STAMFORD — A Seaton Road condo fire was quickly extinguished Tuesday night.
Lt. Patrick Tripodi said 26 firefighters responded after a resident reported smoke coming from a bedroom closet about 8:25 p.m. Tuesday.
Using touch and thermal imaging cameras, the firefighters found a fire in the wall of the second-floor condo that was extending into the common attic space.
The wall was opened and the fire was extinguished without any injuries. The power to the condo was shut down and fire investigators are determining the cause of the blaze.
jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
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Stamford condo fire quickly extinguished Tuesday night
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West Side blaze in Stamford begins in tiny illegal apartment
STAMFORD — Hidden near the back porch of a multifamily West Side home was a tiny 5-by-7-foot illegal apartment carved out in plywood that investigators say was destined to blow.
Chief Fire Marshal Charles Spaulding says the unit contained a mattress, microwave, air conditioner and other small appliances plugged into power strips that sparked this week’s blaze that destroyed the Alden Street home and damaged the adjacent residence, displacing 32 people.
Spaulding said state fire marshals agreed the fire started in the illegal unit and was likely ignited by the overloaded electrical circuits.
“Any one of those cords could have caused ignition,” Spaulding said.
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Prisoner floods Stamford courthouse lockup and causes morning evacuation
STAMFORD-A city man facing a larceny charge in the Stamford courthouse lockup Wednesday morning, was charged with wrenching a fire sprinkler pipe off the ceiling and flooding the basement jail with thousands of gallons of water.
The leak caused a large disruption by triggering the seven-story courthouse’s fire alarm at 9:36 a.m., forcing the evacuation of hundreds of court workers and visitors, Judicial Branch spokesperson Rhonda Stearly-Hebert said.
Because the lockup became inhabitable, the overnight prisoners scheduled to be arraigned were given a one day continuance by a judge and taken to Department Of Corrections facilities for incarceration, Stearly-Hebert said.
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Ridgeway street has new bike lane
STAMFORD — A 5-foot-wide bike lane was added to the upper half of Summer Street after it was repaved this month, the result of a long-term push to make city roads friendlier to cyclists and pedestrians.
The city will evaluate all roads scheduled for paving this fall to see whether bike lanes are feasible, Transportation Bureau Chief Jim Travers said.
“When we do repaving we have an opportunity to look at the pavement markings,” Travers said. “We were able to get a bike lane and what I think are much improved travel lanes for vehicles.”
The lane was able to be added between the top of Summer Street where it intersects with Long Ridge and High Ridge roads down to Second Street, Travers said.
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Sentencing in Stamford for man who shot five
STAMFORD-A city man who shot five innocent bystanders near Columbus Park in July 2014 because he thought he was about to be assaulted is scheduled to be sentenced today at the Stamford courthouse. After pleading guilty nearly a year ago to four counts of first-degree assault, Dayron Wills, 25, will be sentenced to no more than 15 years of a 25-year sentence that will be followed by five years of probation. The former security guard was seen on video on July 13, 2014, blasting 10 shots from his .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol as a nightclub fight moved toward him on West Park Place. Five people were wounded, but no one killed.
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Norwalk man charged with cocaine possession in Stamford
STAMFORD — A South Norwalk man in an illegally parked near Leone Park was charged with cocaine possession on the West Side Tuesday night.
Capt. Richard Conklin said Narcotics and Organized Crime squad members spotted a car illegally parked on Delaware Avenue about 10 p.m. Tuesday night. A man in the car seemed hunched over the center console, but when he spotted the approaching police officers he jammed his hands into his pockets, Conklin said.
The driver, Victor Rodriguez, 28, of Lowe Street, was searched and found in possession of 45 clear plastic bags of powered cocaine, Conklin said. Rodriguez was charged with possession and sale of narcotics and was released after posting a $25,000 court appearance bond.
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Bomb maker arrested on heroin charge in Stamford
STAMFORD — A former Greenwich resident recently released from prison on bomb-making charges has been arrested again after police say he was found hiding heroin behind his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet.
Capt. Richard Conklin said Nicholas Lahines, 43, who now lives on Schuyler Avenue in Stamford, was observed by Narcotics and Organized Crime squad members rolling through a stop sign near Stillwater Avenue.
Conklin said when Lahines reached in his glove box to get his registration, the officers spotted some “works,” which is used to cook heroin before injecting it.
Conklin said officers found 14 bags of heroin hidden behind the electric monitoring device Lahines had on his ankle.
Lahines, who is on parole, may be remanded.
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11th man arrested in Stamford drug takedown
STAMFORD — A city man wanted as part of a drug sweep conducted last week in Stamford turned himself over to police on Tuesday.
Timothy “Tank” Armstrong, 48, was the 11th man from Stamford and Bridgeport to be arrested in a drug operation conducted by the Stamford police department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime squad and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Armstrong was charged with possession of narcotics and possession of marijuana with intent to sell and sale of narcotics and marijuana. He was released after posting a $5,000 court appearance bond.
The months-long investigation culminated in 10 arrests last Thursday. Capt. Richard Conklin said more arrests are expected.
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Stamford police investigate shots-fired incident
STAMFORD — Police found three shell casings on a West Side driveway late Wednesday night when they responded to a report of shots fired in the area.
Sgt. Jennifer Lynch said officers responded to Rose Park Avenue and West Main Street just before midnight Wednesday.
Two men wearing black hoodies over their heads were seen running west on West Main Street between Rose Park Avenue and Ann Street just after the shots were heard, witnesses told police.
Lynch said officers found three shell casings in a driveway near where the men were seen.
Police also found a small hole caused by what they believe was a bullet in a Rose Park Avenue building near West Main Street.
No one appeared to be wounded, Lynch said.
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‘Miracle’ Stamford gunshot survivor faces weapons charge
STAMFORD — A city man critically wounded in a shooting last year was arrested this week after police say he ditched a loaded gun while trying to run away from officers.
Capt. Richard Conklin said Narcotics and Organized Crime officers spotted a suspicious group of people gathered on Southwood Square Wednesday night. Conklin said one of the men tried to run away as the officers approached.
The man, identified as Jason Raffaeli, 25, was seen throwing a pistol to the ground before officers apprehended him, Conklin said.
Conklin said officers recovered the .45 caliber Smith and Wesson semiautomatic that had one bullet racked into the chamber and seven more in the magazine.
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Stamford police seek bartender accused of beating up boss
STAMFORD — A Bedford Street bartender is wanted after police say he beat up his manager when he was confronted about stealing cash from the register.
Sgt. Jennifer Pinto said the assault happened at Brother Jimmy’s BBQ about 1:35 a.m. Friday and police were notified about an hour later when the manager went to Stamford Hospital for treatment.
Pinto said the manager confronted the bartender about $400 missing from the register and an argument escalated into a physical altercation.
They began wrestling and ended up on the floor of the bar. The 31-year-old bartender kicked his manager in the face and bit one of his fingers, Pinto said.
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Ferguson Library’s Big Read features prize-winning author
STAMFORD — The Ferguson Library’s Big Read, featuring the prize-winning memoir “Brother, I’m Dying” by Haitian-American author Edwidge Danitcat, kicks off with the author’s visit Sunday and a performance by vocalist Emeline Michel following a discussion of the book.
The Big Read, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, will continue through October with a series of programs at the library and elsewhere.
“NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book,” the library said in a news release.
“Brother, I’m Dying” is the incoming read for all University of Connecticut-Stamford freshmen this fall.
The performance at 3 p.m.
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Proposed pedestrian cellphone ban loses strength in Stamford
STAMFORD — An effort to ban texting in city crosswalks is losing steam as it heads for the full Board of Representatives next week. The Transportation Committee took no action Thursday on the ordinance, which was up for publication. This doesn’t stop the ordinance from moving forward, but a board member would have to bring it to a vote Monday without a committee recommendation and without a public hearing at the committee level. “I’m extremely disappointed that the committee did not even vote to publish the ordinance to give the public the opportunity to speak before the committee,” said City Rep. John Zelinski, D-11, who drafted the ordinance with the help of the city’s legal department.
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Stamford police: Teen suffers self-inflicted gunshot wound
STAMFORD — Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a 17-year-old boy who apparently shot himself Friday afternoon in a Bedford Street apartment. Police say the boy was driven to Stamford Hospital and was initially not cooperative with the investigation. The boy suffered a non-life-threatening wound to his hip. Police recovered a small-caliber gun inside the apartment. The investigation remains ongoing, but police said the shooting appears to be accidental. "We are not ruling anything in or anything out at this point,” Lt. Thomas Barcello said. The bullet was removed during surgery on Friday and the boy was held overnight for observation. No charges were immediately filed. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
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Norwalk strip club manager sentenced to jail
STAMFORD-The manager of a Norwalk strip club shuttered following an undercover drug investigation in late 2015 was sentenced to jail Friday for selling cocaine to undercover officers on three occasions.
Former manager and bartender of The Office Cafe at Liberty Square in East Norwalk, Leigha Rybnick, 43, formerly of Old Colony Road, Stamford was sentenced to the mandatory minimum five years in jail by Judge Richard Comerford on the drug charges at the Stamford courthouse.
Following her prison sentence, she will have to serve another five years of special parole where she can be returned to jail for any violation of the law.
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Drive-by shooter still wanted in Stamford
STAMFORD-City police continue to search for a drive-by shooter who wounded a man on Stillwater Avenue early Saturday afternoon.
Lt. Tom Barcello said a 29-year-old man standing on the sidewalk at Stillwater and Fairfield avenues was shot in the arm and side at about 2:30 p.m.
One of the bullets shattered the man’s left arm breaking it and the other shot went into the man’s abdomen nicking more than one internal organ,police said. While the man was sitting up and conscious when police got there, he was rushed to Stamford Hospital and put in the intensive care unit.
Barcello said he was unsure if the man was targeted in the shooting or if the man doing the shooting missed, hitting someone else.
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Brazen robbery in Stamford’s South End on Sunday morning
STAMFORD-Police say a city woman was the victim of an armed robbery near Fairway Market in Stamford’s South End on Sunday morning.
Sgt. Jennifer Lynch said a woman was walking north on John Street looking at her phone when a stranger came up from behind her at about 9:30 a.m. The unidentified man got in front of her and tried to grab the phone out of her hand while holding a black gun in his other hand.
The 32-year-old woman was wearing a purse strapped across her body and the man began trying to wrestle the purse away from her. “Give it to me. Give it to me,” the man yelled at her while waving the pistol at her, Lynch said.
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Stamford swap shop opens Tuesday
STAMFORD — The mayor and city officials are marking the opening of the Take It or Leave It swap shop at the Katrina Mygatt Recycling Center Tuesday.
The swap shop has items like toys, furniture and housewares salvaged at the recycling center that the city would otherwise pay to cart away. All items are free.
Passenger cars with residential plates can drop off up to 200 pounds of garbage a day at the center for free. There are different rules for commercial vehicles and those seeking to dump above the limit.
The shop at 130 Magee Ave. will be open during regular recycling center hours: Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
eskalka@stamfordadvocate.com
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Parking dispute gets Stamford neighbor charged with shooting a window out with a BB gun
STAMFORD — A 63-year-old city man was charged by police over the weekend with shooting his neighbor’s car window out with a BB gun for parking in front of his home.
On the morning of Sept. 12, police were called to Willowbrook Avenue on a vandalism complaint at about 9:30 a.m. When police arrived, a woman told them that the passenger-side window of black Toyota had been shot out and she suspected that a male neighbor was responsible, Sgt. Jennifer Lynch said. She said her car had been damaged numerous times while parked in front of his house.
The next day she showed up at police headquarters with a video that she claimed showed the person who shot out her window.
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Juvenile arrested with loaded pistol downtown Stamford
STAMFORD — An allegedly troubled juvenile boy was taken into custody in the mid-afternoon on a busy downtown street Friday after he was found carrying a loaded semiautomatic pistol, police said.
Capt. Richard Conklin said an officer on the Narcotics and Organized Crime squad heard on the street that a 16-year-old boy with whom police have had a lot of interactions was walking downtown with a pistol in his waistband.
Officers raced down Bedford Street and saw the kid with a group of other youths at the corner of Bedford and Broad streets. They stopped him at 3:35 p.m. and when they searched him they found a .40 caliber Taurus semiautomatic hand gun tucked into his pants, Conklin said.
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