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Looks like the state is finally realizing that people talk and text on their cell phones while driving.
So … here’s the latest attempt to enforce the law by Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

Good luck.

“This law has been in place for nearly five years now, more than enough time for Connecticut motorists to be familiar with its requirements,” Governor Rell said. “Over and over again we see entirely preventable crashes caused by inattentive drivers, often because they are distracted by cell phones, text messages or other modern electronic distractions. The toll these taken by these collisions – they cannot truly be called ‘accidents’ – is far too high in both human and financial terms.
“Six states, including ours, plus the District of Columbia now prohibit motorists from using hand-held cell phones while driving – and 19 states prohibit text messaging while driving,” the Governor said. “Many more, like Connecticut, have restrictions on the use of hand-held devices by teen-aged drivers. These are common-sense precautions. The only thing that a driver should be focused on while behind the wheel is driving.”
Under current law, anyone who is ticketed for the first time for violating the hands-free law can have the $100 fine suspended by providing proof that they have purchased a hands-free accessory such as a Bluetooth device or other headset that allows calls to be made while both hands are kept on the steering wheel.
Governor Rell is proposing to eliminate that exemption, replacing it with a fine of $50 for violations that occur before October 1, 2011, and the full $100 for violations after October 1, 2011. In addition, her legislation adds texting to the cell phone law, an activity which is not currently covered by the prohibition.
The Governor’s proposal also strengthens the law by adding a $500 fine in cases where a violation of the cell phone ban results in an accident.
Governor Rell will present her budget recommendations and legislative proposals to the Legislature when it opens its session on Wednesday, February 3.

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MILFORD – A West Avenue man was arraigned Friday in federal court, charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
Alexander DeFelice, 32, of 184 West Avenue, remained in custody after the hearing in U.S. District Court in New Haven, and he faces a detention hearing in the same court on Monday afternoon.
Local police and FBI agents surrounded the yellow Colonial house Thursday night, and found a Remington shotgun, as well as several rounds of .50 caliber ball ammunition, which were larger than ammunition for the Remington shotgun, other rounds of live ammunition, more than a dozen cut open .20 gauge shotgun shells, one large soup bowl that appeared to contain powder from the cut open shells, and another large soup bowl that appeared to contain lead shots from the cut open shells.
Tom Carson, spokesman for U.S. Attorney Nora Dannehy, said that DeFelice had allegedly been convicted in state court on burglary and weapons charges, and it is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

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Ever wonder how your town operates? First Selectman Steve Vavrek wants to show you. He’s scheduled public tours for Tuesday and Wednesday that will show off the Highway Garage, Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, Police Department, Senior Center, and Town Hall offices. For the full schedule click here and then download the file.

Vavrek said the tours are designed to show the inner workings of the town and also some structures that need repairs. The tours come in advance of a forum scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in Jockey Hollow School about the forthcoming budget.

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The City Tax Collector’s Office will open at 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 29 and Monday, Feb. 1 to accommodate tax payments.

 The office also will be open Saturday, Jan. 30 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Taxpayers can pay current bills in person by using cash, personal check, cashier’s check or money order; back tax payments must be made in person by using cash or money order. Credit card payments only can be made online on the City’s web site www.bridgeportct.gov.

Taxpayers may check their back taxes online, or by visiting the Tax Collector’s office on the first floor of City Hall, 45 Lyon Terrace. A staffer from the Assessor’s Office will be available to check tax bills.

Taxpayers should bring a copy of their current tax bill or driver’s license when paying their bill.

 Tax Collector’s Office is located at 45 Lyon Terrace, Room 121, Bridgeport.

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Police are broadcasting that the Footloose shoe store at 1374 Barnum Ave., held up Christmas Eve by two masked men brandishing guns, has just been robbed AGAIN.

Shortly after 5 p.m., two men held up the shoe store today.

Sounds like a good likelihood it could be the same two whose pictures were featured in today’s paper–with a story about yet another Barnum Avenue robbery Jan. 12, when a remarkably similar pair of suspects beat a retired Shelton fire chief at his insurance agency.

Suspect descriptions in the most recent heist are as follows: One is heavy set, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, light-skinned with a black mask and a black and silver gun. The other is skinny, about 6 feet tall, brown-skinned with a black jacket and mask.

They fled on foot, headed west on Barnum.

The victim in the Jan. 12 case, John Millo, has offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to their capture.

To help police nab these guys, call Detective Robert Winkler at 203-581-5223 or 203-581-5224.

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A federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned a superseding indictment today charging Douglas Perlitz with additional counts related to the alleged sexual abuse of several boys in Haiti, U.S. Attorney Nora R. Dannehy said in a press release.
Perlitz was the founder and director of Project Pierre Toussaint, a boys school in Cap-Haitien, Haiti.
The superseding indictment charges Perlitz, 39, a former Connecticut resident, with nine counts of traveling outside of the U.S. with the intent to engage in sexual conduct with persons under the age of 18, and 10 counts of engaging in sexual conduct in foreign places with persons under the age of 18, according to the release.
The alleged activity occurred between 1998 and 2008.
On Sept. 15, 2009, the grand jury returned an indictment charging Perlitz with 10 counts related to the alleged sexual abuse of nine boys. The superseding indictment adds nine counts and references an additional nine alleged victims.
Perlitz has been detained since his arrest last Sept. 16.
If convicted, Perlitz faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years and a fine of up to $250,000, on each count of the indictment.
The matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Haven, with the assistance of ICE in Grand Junction, Colorado; ICE International Affairs in Washington, D.C. and the Caribbean Attaché, and the U.S. Department of State, Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti.
Dannehy also acknowledged the assistance provided by the Haitian National Police Department, the Brigade of Protection of Minors, and the assistance of individuals who have come forward to provide information to law enforcement.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Krishna R. Patel and Stephen B. Reynolds.
Dannehy stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
She said this is an ongoing investigation and encouraged anyone with information that may be relevant to the investigation to call ICE in Connecticut at 203-773-2029.

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Forget drugs; this alleged thief needed his chocolate fix.

A 24-year-old city man was arrested Monday after he tried to steal — no kidding here — 24 bags of peanut M&Ms from the Walgreens at 1000 Park Ave.

Must’ve been one heck of a craving.

After loading up on the candy and trying to leave without paying, 24-year-old Nicholas Payne fought with store security and was eventually subdued until police arrived.

Payne, of Old Town Road, was charged with sixth-degree larceny, threatening and breach of peace. No one was injured during the tussle, police said.

The attempted M&M theft amounted to about $25.

 ***

Police said they nabbed a robber last week after the man he stabbed tracked him in a car.

The victim, a 30-year-old city man, told police two men knocked him down as he walked out of Jamal Market at East Main and Jane streets about 11:15 p.m. Jan. 19. They beat him and one stabbed him in his thigh, then ran off with his wallet, he said.

He followed them in a car, along with a witness, and just down the street they spotted a cop car at Noble Avenue and Artic Street, police said.

Two officers chased the suspects, and grabbed one: Jayquan Vargas, 19, of Armstrong Place.

Vargas was charged with first-degree assault and first-degree robbery.

The victim was treated at Bridgeport Hospital.

 *** 

State Police charged a Bridgeport Correctional Center inmate with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct last week, after he allegedly flew into a rage and caused more than $250 of damage to the jail.

A police report said Nathaniel Harris, 37, of Norwich, “grabbed onto a television in the dayroom, ripped it off the wall and slammed it to the ground” at about 10:45 p.m. Jan. 19.

Hmmm. Maybe a grounded-with-no-TV punishment is in order?

Harris had been incarcerated on a prior charge of first-degree assault.