Southington Man Violates Probation

By Justin Muszynski, The Bristol Press

July 8, 2022

A Southington man convicted in an assault in which police say he held a knife to a woman’s throat before trying to throw her out of a window is exposed to two years behind bars after admitting to violating his probation.

Michael Lasek, 43, made a formal admission to the violation this week in New Britain Superior Court as part of a plea bargain he accepted.

He is free on $45,000 bond while he awaits sentencing, which could happen as soon as the next court hearing, which is scheduled for Oct. 3.

Under the terms of the plea deal, an additional count of violation of probation is not expected to be pursued. Lasek, under the plea bargain terms, also had to plead guilty to one count of violation of a protective order – which stems from an arrest made by Southington police in September 2021.

Lasek’s probation violation charges came after he was arrested by Farmington police in June 2021 and charged with operating under the influence, among other charges. That case is still pending without any pleas.

Lasek was later arrested by Southington police in September last year and charged in connection with the protective order violation. It remains unclear if the order is in place to protect the same victim stemming from Lasek’s conviction in 2018.

Lasek is on probation after he pleaded guilty to one count each of strangulation and violation of a protective order during a hearing in December 2018. He was sentenced in that case to a year in prison, followed by three years of probation.

Lasek’s underlying conviction stems from the vicious beating of a woman in March 2018. According to police, he struck a woman in the face multiple times and kicked her in the stomach during a domestic dispute at the Residence Inn, at 778 West St.

While in one of the rooms at the hotel, he also strangled the woman, cutting off her ability to breathe, held a knife to her throat and tried to throw her out of the room’s window, according to police.

Following his arrest, when Lasek was charged with second-degree assault, second-degree threatening, second-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree strangulation, interfering with a 911 call and second-degree breach of peace, he was ordered by a judge to not contact the victim.

Lasek was later arrested three times for violating the order, piling up a total of five counts of violation of a protective order, according to court documents. During one of the violations, state prosecutors previously said, Lasek called the woman multiple times and sent her 14 text messages.

Justin Muszynski can be reached at 860-973-1809 or jmuszynski@bristolpress.com.