Latest news with #Torrington
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Firefighters tackle large barn fire in Devon
Fire crews have been battling a barn blaze in Devon since the early agricultural building in the Littleham area near Bideford was full of hay, straw and machinery, Devon and Somerset Fire Service were called to the scene shortly before 04:00 BST and they found the barn "well alight".Crews from Appledore, Bideford, Torrington, Barnstaple and Illfracombe were at the scene, later joined by crews from Hatherleigh and Chulmleigh, said the service.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
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- Yahoo
CT Appellate Court upholds decision to reinstate sergeant fired in 2021 over alleged excessive force
A Torrington police sergeant fired in 2021 after an independent investigation found that he violated department policy when he allegedly used excessive force toward a handcuffed suspect is expected to return to the department soon after the Connecticut Supreme Court rejected an arbitration appeal. Gerald Peters was terminated from the Torrington Police Department after video showed that he pepper sprayed a suspect handcuffed in a wheelchair and took him to the ground at the police station on May 23, 2020, according to previous reports. The suspect, Christopher Spetland, was allegedly intoxicated and uncooperative with police so he was placed in a wheelchair so officers would not have to drag him, police said at the time. Spetland had been arrested and charged with third-degree assault and violating the governor's mandate on coronavirus precautions, according to the police report. He had allegedly assaulted a customer at a Valero gas station after the individual told him to keep his distance because Spetland was not wearing a mask, police said. Police claimed that he struggled with officers during the arrest and landed a kick on one officer. Once Spetland was brought to the department, Peters, the sergeant on duty, used pepper spray on him as his hands were handcuffed behind his back in a wheelchair, according to police. He then brought Spetland to the ground and allegedly told him 'We've had enough,' according to reports. 'Are ya done yet? Are ya done yet?' Peters then shouted. 'Are ya done with the kicking and the fighting with the officers? Are ya done yet? Are ya finished? You're gonna go in the cell, you're gonna relax and then you'll be treated like a gentleman, after you knock it off.' According to police, Spetland did not suffer any significant injuries, but the shift commander at the time found that Peters violated department policy and an internal investigation was launched. An independent investigation, conducted by the Southington-based Daigle Law Group, concluded that Peters violated the department policy on use of force. Torrington Police Chief William R. Baldwin, Jr. announced in May 2021 that Peters had been terminated from the department. Peters started his career in law enforcement in 1992, when he served as an officer in East Granby before coming to Torrington. According to his attorney, Hartford-based lawyer Timothy Brignole, Peters brought the matter before the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration. He was successful in overturning his termination and was reinstated with full back pay, benefits and reimbursed health benefit costs. Torrington city officials appealed the arbitration decision to the Superior Court in Torrington, where a judge set aside the arbitrator's decision and ordered that a new arbitration take place, Brignole said. The judge's action was appealed by Peters and brought before the state Appellate Court, which overturned the Superior Court decision and issued an opinion suggesting Peters' use of force was 'objectively reasonable.' Earlier this month, Torrington officials appealed the Appellate Court decision to the Connecticut Supreme Court, which was denied, according to Brignole. 'The matter is now set down for a hearing back in the Torrington Superior Court to confirm the arbitration decision and award damages due Sgt. Peters,' Brignole said in a statement. 'It is anticipated that Sgt. Peters will be returning to the Torrington Police Department as a full member of the police department in the very near future,' Brignole added. A lawsuit brought by Peters against the city remains pending in federal court. The civil lawsuit, which is seeking $100 million, makes allegations of wrongful termination, defamation and a violation of his civil rights. Baldwin did not immediately respond to an email on Friday seeking comment.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
CT Appellate Court upholds decision to reinstate sergeant fired in 2021 over alleged excessive force
A Torrington police sergeant fired in 2021 after an independent investigation found that he violated department policy when he allegedly used excessive force toward a handcuffed suspect is expected to return to the department soon after the Connecticut Supreme Court rejected an arbitration appeal. Gerald Peters was terminated from the Torrington Police Department after video showed that he pepper sprayed a suspect handcuffed in a wheelchair and took him to the ground at the police station on May 23, 2020, according to previous reports. The suspect, Christopher Spetland, was allegedly intoxicated and uncooperative with police so he was placed in a wheelchair so officers would not have to drag him, police said at the time. Spetland had been arrested and charged with third-degree assault and violating the governor's mandate on coronavirus precautions, according to the police report. He had allegedly assaulted a customer at a Valero gas station after the individual told him to keep his distance because Spetland was not wearing a mask, police said. Police claimed that he struggled with officers during the arrest and landed a kick on one officer. Once Spetland was brought to the department, Peters, the sergeant on duty, used pepper spray on him as his hands were handcuffed behind his back in a wheelchair, according to police. He then brought Spetland to the ground and allegedly told him 'We've had enough,' according to reports. 'Are ya done yet? Are ya done yet?' Peters then shouted. 'Are ya done with the kicking and the fighting with the officers? Are ya done yet? Are ya finished? You're gonna go in the cell, you're gonna relax and then you'll be treated like a gentleman, after you knock it off.' According to police, Spetland did not suffer any significant injuries, but the shift commander at the time found that Peters violated department policy and an internal investigation was launched. An independent investigation, conducted by the Southington-based Daigle Law Group, concluded that Peters violated the department policy on use of force. Torrington Police Chief William R. Baldwin, Jr. announced in May 2021 that Peters had been terminated from the department. Peters started his career in law enforcement in 1992, when he served as an officer in East Granby before coming to Torrington. According to his attorney, Hartford-based lawyer Timothy Brignole, Peters brought the matter before the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration. He was successful in overturning his termination and was reinstated with full back pay, benefits and reimbursed health benefit costs. Torrington city officials appealed the arbitration decision to the Superior Court in Torrington, where a judge set aside the arbitrator's decision and ordered that a new arbitration take place, Brignole said. The judge's action was appealed by Peters and brought before the state Appellate Court, which overturned the Superior Court decision and issued an opinion suggesting Peters' use of force was 'objectively reasonable.' Earlier this month, Torrington officials appealed the Appellate Court decision to the Connecticut Supreme Court, which was denied, according to Brignole. 'The matter is now set down for a hearing back in the Torrington Superior Court to confirm the arbitration decision and award damages due Sgt. Peters,' Brignole said in a statement. 'It is anticipated that Sgt. Peters will be returning to the Torrington Police Department as a full member of the police department in the very near future,' Brignole added. A lawsuit brought by Peters against the city remains pending in federal court. The civil lawsuit, which is seeking $100 million, makes allegations of wrongful termination, defamation and a violation of his civil rights. Baldwin did not immediately respond to an email on Friday seeking comment.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Free yoga sessions for people in north Devon
A community group in north Devon is hoping to get people active and improve their mental well-being with free yoga Community Yoga Project started running the sessions earlier this year and now has 250 Shackleton founded the group because she wanted to remove financial and societal barriers to people being able to do, what she considers to be, a very important practice for one's mental said it is for everyone: "We have people come along with babies in prams, people who have toddlers clambering over them, through to older people in wheelchairs and with walkers, it's really special." The group relies on donations and funding as they pay their yoga teachers but want to keep the yoga free, particularly in relation to the cost-of-living Shackleton said: "People might not have the disposable income to pay 10 or 12, or even seven pounds on a class, that is why we run these sessions."For the team of yoga teachers, it is also about breaking Hill, one of the instructors, said it was not about competing for who can be the most bendy, she likes to make it about community."It's a shared experience which helps fight loneliness", she added. Ms Shackleton also wants to make yoga more accessible in terms of said: "Everybody talks about how nothing comes to north Devon, and if it does it's just the main towns."It would be great to take [Free Yoga] into other places, Torrington, Holsworthy, any where that wants us."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
State police rescue two baby deer in Torrington
TORRINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — State police assisted in a different kind of rescue in Torrington, helping two abandoned fawns find a new home on Saturday morning. State police received notifications of two fawns found near Exit 51 of Route 8 in Torrington. Bear spotted in Hartford's West End The mother of the two fawns could not be found after an extensive search of the area, meaning the two babies, likely born within the past 24 hours, were abandoned. They were transported to a local wildlife rehabilitation center for care with the help of the Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
