FLASH FLOODING IN AREA
Heavy rain this afternoon prompted the National Weather Service to issue flash flood warnings for awhile. The heaviest rain fell between 2 and 4 pm, forcing road closures in New London, Waterford, and Niantic. Cars were stalled along portions of Bank Street. Just over 3.5 inches of rain was reported in Waterford, more than 2 inches in New London, and 1 and a half inches in Lisbon.
BOUNTY HUNTERS CHARGED
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Two Connecticut bounty hunters who insist they were acting legally are fighting kidnapping charges in Rhode Island. Forty-five-year-old Angel Guadalupe and 40-year-old William Sobota, both charged with kidnapping and conspiracy, entered not guilty pleas on Tuesday. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s office says state law does not allow out-of-state “bounty hunters” to execute warrants in the state. The two say they dispute the office’s interpretation of the law, arguing they were acting legally when they apprehended Julian Vasquez on an outstanding warrant in Connecticut. The Attorney General’s Office says the warrant was “non-extraditable.” A Rhode Island Sheriff’s Department report indicates the bounty hunters provided licenses to deputies along with the warrant when detaining Vasquez. State police say Vasquez told them the two dragged him around a courthouse and mocked him.
OTHER STATES SUPPORT SKAKEL APPEAL
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Eleven states are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Connecticut’s appeal in Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel’s murder case and reinstate his conviction. The states filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Monday. The court is deciding whether to take up the appeal. The Connecticut Supreme Court in May vacated Skakel’s conviction in the bludgeoning death of Martha Moxley in their wealthy Greenwich neighborhood in 1975, when they were teenagers. The 4-3 majority said Skakel’s trial lawyer failed to contact an alibi witness. Connecticut prosecutors argue the court didn’t properly weigh the overall performance of Skakel’s defense. The states say a ruling in Connecticut’s favor is needed to thwart excessive challenges of defense lawyers’ performance. The states are Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
NEW RE-ENTRY CENTER
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The city of Hartford has opened a new center designed to help former inmates integrate back into society. The Re-entry Welcome Center is funded by a three-year, $450,000 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
It’s designed to connect those leaving prison with programs and services that can help them with needs such as health care, education and job training. Officials say the center, located inside Hartford City Hall, will provide case management services to 150 people each year, concentrating on those who have been released within 90 days and are not on parole or probation. Mayor Luke Bronin says by helping former inmates rebuild their lives, the center will also make the community safer and stronger.
