BY ANDREAS YILMA
CITIZENS NEWS
NAUGATUCK – Burgess Walter “Francis” Dambowsky has surrendered to state police on charges of impersonating a police officer, tampering with physical evidence and second-degree breach of peace.
Dambowsky, 74, who also acts as the borough’s emergency management and Homeland Security director, surrendered to detectives at Troop L in Litchfield after learning there was a warrant for his arrest accusing him of pretending to be a police officer when he pulled over a driver.
State police detectives took over the investigation from Naugatuck police June 7 after borough investigators determined the complaint made against the town employee was criminal in nature.
Dambowsky, a Federal Emergency Management Agency representative, was released from custody on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear Aug. 20 in Danbury Superior Court.
The complainant stated that on June 3 at 6:20 p.m. she was driving down May Street near Naugatuck Fire Department’s Eastside Station when she saw a black SUV behind her. Once she passed the stop sign at Donovan Road, the driver of the SUV turned on flashing red lights and a siren.
The complainant turned onto Lincoln Street and pulled over before she saw an older man with no identifying markings walk out of the car and approach her window, according to the warrant.
“The male then said, ‘What was that about?’ I responded by asking him if he was a cop. The male then asked if I wanted to see his badge and proceeded to show me a gold badge inside of his wallet,” the complainant stated. “The male then began to lecture me on safe driving. I then asked him if he was going to give me a ticket, to which he ignored me. I asked him again if he was going to give me a ticket and he responded no. The male then said he just did not want to see anyone get hurt.”
Naugatuck police determined Dambowsky was in the area during that time. Police conducted a neighborhood canvas and retrieved surveillance footage showing a Chevrolet Tahoe driving in the area. The owner of the footage said she didn’t see the incident occur but remembered hearing what she thought was a police vehicle’s siren.
A borough police captain contacted Dambowsky on June 5 by cellphone. Dambowsky denied the allegations but admitted yelling at someone for cutting him off at the intersection of May Street and Osborn Road, about two-tenths of a mile east of the intersection with Donovan Road. Dambowksy said he never activated his emergency lights during the encounter, the affidavit states.
“It should be noted that Dambowsky has been accused of conducting motor vehicle stops previously in the town of Naugatuck, with the most recent incident occurring on April 10, 2024,” the warrant states. “The incident was not deemed as an unlawful seizure, therefore, there were no consequences.”
Investigators went to Dambowsky’s home to speak with him June 21. He said it was best for him to speak with an attorney before answering questions.
State police processed Dambowsky’s town-issued black 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe on June 25 after obtaining a search-and-seizure warrant. A Naugatuck Homeland Security badge was found in the vehicle, police said. Police found the lights and siren weren’t working due to a blown fuse. Upon further investigation, they uncovered that 30-amp fuses were found instead of the proper 40-amp fuses. In addition, the SD memory cards used for the dashcam showed only files from the two days before seizure of the car.
State police then executed a search-and-seizure warrant on Dambowsky’s home and office at Naugatuck Ambulance on July 9 for any SD cards and loose automobile fuses. Detectives found two memory cards at his residence that contained no evidence of the incident. They also found multiple badges at his home and a piece of paper on a printer containing a search from the Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Library inquiring about criminal impersonation of a police officer in Connecticut.
Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess placed Dambowsky on paid administrative leave June 21 once he found out he was being investigated.
“As far as a burgess, there is no process under Connecticut law to address the issue,” Hess said. “So whether he remains as a burgess initially is up to him and ultimately it’s up to the voters unless he resigns.”
Hess said in addition to the criminal case, there is a concurrent civil proceeding being handled by human resources under the direction of the borough’s labor attorney.
“He is on leave and further action will be taken at the direction of HR and the borough’s labor attorney on the borough end,” Hess said. “On the state’s end, the case will take its course in court.”
He noted the Board of Mayor and Burgesses can only discuss personnel maters in executive session with notice to an employee.
The emergency management position will be run on an interim basis by four town officials: Hess; his executive assistant, James McGrath; Fire Chief Ken Hanks and Assistant Fire Chief Walter Seaman.
