CT man accused of holding woman at knifepoint, sexually assaulting her in Easton
Police have arrested a man accused of holding a woman against her will at knifepoint and allegedly sexually assaulting her before dropping her off on a dead-end road in Easton — an incident similar to one reported last week that investigators believe is connected to the same suspect.
Joseph Kolenda, 64, of Fairfield was arrested Monday around 6:15 p.m. after being located by members of the Fairfield Police Department, according to the Easton Police Department.
Easton police held a warrant for his arrest on charges of third-degree sexual assault and second-degree robbery.
According to police, the charges stem from an incident on Nov. 14, 2024, when a local resident called authorities just after 10:30 a.m. and said a woman who could not speak English was knocking on their door and asking for help. Police said the woman claimed that she was held against her will at knifepoint and sexually assaulted. She also alleged that her phone was stolen and that she was dropped off at the end of Riverside Drive.
According to police, the woman alleged that she had been picked up in Bridgeport by a male who said he had work for her cleaning houses. The woman was allegedly able to fight off the attacker and was able to escape, police said.
Following his arrest, Kolenda was held on a $100,000 bond and was expected to be arraigned on Tuesday in Bridgeport Superior Court.
Police said they are also investigating a similar incident reported on March 25 that they believe is linked to Kolenda. Around 10 a.m., police received a 911 call from a woman who claimed that she had been held against her will, assaulted and dropped at the intersection of Morehouse Road and Reilly Road.
The alleged victim, through a translator, told authorities she was picked up in Bridgeport under the guise that she would be cleaning a house, according to police. The driver, a male, drove her around for some time and then allegedly attempted to sexually assault her, police said.
The woman said she was able to take a picture of the license plate on the vehicle before she escaped. She was taken to an area hospital to be evaluated for minor injuries.
Police said they were assisted by Fairfield investigators and were able to link Kolenda to the incident. Investigators said they are still 'processing evidence' to make an arrest in the second incident and are also working with other police departments to see if similar incidents in the area could also be tied to Kolenda.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Easton Police Department at 203-268-4111 or Klyman@eastonctpolice.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Apopka children, lawmakers seek return of Guatemalan immigrants seeking visa
The children of two Guatemalan immigrants called Friday for their parents' return, after their father was deported and their mother detained despite their years-long pursuit of a visa meant to protect victims of crime. Dozens of people, including Central Florida lawmakers and activists, gathered outside the ICE field office in Orlando to speak to reporters on the plight of Esvin Juarez and Rosmeri Miranda. The couple have lived in the United States for 24 years, settling in Apopka with their four children. It is the latest controversy in the Orlando region involving the apprehension of immigrants who — though they entered the country illegally — would previously have been considered to have an opportunity to stay in the U.S. Juarez, who owns a concrete construction business, was detained on May 30 during a check-in with ICE, sent to facilities in Miami and Texas — and then deported to Guatemala on Saturday. Miranda was detained this week. 'He's been here over 20 years, and he's been working out under the sun making concrete slabs, and he's been able to build his business for the last 20 years,' said Beverly Juarez, 21, the couple's oldest child. 'There is a chance for [President Donald Trump] to right this wrong, to bring back my father and to stop my mother's deportation because they are not criminals. They are pillars of the community.' Beverly Juarez, who like her younger siblings was born in the U.S., said her parents were well along in the process of getting a so-called U-visa after her father was attacked in his company work yard by a gunman in 2021. That visa grants victims of crime legal status if they cooperate with law enforcement. Juarez unsuccessfully challenged his removal in federal court, court records show, while Miranda continues to dispute her detention since being taken into custody this week. Her case is being considered by the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Among the lawmakers standing with the family on Friday was state Rep. Johanna Lopez, D-Orlando, who called Juarez's and Miranda's detentions an illegal 'act of cruelty' given their eligibility for the U-visa. With their parents gone, Beverly Juarez now faces having to care for her siblings, ages 15, 13 and 9. 'Imagine the fear they feel, imagine the trauma they are enduring,' Lopez said. 'What message are we sending when we criminalize the mother surviving and seeking justice?' Before Miranda's detention, she and her four children turned to social media to raise awareness of ICE's efforts to deport her and her husband. Since June 2, the family has posted videos to TikTok with updates in English and Spanish on both cases. The most recent videos directly implored Trump to act despite his emphasis on removing undocumented immigrants in the first months of his second administration. While White House officials say they are focused on deporting criminals and immigrants with ties to gang ties, many who have since been detained and deported don't have such histories. An ICE spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. A lawyer for Juarez who now represents Miranda in federal court also did not return a message. It's not impossible for immigrants mistakenly detained for removal to be released. On Thursday, lawyers for two women living in Osceola County announced they were released from ICE custody after spending two months in a facility in Texas facing removal to Colombia — despite having an active asylum application, social security number, work permit and driver's license. Across the country, ICE officials have conducted operations to capture immigrants and process them for removal. In Florida, local law enforcement agencies and county jails have signed agreements known as 287(g) to assist immigration authorities, which a new state law now requires. Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration has said local leaders who refuse could be removed from office. County Commissioner Nicole Wilson, who attended the protest, was one of two 'no' votes when Orange commissioners approved the agreement in March. 'We were told we had to do it. Several of my colleagues believed that they had to do it — they've been bullied to do it,' Wilson said. 'If I don't believe it's representing my community, then it's not an agreement — so I do not agree, I am not complicit.' The other dissenting vote was Commissioner Kelly Martinez-Semrad, who at Friday's protest said she is pushing to put the matter back on the agenda. 'There are those of us who are not afraid to be removed when we're holding the flag of the United States of America and standing with the founders of our country, who are all immigrants,' she said. 'So please stand with us.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
In roundworms smuggling case, Chinese citizen to be held in detention for now
A Chinese citizen accused of bringing biological materials related to roundworms into the country for her work at a University of Michigan laboratory has agreed to remain in federal custody. Chengxuan Han is charged with smuggling goods into the United States and making false statements. She appeared in U.S. District Court in Detroit on June 13, two days after an initial detention hearing was adjourned so her attorneys could have more time to review material regarding issues pertinent to bond. Han has been detained since she made an initial appearance June 9. One of her attorneys, Sara Garber, told the court that "(t)his is a constantly evolving situation involving a large number of factors" including the criminal charges, implications on Han's professional career, considerations in the U.S. and China, a language barrier and a need for an interpreter. "This situation is fluid. My client consents to detention without prejudice to remain in federal custody at this time," Garber told the court. "We have been working diligently on this matter." Garber had no additional comment after the hearing. A preliminary exam is set for June 30. Han appeared in court wearing an orange jumper with Sanilac County written on the back. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore thin eyeglasses. Her hands were handcuffed in front of her. Han had a Mandarin Chinese interpreter, but spoke some English when answering yes or no questions posed by Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Stafford. Han put a tissue to her nose toward the end of the hearing and could be heard sniffling. She is pursing a doctoral degree from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, according to a court filing. More: Detention hearing adjourned for Chinese citizen accused in fungus smuggling case Feds: Chinese citizens charged with smuggling harmful fungus for research at U-M From September 2024 to March, the records indicated, she was listed as the sender of four packages of concealed or mis-manifested biological material addressed to two people associated with a lab at U-M. The packages did not contain the correct documentation and were not imported per U.S. Department of Agriculture or U.S. Customs and Border Protection regulations, according to an affidavit. Han arrived at Detroit Metro Airport from Shanghai on a J-1 visa June 8 and customs officers conducted an inspection and interview. She denied sending the packages to members of the lab, according to the affidavit, but when pressed, admitted to shipping them, with the materials from her research lab at the Chinese university. It indicated the packages contained plasmids and petri dishes of C. elegans (nematode worms).In a separate case earlier this month, Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements and visa fraud. They are accused of smuggling a fungus that causes a disease in wheat, barley, maize and rice so that Liu could research the pathogen at a U-M lab where Jian works. Jian agreed June 13 to be detained during a detention hearing in federal court. Liu is accused of smuggling the fungus, identified as Fusarium graminearum, into the country at the airport in clear plastic baggies in his backpack July 27. Customs officers denied him entry and processed him for expedited removal back to China, according to an affidavit. Contact Christina Hall: chall@ Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press. Submit a letter to the editor at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: In roundworms smuggling case, Chinese citizen to be held in detention
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
American man detained in Greece over suspected double killing of infant, woman in Rome
Greek authorities detained an American man on Friday on the Greek island of Skiathos suspected of killing an infant found over the weekend in a Rome park and of having a role in the death of a woman believed to be the infant's mother, whose body was found nearby. The American, who wasn't identified, was detained on a European arrest warrant issued in Italy, citing 'strong evidence' of his suspected involvement in the death of the baby girl, chief Rome prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi told a news conference in Rome. Italian investigators said that the cause of the woman's death wasn't known, 'but there is a reasonable suspicion that it is a double murder,' deputy prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini said. 3 A firefighter truck and forensic police work at the site of the discovery of the body of an infant and the infant's mother, in Rome's Villa Pamphili park, Saturday, June 7, 2025. AP The bodies of the baby girl and mother, also believed to be American, were found in Rome's Villa Pamphili park on Saturday. The mother's body was under a black bag, having been killed several days before the infant, who was found several hundred meters away in undergrowth. Both were naked, and without any identification, Lo Voi said. The suspect, who witnesses had seen in the presence of a woman and infant, fled Italy for Skiathos on Wednesday, Lo Voi said. 3 A few feet away from the infant, the body of a woman in a closed bag was also discovered. He will be formally arrested when the warrant is forwarded to Greek officials, and will appear for an extradition hearing next week, Greek police told The Associated Press. 'It is not exactly understandable that someone who was with a woman and a baby girl, once the woman and the girl died, whom he carried in his arms, would then leave the country without calling for help, without seeking assistance,' Lo Voi said. 'In itself, that doesn't look good.' The victims' relationship with the suspect wasn't immediately clear — but video surveillance and witness reports put them together on several occasions; witnesses heard them speaking in English. They had been traced to a shelter for the needy near the Vatican, where they appeared to be a nuclear family, Corriere della Sera reported. 3 Following the deaths, police returned to the scene the following day. At one point, the pair had fought in the street, leading police to take his identity, which helped lead to him, investigators said. Authorities were able to track down the suspect thanks to fingerprints on the bag covering the woman and a scrap of a tent like ones provided to people without shelter, the newspaper said. He was located in Greece with cellphone data. According to the newspaper, the woman, who was around 30 years old, had a tattoo of a skeleton on a surfboard.
