New State's Attorney Appointed For Rockville Superior Court

VERNON, CT — The Honorable Andrew J. McDonald, chair of the Criminal Justice Commission, announced Friday that the commission has appointed Craig P. Nowak as state’s attorney for the Judicial District of Tolland.

The appointment was made during a meeting Friday at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

The appointment of Nowak, who currently serves as a supervisory assistant state]'s attorney at the Division of Criminal Justice, by unanimous vote of the commission, is for an eight-year term commencing July 1.

"On behalf of the commission, I would like to extend my congratulations to Attorney Nowak on his appointment as state's attorney for the Judicial District of Tolland," Justice McDonald said. "Attorney Nowak is a veteran prosecutor and we believe his leadership experience, particularly in his supervisory role at the Division of Criminal Justice, will help him succeed as state's Attorney. We also wish to thank all of the outstanding prosecutors who applied for this important position."

Nowak joined the Division of Criminal Justice in 2000 and has been assigned to the State’s Attorney's Offices in the Judicial Districts of New Haven, Middletown and Bridgeport, where he currently serves as the supervisory assistant state's attorney in Geographical Area No. 2. Throughout his career, he has tried numerous cases to verdict, including murder, sale of narcotics and manslaughter cases, and has defended several post-conviction habeas cases.

Nowak retired from the United States Army and Connecticut Army National Guard as a colonel after 32 years of service that included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He is the recipient of a Bronze Star for his efforts in Afghanistan and the Connecticut Medal of Merit for his work as a battalion commander during relief efforts following Hurricane Irene.

A cum laude graduate of Fairfield University, he earned his law degree with honors from Pace University School of Law.

Nowak will succeed Matthew C. Gedansky who has served as the Tolland State’s Attorney since September 2003.

The state’s Aattorney is the chief law enforcement officer of the Tolland Judicial District and oversees the prosecutors and other Division of Criminal Justice staff at the Superior Court in Rockville and the Geographical Area court in Rockville.

The Tolland Judicial District includes the towns of Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Ellington, Hebron, Mansfield, Stafford, Somers, Tolland, Union, Vernon and Willington.