Connecticut Postings

SEYMOUR — An elderly man mistook his car’s gas pedal for the brake Thursday afternoon, sending his vehicle into a column in the Seybridge Plaza parking lot Thursday, according to police.
The man was parking his car near Seybridge Pharmacy Thursday afternoon when he hit the gas rather than the break and hit the column that holds up the building’s second floor, Lt. Paul Satkowski said.
“The car jumped over the curb and struck the upper deck support,” Satkowski said.
The building itself was not struck, he said, and no one, including the driver, was injured.
Because the accident occurred on private property, the driver was not charged, Satkowski said. Damage to the structure was minor, he said.

NEW HAVEN – Shelton’s planning and zoning administrator, Richard Schultz, said he once received an envelope containing two tickets to a Broadway show, as well as approximately $200 in cash from Monty Blakeman, a Shelton developer. “I quickly handed it back,” Schultz said.
The city official said he was told by John Cook, that city’s inland/wetlands coordinator, and Robert Kulacz, the city engineer, that they received similar envelopes from Blakeman, but gave them back. “We compared our experiences and I believe them,” Schultz said.
The testimony came during the fourth day of Shelton developer James Botti’s trial on federal bribery, conspiracy and mail fraud charges.
Schultz said he heard Blakeman gave gifts to Planning & Zoning Commission members which possibly included a gift basket with cash inside.
“Did you ever ask James Botti if he ever gave out gifts,” Schultz was asked by U.S. Attorney Richard Schechter. “I don’t believe I asked him that, but he (Botti) volunteered that he never stooped to that level.”
Schultz said Botti did tell him he hired Mayor Mark A. Lauretti’s younger brother Luke as a favor to the mayor. “The mayor’s brother was out of work at the time and he knew he was doing the mayor a favor to give him gainful employment,” Schultz said.
On Monday, Schechter implicated the mayor while outlining his case against Botti, saying Lauretti was the “Public Official No. 1” in court documents, adding Lauretti received $20,000 in lumber and construction work on his home in 2002 from Botti.
—- By Michael P. Mayko

SHELTON – A two-year-old girl is in intensive care at Yale-New Haven Hospital after she fell into the swimming pool at her Ladis Place home Wednesday afternoon.
Police and EMS received the call of the child not breathing about 1:30 p.m., Det. Sgt. Kevin Ahern said.
The girl had apparently unlatched a screen door to get out of the house, Ahern said, and fell into the above-ground pool. The pool didn’t have a cover on it, he said.
The girl’s mother and grandfather were home at the time, he said. Echo Hose Ambulance transported the child to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she is in critical condition in the pediatric intensive care unit.
—By Kate Ramunni