The Republican-American

Some of my most recent coverage:

Police: 2 Bristol officers dead after ambush; investigation ongoing

10/13/2022

Officers from police departments across the state converged on Redstone Hill Road, Bristol Thursday morning where two Bristol police officers were killed in the line of duty on Wednesday night.
Michael Chaiken Republican-American

BRISTOL — Residents in an otherwise quiet area were awoken Wednesday night by popping gunfire, which resulted in a sea of police vehicles flooding their neighborhood.

Two Bristol police officers were shot dead after apparently being drawn into an ambush by an emergency call about possible domestic violence, authorities said Thursday. A third officer was wounded in the shooting.

State police said in a news release the 911 call Wednesday night about a dispute between two siblings appears to have been “a deliberate act to lure law enforcement to the scene” in Bristol.

Bristol police Sgt. Dustin Demonte, 35, and officer Alex Hamzy, 34, were killed. Officer Alec Iurato, 26, was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, where he underwent surgery for serious wounds, state police said. He was released Thursday morning.

State police Sgt. Christine Jeltema said when officers answered the call at about 10:30 p.m., they encountered someone outside the house and shots were fired. Police haven’t said who opened fire, who fired the fatal shots or how many guns were fired.

Suspect Nicholas Brutcher, 35, was shot and killed at the scene, state police said. His brother, Nathan Brutcher, 32, was shot and brought to St. Francis for treatment of his wounds. There was no report Thursday on his condition.

Schalitda Strong lives in the Redstone Commons Condominiums on 295 Redstone Hill Road, right across the street from where the shootings occurred at 310 Redstone Hill Road.

“We were just in our apartments and all of a sudden we heard a bunch of gunfire, like rapid fire. It went like 10 or 11 shots, then it stopped for a second. And then it started again that same rapid fire,” Strong said. “We called 911. They said they already had help on the way by the time I looked out of my apartment, and you could smell it, you could see it. You saw the cops running down the street trying to render aid to the other cops. They rushed one of the policemen in an ambulance.”

Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said, “It’s horrific, just a tragic situation. Our hearts go out to the men and women of the Bristol Police Department. As importantly, the families of the officers that have fallen and the officer that was wounded in this incident, and our hearts go out to the entire Bristol community.”

Spagnolo said his department activated its peer-support team and its employee assistance program immediately after finding out about this incident.

“We actually sent our peer-support trained officers to Bristol to stand by and work with any of the employees and members of the Bristol Police Department if they needed it,” he said.

Spagnolo said his department also sent some officers to participate in the escort of the fallen officers. He spoke with Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould to offer assistance in anything his department may need.

“This is a situation that forever changes an organization,” Spagnolo said. “It’s not something you recover from; it’s something you eventually accept and adapt to.”

Gould praised the officers for their heroics acts in a news conference Thursday morning. He also noted how the Bristol community will always remember them.

“Our community has been rocked, our police department has been rocked. … We need your thoughts, we need your prayers,” Gould said. “To the men and women of the Bristol Police Department, I mourn with you. We will get through this together. … We will never forget the sacrifice your loved ones have made.”

Demonte was a 10-year veteran and co-recipient of his department’s 2019 Officer of the Year award.

He was “very focused on his career, and furthering his career and education,” the chief said.
Demonte, who earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology, worked as a school resource officer. He and his wife were expecting their third child, Gould said.

Philip Demonte Jr. called his brother “an all-around good guy” with a great sense of humor.
“No one had anything bad to say” about him, his brother said. “Terrible loss. Someone who died for no reason.”

Hamzy had earned many letters of commendation during his eight years on his hometown police force, Gould said. Like Demonte, Hamzy was an adviser to a police cadet program.
“The outpouring of love, support and prayers from so many is deeply appreciated,” Hamzy’s family said in a statement.

Scores of officers lined a street and followed a vehicle carrying Hamzy’s body from the shooting scene late Thursday morning. Demonte died at a hospital.

Iurato joined the Bristol department in 2018 and has a bachelor’s degree in government, law and national security, the chief said.

Gov. Ned Lamont called the shooting “a senseless tragedy,” ordering flags to be lowered to half-staff in the officers’ honor.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page (odmp.org), the two Bristol officers bring to three the number of Connecticut police officers killed in 2022 in the line of duty. The other was New Haven officer Diane Gonzalez, who perished in an auto accident in January.

There have now been 51 law enforcement officers in the state killed by gunfire through the years. The most recent before the Bristol shootings was in 2007, when New Haven officer Robert Fumiatti was killed by gunfire.

Staff writer Michael Chaiken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Middlebury’s Brass City Rescue Alliance closing in November, dogs need new homes

10/10/2022

Eight-year-old senior dog Horace sits on a chair in the play area of the Brass City Rescue Alliance Nonprofit in Middlebury. Horace is one of the 12 dogs available to be fostered and or adopted prior to the temporary closing on the nonprofit on November 15. Megan Julian Republican-American

MIDDLEBURY — As you step inside the Brass City Rescue Alliance you are met with barks of joy and pleading eyes that long for a place to call home.

The nonprofit, 2 Service Rd., announced on Monday that medical circumstances are forcing them to close their doors next month.

Management issued a plea to the community to help find permanent or foster homes for the 12 dogs that are still in the rescues care.

“We have been planning to close and reopen in the spring,” CEO of Brass City Rescue Alliance Jennifer Humphrey said. “2022 has been really rough — medically speaking — for myself, and my team members.”

Back in April, Humphrey was diagnosed with colon cancer.

“I had to go through an ileostomy and had an ileostomy reversal,” said Humphrey. “It was a lot. It was life-changing. But I already had injuries from the shelter in my back and my neck that got shelved because of the cancer.”

She is scheduled to have the first of three back surgeries on Nov. 30, hence the decision to close the shelter on Nov. 15.

According to Humphrey the goal was always to close, get healthy and return, but the Alliance began gaining traction and there was hope some of the existing dogs would find new homes.

With none of the arrangements working out and losing her volunteers to underlying injuries, illness and emergency medical procedures, Humphrey decided she had to try to find homes for the dogs and close the building down.

All 12 of the dogs at the nonprofit are ready to be adopted or fostered right away.

In addition to giving the dogs new homes Humphrey says there are other ways the community can help.

“Monetary donations are always appreciated and go towards paying the expenses for vet visits for the dogs,” Humphrey said. “I could use towels, if they are cut into rags even better, blankets are no good.”

Humphrey says another big people is getting the word out on social media.

“If people could pay attention to social media and help us get the message out that we are closing, we are hoping that we can find some individuals, couples or families that might be able to take the dogs home temporarily or permanently,” Humphrey said.

Even though Humphrey is taking a step back from the nonprofit to focus on her own well-being, she is confident that she will be reopening on May 1, 2023.

“I’m definitely opening in the spring. This is my passion,” Humphrey said. “I left my previous job because helping these dogs is my passion. I just need to make sure that myself and my team are at our absolute best so that we can take the best care of them.”

To learn more about the dogs available for adoption and or fostering at the Brass City Rescue Alliance visit brasscityrescuealliance.org

On the mark: Woodbury native turned childhood hobby into training tool for military

10/17/2022

Woodbury native Amanda Elsenboss at Camp Perry in Ohio after she became the first woman to win the President’s Rifle Match. Contributed by Amanda Elsenboss

WOODBURY — Little did Amanda Elsenboss know at the time, but when she attended the Connecticut State Revolver and Rifle Association’s High Power shooting clinic at age 13 – two decades ago- it was going to prove to be a life-changing experience.

“They held the clinic on the first day of the fishing season. So, you either went fishing or you went shooting and that was how they weeded out who may or may not want to be serious about shooting,” she said.

The Woodbury native and Nonnewaug High School graduate fell in love with shooting as she fired an AR-15 for the first time, and that single experience eventually led her to become a nationally recognized marksman.

Elsenboss has won a multitude of awards, trained military shooters and established a reputation as one of the top competitive marksmen in the country, if not the world.

“I’ve now been shooting for the military for 13 years – 10 active duty and three for the (National) Guard,” said Elsenboss, 33. “I honestly joined the military to teach marksmanship, to soldiers and to compete. When I was going to the national championships, you had all the military teams there. And the Army team was the best.”

Woodbury native Amanda Elsenboss concentrates as she prepares to fire at a shooting range. Contributed by Amanda Elsenboss

She saw an opportunity by joining the service and took advantage of it.

“(The Army) were a team that you could stay at for 20 years. So that means you’re capable of reaching out and helping soldiers and other civilians, teaching them possibly for your entire 20-year career,” Elsenboss said.

After serving 10 years active duty she knew she wanted a change.

She still wanted to shoot competitively and teach marksmanship to others, which led her to the Pennsylvania National Guard.

In August, Elsenboss competed in the President’s Rifle Match at Camp Perry in northern Ohio, where she became the first woman to win the overall competition. One of her fellow marksmen came over to her after the event and congratulated her with a pat on the back saying “congrats, champ.”

“I looked up at him and said, ‘Are you serious?'” Elsenboss said. “It was a great feeling.”

While growing up in Woodbury, her parents always knew she was destined for greatness because of her passion for competitive shooting, always competing at an elite level.

“I would always say to her, ‘I’ve sent you to college before finishing high school. Do you feel upset because I sent you to college before you graduated from high school?’,” said her mother, Anne. “She goes, ‘No, mom. I don’t. I grew. I had fun. I enjoyed it. It’s something that defines me. And I’m happy with it.'”

Woodbury native Amanda Elsenboss at the shooting range. Contributed by Amanda Elsenboss

Her father, Paul, would take 14-year-old Amanda, along with her two sisters, to shoot in the basement of St. George’s Church in Middlebury. It was during those bonding moments he saw his daughter’s shooting skills and the passion she had for it grew over the years.

“Amanda set a national record when she was like 16,” Paul said. “Things have just been uphill since then. She just took off like the shining star that she actually is.”

Although Elsenboss is busy teaching marksmanship to civilians and members of the Guard, she always makes sure to come back to where it all began. She says Woodbury is a town that pulls you back.

“The town has a lot to offer. (It) has all of the farms, it has the farm stands, it has the agricultural area, it has the schools, it has the sports, Hollow Park, the carnival – it has everything that says, ‘Hey, come back to town or tell us where you’ve gone,'” Elsenboss said.

WATERBURY – Vehicles flooded into the south entrance of Post University on Saturday morning, carrying 325 new incoming freshmen and transfer students for the 2022-2023 school year.

Students checked in at Okinaga Hall, where they presented updated medical forms and received their housing assignments before beginning the move-in process.

It’s move-in day at Post University: Video

8/27/2022

WATERBURY – Vehicles flooded into the south entrance of Post University on Saturday morning, carrying 325 new incoming freshmen and transfer students for the 2022-2023 school year.

Students checked in at Okinaga Hall, where they presented updated medical forms and received their housing assignments before beginning the move-in process.

“Besides commencement, this is my second-favorite time of year,” said Elizabeth J Johnson, provost of Post University. “Our campus goes from being quiet and dormant to all of a sudden coming alive with all of the students returning to campus to be with us. We’re excited to have our students return who have been with us in the past, and we’re very excited to welcome our new Eagles to campus.

“They’re coming from a distance,” she added. “We have 26 different states and 17 different countries represented in our new student population. But we also have some hometown heroes. We have about 17 students who are joining us from the Waterbury area as well.”

Incoming freshmen, transfer students and their families check in Saturday at Okinaga Hall during move-in day on the Post University campus in Waterbury. Megan Julian Republican-American

Amal Jha, a rising sophomore from India and member of the golf team, is a resident assistant this year, helping out on move-in day.

“I decided to be an RA because I always want to keep moving forward and doing things that will help me in my field of study,” Jha said. “I’m studying business management, so I wanted to be in a role that included management, dealing with people, doing activities and bringing people together.”

He said the most challenging part of move-in day was making sure everything was in the right place before the new students’ arrival.

Ivory Parker, a transfer student from Buffalo, N.Y., moved in early at Post because he was recruited to play football.

“I moved in on Aug. 8 and the process was great,” Parker said. “The university was very accommodating since my family does live so far away. They let me move in a little bit earlier.”

The best part about the move-in process is seeing where all the new students are coming from, Jha said.

“One thing I can say about Post is that, before coming here, I read its tag line, ‘Post makes it personal.’ I’ve been here for a year and I can surely say it does mean personal,” he said. “You can connect with everyone on campus, whether it’s your coaches, counselors and professors. You can talk to anyone and they all have your back.”

More Multimedia Production:

The Choose Love Movement and members of the Waterbury Fire Department team up to teach students at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Compassion.

Celebrity Chef Scott Conant, a Waterbury native discussed his passion for cooking and how his New England roots aided him in achieving all his success. Read the full story here.

After witnessing the devastating acts of war in Ukraine students at Our lady of Mt. Carmel School in Waterbury CT collect toys to send to Ukrainian refugee children in Poland. Read the full story here.

Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsey Jacobellis visited the Booth Free School in Roxbury, CT to share her experience competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics with students.