ROBBERY ARREST
Police made quick work of tracking down a man who robbed a local smoke shop. Discount Smokers World in Jewett City was held up late Thursday morning and cops had their man by five in the afternoon. 35-year-old Michael Warner of Griswold was taken into custody. Police say he confessed to the robbery and copped to another holdup at the Bestway Gas Station in Jewett City last month.
NEW LONDON SHOOTING
A New London man is in hot water after being accused of shooting a woman in the buttocks. 44-year-old George Taylor was arrested shortly after the incident, which happened just before 1:30 this morning. The victim says she was shot inside an apartment on Home Street. Taylor is facing multiple charges, including first-degree assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
GIFT OF MOBILITY
A hundred motorized wheelchairs will be given out in Norwich tomorrow for the eighth annual Gift of Mobility giveaway. It’s sponsored by Norwich AZ Pawn owner Phil Pavone, who says the wheelchairs are a godsend for people who can’t afford them. Pavone receives the donated wheelchairs throughout the year and works to repair them with the help of several volunteers. Members of the public are invited to attend the Gift of Mobility giveaway. It’s happening at the the Norwich Holiday Inn at 11:00 Saturday morning.
ANTI-DRUG FORFEITURES
An audit of Connecticut’s Criminal Justice Division shows more than $520,000 in money seized by police in drug and money laundering cases did not make it into state coffers during 2015 and 2016. The audit found that more than $108,000 that was supposed to be turned over from local police departments to the state was more than a year overdue. The money is earmarked to help fund substance abuse treatment and education programs and for use in investigating and prosecuting drug crimes. The Criminal Justice Division, in its official response to the audit, says staffing limitations are in part to blame for slow collections.
