Fire, Fireworks Explode; Easton Home Burns in Minutes

Firefighters from Newtown, Stepney, Trumbull, Easton, and more fight massive fire on Judd Road.

The sounds of explosives and fireworks rocked the quiet wooded neighborhood of Easton bordering on Monroe on Friday.  A tall pillar of smoke seen for miles away heralded the fire to many, who followed trucks to the corner of North Street and Judd Road. Chief of Police James Candy said the owner’s collection of explosives hampered the ability of the firefighters to approach the house and fight the fire. The owner of the house, Sandy Cooper, 507 Judd Road, Easton, was not known to be at the scene, but police officers said that all family members were safe and not in the house. "It was a beautiful house; huge," said Ted Tallcouch, who was cutting the grass across the street when the Deputy Fire Marshall pulled into the yard, parked, and ran …

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Police Reports: Texts Lead to Arrest and a Credit Card Nightmare

Officers are investigating a credit card fraud case in which there were two attempts to make $3,000 worth of charges and a Stratford man was arrested for violation of a protective order.

The following information was supplied by the Monroe Police Department. No arrested person is guilty until so judged in a court of law.   Credit Card Fraud A 56-year-old Monroe Turnpike man had credit card problems after shopping at Job Lot in Seymour, according to a fraud complaint filed Tuesday. The credit card company called to inform him that someone attempted to use his Lowe's Visa card for a $3,000 purchase in Staten Island, NY. The next day, he received a letter from the credit card company thanking him for notifying them of his recent address change — to a State Island address, according to the report. On May 11, police said he was notified of a second unsuccessful attempt to use his credit card for a $3,000 purchase at a Best Buy…

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Firefighters Make Quick Work of a Porch Fire on Webb Circle

The homeowner attacked the flames with a garden hose and a firefighter finished off most of it with an extinguisher.

Fire Marshal Bill Davin spoke with a group of firefighters in Charles and Bonnie Schneiders' driveway at 250 Webb Circle at 5:30 p.m. Monday just as a turkey led a line of chicks across the pavement a few feet away. The tranquil scene stood in stark contrast to just a few minutes earlier when flames shot out of the screened porch on the left side of the house. Davin said Bonnie Schneider had pulled into the driveway while arriving home from work at around 4:47 p.m., when she saw the flames coming from the side of her house. "She called 911 and stretched out her garden hose," he said, adding that Schneider also managed to get both of her dogs out of the house. No other family members were home at the time, Davin said. Stevenson Fire …

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FAIRFIELD COUNTY POLICE DIGEST

No Diplomatic Immunity for Not Paying Strip Club Bill

Unusual arrests and investigations from the area.

Authorities were arresting a man on nine outstanding warrants when he allegedly couldn't pay his $500 strip club bill, when he told them the White House would be calling to inform them of his Diplomatic Immunity. The White House never called. *** A woman is accused of stealing $1,084 in merchandise from Kohl's in Trumbull on May 6. Police said she put clothing in bags, entered a dressing room and walked out holding the bags. Her bond was set at $7,500. *** A man was charged for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license after he slowly fell off his moped while driving down the Post Road in Fairfield. Police also found a bag of pot in the man’s pocket. *** An adult female opossum nearly died after it was hit by a car in front of a …

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Monroe Officially Breaks Ground on Police Building Project

Town officials took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the $4.1 million police station renovation and addition.

A backhoe parked by a large pile of dirt stands in front of the sidewalk behind the Monroe Police Department, where yellow caution tape cordons off the area by the main entrance. A large concrete slab that had served as the base of an old lattice radio tower is on the lawn, replaced by a gleaming white monopole reaching over 100 feet into the sky. After nearly eight years of planning and studies, the town finally broke ground on a $4.1 million renovation and addition to the police station, which should modernize its facilities. Public officials gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony outside the building police share with Monroe Town Hall at 7 Fan Hill Road on a breezy Thursday evening, under a deep blue sky. Police Chief John Salvatore was…

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