Wilton Police Dept. Officer Awards and Commendations

• Officer Paul Lichtenberger – Letter of Commendation

On March 5, 2011, a pedestrian was struck by a car while walking on Linden Tree Rd and received serious injuries. Officer Lichtenberger was assigned the follow-up accident investigation. He located several pieces of a side view mirror in the area where the pedestrian was struck. Officer Lichtenberger was able to identify the parts he recovered as being from a 1998 to a 2005 Chevrolet Blazer or S10 pickup truck.

Officer Lichtenberger continued to surveil this area and days later observed a gray Chevrolet S10 pickup on Linden Tree Rd. He observed damage to the driver's side mirror and front fender consistent with damage that would have been caused during this accident. He stopped the driver of the vehicle and interviewed the operator who denied involvement in the accident. After further questioning the operator admitted he had hit a deer on Linden Tree Rd at around 6:30 pm, which was the same area and time the pedestrian was struck.  The operator later admitted that he hit a person.  An Arrest Warrant was obtained and the operator was arrested for multiple MV charges.  

Officer Lichtenberger’s aggressive investigation resulted in identifying the operator of the vehicle that struck the pedestrian and he was charged appropriately for his actions.

• Officer Stephen Rangel – Letter of Commendation
• Detective Christopher Isidro – Letter of Recognition

On April 5, 2011, Officer Rangel was assigned to investigate a complaint of a stolen credit card from an elderly man. During the time the card was stolen there was over $2,500 in charges.  Through his investigation he was able to obtain video footage of the suspect as well as a possible name and internet address.  He learned that a cell phone was purchased with the stolen credit card.  He also learned that the suspect worked at a local restaurant where the credit card was most likely stolen.  Detective Isidro and he met with the suspect at the restaurant and while speaking with the suspect Detective Isidro called the stolen cell phone which was in the possession of the suspect at that very time. The suspect later admitted to the crimes and was arrested. The follow-up investigations of crimes such as this require extensive time commitments by the officers conducting the investigation. Officer Rangel and Detective Isidro brought the commitment needed in this investigation to make an arrest of the subject responsible.  

• Officer Anna Tornello – Meritorious Police Award

On April 5, 2011, Officer Tornello was dispatched to a local bank, in South Wilton where an individual was in the bank from an account for a second time. When Officer Tornello arrived in the area she observed the suspect fleeing the area on foot.  Officer Tornello ran after the party and eventually took him in to custody behind a building near Kent Road.

During the follow-up investigation it was learned that the individual had multiple fake identifications as well as evidence of his future intentions to commit fraud at other local banking establishments.  It was also learned that the individual had a lengthy criminal history in NY including armed robbery, assault, and narcotics charges.

• Officer Arnault Baker – Letter of Commendation

On April 29, 2011, Officer Baker observed the operator of a vehicle traveling next to him talking on his cell phone. Officer Baker slowed down and pulled behind the vehicle and activated his cruiser’s lights and siren. The vehicle did not stop but began to accelerate in an attempt to elude him. Officer Baker finally stopped the vehicle on Westport Road near Ridge Lane. Through his investigation he learned that the vehicle was stolen out of the City of Norwalk the day before.  The operator was arrested and the vehicle was returned to its owner.

• Officer Eva Zimnoch - Letter of Commendation
• Detective Christopher Isidro - Letter of Recognition
• Detective Kip Tarrant - Letter of Recognition
• Detective Peter Trahan - Letter of Recognition 

During the period beginning in late April and extending into mid-May 2011, numerous larceny complaints were received by this Department in which victims reported thefts of cash from their belongings at local establishments. Based on witness descriptions and surveillance video a suspect was developed.

While following up on another reported theft, Officer Zimnoch observed the suspect operating his vehicle and initiated a motor vehicle stop.  She observed evidence within the vehicle that connected the suspect to the earlier thefts and thefts from that very day. The suspect was interviewed by Detectives Tarrant, Isidro, and Trahan and he confessed to committing the numerous other thefts that had been plaguing several businesses and a school in past weeks. The suspect was charged with 11 counts of burglary and 14 counts of larceny. Detectives were also able to obtain a confession regarding a New Canaan Police investigation of similar crimes in that town and they later obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect for crimes committed in New Canaan.

• Sergeant Thomas Tunney - Meritorious Police Award

On May 7, 2011, while off-duty and driving on Interstate 95 in Darien Sergeant Tunney witnessed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the breakdown lane.  The vehicle made a hard left turn crossing over all three lanes directly in front of a tractor trailer and then struck the median. In an attempt to avoid the vehicle the operator of the tractor trailer applied his brakes. This caused the tractor trailer to jackknife and roll onto its side. The trailer separated from the tractor and continued sliding down the road. The tractor struck the guardrail ripping the driver’s compartment open and causing it to catch fire.  Sgt. Tunney ran to the driver’s door and with the assistance of another passerby began to remove wreckage in an attempt to save the operator. The passerby then left and returned with a fire extinguisher as the flames were increasing. Sergeant Tunney reached the driver, checked for a pulse but could not find one. He attempted to remove the operator as the flames intensified.  This forced Sergeant Tunney to back up and at the same time the tractor’s fuel tank exploded knocking him to the ground.  The tractor was now fully engulfed in flames.  Sergeant Tunney then observed that the four occupants of the vehicle which caused the accident were now outside their vehicle involved in a fight.  As he approached them in an attempt to break-up the fight they attacked him and began striking Sgt. Tunney.    At that time the Darien Police arrived and assisted Sgt. Tunney with taking the four into custody.

• Officer Gregg Phillipson - Meritorious Police Award
• Detective Kip Tarrant - Meritorious Police Award
• Lieutenant Donald Wakeman - Letter of Recognition
• Lieutenant Steven Bartek - Letter of Recognition
• Sergeant Thomas Conlan - Letter of Recognition
• Officer Joseph Calorossi - Letter of Recognition

On August 18, 2011, a call was received from an occupied residence in south Wilton that a and the sole occupant was the 15 year old caller.  Officer Phillipson was the first to arrive with Detective Tarrant who responded from an extra duty assignment.  Officer Phillipson observed a male running south on Kent Hills Lane.  He radioed Detective Tarrant to stop the male.  The male then ran into the woods in an attempt to elude the officers.  Both Officer Phillipson and Detective Tarrant gave chase and apprehended the suspect.  It was learned through the investigation that there were two other suspects who had already fled in a minivan prior to the officer’s arrival.  The two other suspects who had already fled were coaxed into returning to a business area in town to pick up the subject they had left behind and thought escaped apprehension.

Once the two suspects returned in their vehicle they were taken into custody by Lieutenants Wakeman and Bartek with Sergeant Conlan, Officer Calorossi, Detective Tarrant and Officer Phillipson. 

• Officer Eva Zimnoch - Letter of Commendation

On Oct. 2, 2011, Officer Zimnoch observed a black Honda traveling north on Danbury Road go through a red light.  She eventually stopped the vehicle.  When Officer Zimnoch approached the vehicle she detected a strong odor of marijuana. Officer Zimnoch received the operator’s license she noted that he was under 21 years of age.  Through her continued investigation while on scene she also learned that the suspect was on probation for narcotic offenses.  Officer Zimnoch searched the vehicle and located 20 bags of marijuana and 3 bags of cocaine packaged for sale. Her investigation led to the arrest of the suspect and removal of these drugs from the community.

• Detective Christopher Isidro - Letter of Commendation
• Detective Kip[ Tarrant - Letter of Commendation
• Detective Peter Trahan - Letter of Commendation

During the nighttime hours between October 11, 2011 and October 12, 2012, car burglaries occurred at eleven different properties in the southeast section of Town. A total of thirteen with property stolen from ten of them. Additionally, residence was entered by the suspects while the residents were asleep. The total value of the stolen property was approximately $2,700. Detectives Tarrant, Trahan and Isidro followed up leads generated by the use of certain property stolen from the vehicles.  Video surveillance footage was obtained from businesses and interviews were conducted over the course of several days, which provided information on suspects.  A search and seizure warrant was obtained to search an apartment in Bridgeport.  During the search, evidence and information was gathered which implicated three people involved in these burglaries. The three suspects from Bridgeport, Shelton, and Trumbull were quickly arrested and charged with numerous counts of Burglary and Larceny. The quick arrest likely prevented more burglaries in our Town and others.