STORM CENTER TO BE ACTIVATED
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says he’s planning to partially activate the state’s Emergency Operations Center ahead of the latest snowstorm. The Democrat says the EOC will begin monitoring storm conditions at 4 a.m. Tuesday. He says the nor’easter is expected to have an impact on the morning and potentially afternoon commutes. Malloy says 4 to 8 inches of snow is predicted for western Connecticut, 8 to 12 inches in central Connecticut and 10 to 16 inches in eastern Connecticut. Light snow is expected to begin between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday. The Department of Transportation is expected to have more than 600 plow trucks and 200 private contractors ready to clear state roads. Malloy is urging people to take it slow and remember their winter weather driving skills.
SALEM WOMAN SENTENCED FOR ABUSING HUSBAND
A Salem woman will serve eight years in prison, as part of a plea deal involving abuse of her husband. 36-year old Jillian Washburn was charged in December, 2015 for hitting her husband numerous times in front of their young children, cutting off the tip of his penis, and sexually assaulting him with a wire hangar. Washburn has admitted continuing to abuse her husband after those incidents. She pleaded no contest in November to two counts of risk of injury to a minor, and other charges. Her attorney had claimed the couple was involved in a sadomasochistic relationship, with the husband telling Washburn what to do. Washburn has been prohibited from having any contact with the victim. A protective order temporarily prohibits her from any contact with the children. A family court ruling will determine any visitation rights.
SPRAGUE DRUG ARRESTS
A drug bust in Sprague. The Statewide Narcotics Task Force say two Baltic residents have been charged with possessing more than 11-hundred bags of heroin laced with fentanyl, along with hydrocodone pills, and naloxone strips, with intent to sell them. 27-year old Kayla Murray and 30-year old Richard Reiser were arrested earlier this month at their 105 West Main Street residence, and are scheduled to appear in Norwich Superior Court this Friday. They are each being held on 25-thousand dollars bond. Police also found some 8-thousand dollars in cash.
TRIBAL EXEC MAY TESTIFY IN COSBY TRIAL
A published report indicates the Mohegan Tribal Authority’s Senior Vice-President of Sports and Entertainment may be a witness for the defendant in the re-trial of comedian Bill Cosby. Tom Cantone says he has not heard anything about Cosby’s attorneys wanting him to testify. A New York Post article says they do want Cantone to testify that one of Cosby’s accusers had willingly gone to the comedian’s hotel room late one night. The Post says Cosby paid the accuser, Andrea Costand, 3-point-5 million dollars in hush money in 2006. Cantone booked Cosby at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in December 2004, when Cantone was in charge of entertainment operations there. Cosby’s first trial on sexual assault charges ended in a mistrial last June.
NL LIBRARY DISTURBANCE
A New London man is arrested after a disturbance in the city’s library. Police were called there around 11:30 this morning for a reported altercation between two males. Police later apprehended 23-year old Taj Johnson near State Pier Road and Crystal Avenue. He faces numerous charges, including illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a pistol without a permit. Police believe Johnson may be connected to other police investigations. No injuries reported.
EX-BOOKKEEPER PLEADS
An Uncasville woman has pleaded not guilty to embezzling more than 70-thousand dollars from a Norwich real estate firm where she worked as a bookkeeper. 36-year old Marianne Boyd is out on 50-thosuand dollars bail. The arrest warrant affidavit says Boyd has admitted stealing about 70-thousand dollars from the Partner Network, LLC to support a gambling habit. The thefts allegedly occurred over multiple years, starting in 2011. She is due back in court April 12th.
GAMBLING HEARING RE-SCHEDULED
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – A legislative public hearing on gambling matters in Connecticut is being postponed because of the latest nor’easter hitting the state. The General Assembly’s Public Safety and Security Committee had originally planned to hold the hearing Tuesday on bills dealing with the state’s first casino on non-tribal land, legalized sports betting and online lottery games. Bridgeport and New Haven lawmakers have advocated for a new competitive process for Connecticut’s next casino. The push comes a planned tribal casino in East Windsor still awaits federal approvals. The hearing is now rescheduled for Thursday. Numerous legislative committees originally planned for Tuesday have been postponed because of the impending snow storm. Six-to-12 inches of snow have been predicted to fall over much of the state, beginning Tuesday morning.
HOUSE APPROVES CHIEF JUSTICE APPOINTMENT
The House of Representatives has narrowly voted to confirm Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s nominee for chief justice of Connecticut’s highest court, moving the debate over Andrew McDonald’s fate to the Senate. The House voted 75-to-74 Monday in favor of elevating the associate justice to the State Supreme Court’s top job. A handful of Democrats and nearly every Republican opposed McDonald, one of the most politically charged judicial nominees in recent memory. While his supporters call the former state senator a fair-minded, brilliant jurist, his detractors question whether he can be trusted to recuse himself from ruling on policies made during Malloy’s administration. His nomination now moves to the Senate, where there are an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. One Democrat has already recused herself from voting.
ACCELERATED REHAB GRANTED IN BODILY FLUIDS CASE
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – A white former University of Hartford student accused of smearing body fluids on her black roommate’s belongings has been allowed into a probation program that could result in criminal charges being erased from her record. Eighteen-year-old Brianna Brochu’s request for accelerated rehabilitation was granted Monday by a state judge in Hartford. Misdemeanor charges will be erased if she successfully completes a period of probation. Police say the former student wrote on Instagram in October about rubbing used tampons on her roommate’s backpack and putting her roommate’s toothbrush “where the sun doesn’t shine.� Her roommate, Chennel Rowe, says she developed throat pain. Rowe did not oppose the probation program request. Civil rights advocates called for hate crime charges, but a prosecutor concluded there was no evidence of hate crimes.
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