Latest news with #ConnecticutDepartmentofChildrenandFamilies
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lamont awards Waterbury $4 million grant for downtown infrastructure improvements
WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Gov. Ned Lamont awarded Waterbury a $4 million grant for infrastructure improvements to the downtown area, according to a written release. The improvements are slated to support the streetscape along West Main Street, which includes upgrades to sidewalks, lighting, roadways, sewers and storm drainage, the press release said. Thousands attend 'Little Poland Festival' in New Britain This will address the concerns of infrastructure more than 100 years old, according to a written release. The grant will be released through the state's Community Investment Fund. Lamont will hold a press conference alongside Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski and other state officials at 10:30 on Monday at the Connecticut Department of Children and Families lot. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Connecticut leaders to discuss link between child and animal abuse
NEWINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — Gov. Ned Lamont will highlight how the state stops child and animal abuse on Wednesday. He says there's often a link between the two, and that being used to identify new cases. This is all in recognition of Child Abuse Awareness Month and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. State leaders remind residents of road safety on National Work Zone Awareness Week Governor Lamont will join animal welfare advocates at 11 a.m. at a news conference in Newington. He'll be highlighting the 'proactive' work among Connecticut state agencies to 'cross-report' accounts of animal cruelty and potential child abuse in households where these reports have occurred. The state says numerous studies show a strong correlation between animal abuse, child maltreatment, and other forms of interpersonal violence, including domestic violence and elder abuse. This correlation is often referred to as 'the link.' In recent years, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture have been working together, using this 'link' to collaborate on work and identify more of these offenses. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl in CT extradited from New Hampshire
A man was extradited from New Hampshire last week to face charges alleging he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Connecticut last April. Michael Parkinson, 39, of Claremont, New Hampshire was extradited on Friday and charged with second-degree sexual assault and illegal sexual contact with a victim under 16, according to the Connecticut State Police. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the girl disclosed the allegations to a therapist two days after the alleged incident, but she would not immediately identify who sexually assaulted her. The therapist notified the Connecticut Department of Children and Families before the agency alerted the state police. On May 2, 2024, the girl told a school counselor she was ready to identify who assaulted her and alleged that Parkinson had abused her, the warrant affidavit said. During a forensic interview at the Child Advocacy Center in New London several days later, the girl told officials that the alleged incident took place on April 20, 2024, during a sibling's 11th birthday party in Colchester. The girl said Parkinson walked in on her in the bathroom and asked to lift her hoodie, but she told him no, the warrant affidavit said. She said he later entered her bedroom where she was lying in bed and 'plopped' down next to her, according to the warrant affidavit. The girl claimed that Parkinson asked if it was OK to move her hand and she agreed, but she alleged that he took her hand and put it in his pants, the warrant affidavit said. The girl claimed that her brother then walked by in the hallway and Parkinson allegedly asked him to come in and turn the lights off, which he did before leaving, according to the warrant affidavit. The teen alleged that Parkinson touched her inappropriately, the warrant affidavit said. The girl then alleged he encouraged her multiple times to get on her back in an attempt to sexually assault her, but she told him no each time, according to the warrant affidavit. The teen claimed that Parkinson had never tried assaulting her before the incident, according to the warrant affidavit. She alleged he would sometimes put his hand up her shirt when she was in the basement and that her mother would be in the room at times and not know it was happening, the warrant affidavit said. The girl said she never told anyone about what happened in the basement. During the investigation, the girl's mother turned over the teen's diary to police after finding an entry detailing the alleged assault. In it, the girl wrote that Parkinson allegedly tried assaulting her and that he had been acting 'weird' the past few months and was touching her, according to the warrant affidavit. The girl said she knew what was going to happen the moment he asked someone to turn off the lights, the warrant affidavit said. In the diary entry, the teen said she conducted a Google search to find out what it was called when someone touched her the way she alleges she was touched, according to the warrant affidavit. She said the search turned up 'sexual assault,' which was defined as someone touching one of multiple parts of someone's anatomy without consent, 'which he definitely did to all of them,' she wrote. 'I just feel like he has some untamed sexual desires because stooping so low as a 14-year-old girl? thats (sic) a little messed up,' the diary entry read, according to the warrant affidavit. 'I think he is 38 which is a 24-year age difference.' The girl alleged in her diary entry that Parkinson asked if he could take a photo of her, the warrant affidavit said. The mother obtained a protective order against Parkinson on May 28, 2024, that was put in effect for a year, the warrant affidavit said. He allegedly called her about two weeks later and left her a voicemail. 'Hey, just wanted to say I love you and I regret everything I've ever done and I want you to know if I could change it I would,' Parkinson allegedly said, according to the warrant affidavit. Investigators said they recorded the voicemail as evidence. According to the warrant affidavit, Parkinson left Connecticut after the incident and went to New Hampshire. On June 11, 2024, he was arrested after sending text messages to family members saying he had a firearm, which was a violation of the protective order, the warrant affidavit said. Parkinson was arrested by officers with the Claremont Police Department in New Hampshire. In their report, police said he was found with a firearm and was also charged with contacting the mother in violation of the order, the warrant affidavit said. State police had authorities in New Hampshire ask Parkinson if he would be willing to speak about the allegations, but he declined, the warrant affidavit said. During a text message conversation with a friend, Parkinson was encouraged to continue seeking therapy so he never does anything to 'hurt another soul again,' the warrant affidavit said. After affirming that it would never be an issue again, the friend asked him why it was a problem in the first place, according to the warrant affidavit. 'It wasn't and that's what bothers me the most,' he allegedly responded, the warrant affidavit said. 'It wasn't even sexually driven. I had no interest in (redacted) but still I did it and I can't determine why.' Parkinson later on in the conversation allegedly went on to say he has suppressed 'it' for 22 years and has been in and out of therapy, the warrant affidavit said. He also went on to say that he could not apologize for what he did because it would lead to his arrest, according to the warrant affidavit. Screenshots of the conversation were turned over to state police investigators. Parkinson was held on a $250,000 bond following his arrest and was expected to appear in Norwich Superior Court on Monday.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
CT middle school employee on leave after students allegedly find their photos on adult website
A faculty member at a middle school in Hamden has been placed on leave after students allegedly found their photos on an adult website. School officials said the incident unfolded on Monday during dismissal when administrators discovered that students had allegedly found images of a faculty member on an adult website and shared them among other students, Hamden Middle School Principal Michelle G. Coogan said in a letter to the school community. Coogan said school officials filed a report with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families and placed the faculty member on leave while an investigation is conducted. The faculty member has not been identified. 'We ask parents to review internet safety with their children this evening, including the importance of using safe websites and engaging in responsible behavior on social media, Coogan said. 'We also ask that you monitor your child's personal technology, including photographs, Internet searches and social media activity, and encourage families to have open conversations about how to respond if children encounter harmful or inappropriate materials online,' Coogan said. 'By working together, we can help protect our children and guide them in becoming responsible digital citizens.'
CBS News
28-03-2025
- CBS News
Connecticut woman accused of holding stepson captive must wear GPS tracker, judge says
A woman accused of holding her stepson captive for 20 years was ordered to wear a GPS monitor as a condition of her bail, a Connecticut judge ruled Friday. Kimberly Sullivan, 56, entered a not guilty plea at the hearing two weeks after Waterbury Police arrested her on charges of kidnapping her 32-year-old stepson, who was found emaciated during a fire at her home. The judge ordered Sullivan to submit to GPS tracking while denying the prosecution's request to place her under house arrest. Sullivan had previously appeared in court on Wednesday , but the judge did not allow to her enter a plea and gave her lawyers two days to respond to the motion to modify her bail. She is charged with kidnapping, unlawful restraint, cruelty and reckless endangerment. Her next court date is in late April. Sullivan's stepson allegedly started the fire on Feb. 17 in an attempt to draw first responders to the house where he claims he was being held captive. "I wanted my freedom," the man said, according to police . The man weighed just 69 pounds when first responders discovered him in a small room. He told investigators Sullivan had imprisoned in the room since he was approximately 11 years old. He claimed his stepmom never took him to a doctor or dentist and gave him barely enough food to survive. "He was, without exaggeration, akin to a survivor of Auschwitz's death camp," the prosecutor said. Sullivan was in charge, the man told investigators, but his father, who died in 2024, and stepsisters knew about his treatment. Waterbury Police and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families did welfare checks on the home 20 years ago, when he was first removed from school, but critics claim there were no follow-ups, which allowed the alleged abuse to unfold. Tony Aiello contributed to this report.
