           27        14

Larceny            174      95

Car Theft          15        11

Arson                   0          0

Total                224      124

The above table compares the index crime rates for Naugatuck from the April through June of 2010 to the same time period in 2011.

The Naugatuck Police Department Maintenance Division started installing the new sign this week. The stop sign will face the east bound traffic on Field Street making this a full “three-way stop” intersection.

According to a release issued by the department, there was no marked increase of traffic accidents at the intersection. However, the department identified the intersection as requiring further review of signage and subsequently received approval to install the new sign.

Police block Route 10 in Southington a quarter of a mile away from where a car hit a gasoline truck and the tanker caught fire Tuesday. The accident was the culmination of a police chase in a stolen car driven by Brian Miele of Naugatuck, police reported. RA ARCHIVE

SOUTHINGTON — A Naugatuck man has been charged with leading police on a chase that started in Waterbury and ended in a fiery crash in Southington.

Brian Miele, 43 of 9 Bradley St., Naugatuck, was arrested yesterday after police said he led them on a wild chase in a stolen car.

The incident began Tuesday when state police received a report of a stolen car in Woodbury. According to a press release, the car was spotted a short time later in the east end of Waterbury by a state trooper. The trooper attempted to pull the car over, but the driver, later identified as Miele, didn’t comply. A brief pursuit ensued, but it was called off due to hazardous conditions, the release said.

At about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday the stolen car was spotted by another trooper in Southington, by the Southington Truck Stop. Miele once again fled when police tried to pull him over, according to a release.

Miele then led police on a chase in Southington from Route 322 to Route 10, the release stated. The chase ended on Route 10 when Miele lost control of the car and crashed into a gasoline tanker tractor trailer. The crash ignited a fire and caused the evacuation of the surrounding area for a quarter mile.

After crashing and before the tanker caught fire, the release said, Miele got out of the car and fled on foot. He was apprehended after a short foot chase and treated for minor injuries at St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury.

He was arrested and processed at Troop A in Southbury on charges of driving with a refused, suspended, or revoked license; reckless driving; disobeying the signal of an officer; operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol; first-degree larceny, and interfering with an officer.

He was held on a $25,000 bond and scheduled to appear today in Waterbury Superior Court.

Naugatuck police officer Kevin Zainc, right, leads police K-9 Pete to find drugs planted in the pocket of Dean of Students John Dellacamera, center, flanked by Board of Education member James Scully, left, and Mayor Robert Mezzo during a demonstration at the Board of Education meeting Dec. 12.

NAUGATUCK — Police K-9s will soon be sniffing through the halls of Naugatuck High School to search for illegal drugs.

“My goal is to send a clear message: ‘We don’t want drugs at Naugatuck High School.They have no business being here. We don’t want them in a safe, healthy environment,’” Naugatuck High School Principal Jan Saam told the Board of Education last week after informing members of the push to bring in the K-9 units.

Ideally, police won’t find any drugs, Saam said.

“Even if there’s a leftover scent on a jacket, that student’s on our radar, that student’s on notice,” Saam said.

Saam said Police Chief Christopher Edson approached her a month ago with the idea.

“In light of the recent events with so many students being caught either using, possessing or sale of drugs, it was very timely,” Saam said.

She said she cleared the plan with a parent group, students, faculty, and her advisory council, which is made up of business and community leaders. The policy allowing the school to search lockers was already on the books.

“All four groups were unanimous in wanting this,” Saam said.

Kevin Zainc, who is in charge of Naugatuck’s K-9 unit, said the school would go into lockdown while the dogs sweep through the building.

Police explained that about eight to 12 dogs from area jurisdictions would take about 20 minutes to search the lockers.

Naugatuck’s K-9, a black lab named Pete, demonstrated his abilities, sniffing volunteers until he found a small bag of contraband planted in Naugatuck High School Dean of Students John Dellacamera’s pocket. Pete promptly sat down and waited for his treat.

Pete can identify eight narcotics including marijuana, hashish, cocaine, crack, heroin, methamphetamines, steroids, and ecstasy, according to Zainc. He said some dogs can also sniff out oxycodone and Codeine, according to Zainc.

Unlike the demonstration at the Board of Education meeting, the dogs will not physically search students.

“At no point in time will the dogs ever interact with any of the students,” Zainc said.

If a dog smells something, police will mark the locker and notify school administrators. School officials will then open the locker, accompanied by the students. If administrators find contraband, police will seize it to be used as evidence or dispose of it.

“We’ll take it and make sure it is properly handled,” Zainc said.

The school will determine whether to handle the incident in house or turn the case over to the police.

“We are invited as a guest in the school here and absolutely respect that position,” said Deputy Chief Joshua Bernegger, noting that police and the school have a mutual goal to provide a drug-free environment for learning.

Bernegger said the search will most likely take place during fourth period, giving officers time to gather in the morning and discuss the operation.

According to Saam, there would be no point in searching lockers after school hours.

“Students wouldn’t leave it behind. It’s too valuable. … My hunch is that if they are there, they’re on their person or in their vehicles,” Saam said.

She said she also hoped to search the student parking lot, although that process is more exhausting for the dogs, police said. Police said they have the right to go into vehicles in the student parking lot, but would have to get a warrant to search vehicles in a borough lot.

“When they opt to park their car in the school’s parking lot, they are waiving those particular rights to an expectation of privacy,” Bernegger said.

Saam said the school will conduct the search a few times a year, starting with a search in the near future and another shortly thereafter.

She said she didn’t want students to think that once the search is done, they’ll be safe from further scrutiny for the year.

“I don’t want there to be a sense of complacency. … I want students to be on alert that we can bring these dogs in at any time,” Saam said.

Saam said she won’t announce exactly when the searches will happen ahead of time, but will send out a notice to parents to inform them of the policy.

Police also recommended preparing a pre-planned Code Ed message to inform parents what is going on during the lockdown so no one is misinformed or spreads rumors.

After the search is complete, Saam said police and administrators would have a debriefing to go over the results and see if anything could be done better in the future.

Dellacamera said he thought the drug search would be effective.

“This is a really good deterrent. The kids are already talking about it in the hallways,” he said.

One high school student doubted the dogs would find any drugs at the school.

“Personally, I don’t think its going to make any kind of difference at all,” said high school student Troy Bond.

He said people who use drugs are very cautious and wouldn’t risk being caught, especially now that they might be searched.

“I’ve talked to people personally who have said they’re not going to bring anything into school,” Bond said.

Bond felt the searches would be more effective if school administrators hadn’t announced their plans.

“It’s pretty much going to be a waste of our time,” Bond said.

When Beacon Falls police Officer Greg Nutcher is not fighting crime, the 42-year-old keeps busy making movies.

Greg Nutcher, a 42-year-old retired police detective who works part-time with the Beacon Falls Police Department, believes that his extensive work on the force prepared him for his true passion — acting.

“Any successful police detective needs to develop different characters that adapt to the person you are attempting to obtain information from,” Nutcher said.

Nutcher said that while he always wanted to be an actor, he realized the field of law enforcement was must more likely to offer him a stable career. At the age of 20, he was hired by the Hamden Police Department. He retired from the force in 2006, having received over 25 awards and commendations.

After retiring, Nutcher attended acting school in New York City and was cast in several minor roles that he never felt satisfied with. His dissatisfaction with these films fed his desire to be more involved with the films on a creative level.

“I started writing my own screenplays in the hopes of getting them made,” Nutcher said, “Once I wrote them, I couldn’t imagine anyone else being able to have the same vision for a film I had.”

On Nov. 4 three short films-“Eeny, Meeny, Miny, MOE,” “Ethan,” and “Going Home”- featuring Nutcher premiered at Seymour’s Strand Theatre.

“Eeny, Meeny, Miny, MOE” features two scenes filmed in Beacon Falls — one at Full Harvest Bar & Grill and one on Cold Springs Road. Nutcher said the town was ideal for filming because of how quiet it is and because of its “picturesque” look.

Nutcher is most proud of his film “Going Home,” which he personally wrote, cast, and filmed.  It tells the story of Brian Hill, a man recently released from prison on parole who tries to exonerate himself in the eyes of his estranged daughter. Nutcher said that the story was based on experiences he had throughout his two decades as a police officer.

Nutcher submitted “Going Home” to the Sundance film festival, which he hopes will draw interest to the film and financing for future film projects.

For more information on Greg Nutcher and his films, visit www.gregnutcher.com.