By Evan Lips
EAST HAVEN >> On the same
day his brothers in police blues will be sentenced following their convictions
for federal civil rights violations, juror selection in the state’s evidence
theft case against retired Detective Michael D’Amato will commence, his
attorney confirmed Thursday.
The process to pick the jury
tasked with deciding D’Amato’s fate begins Tuesday — the same day retired and
convicted police Officers David Cari and Dennis Spaulding will appear in U.S.
District Court in Hartford as a federal judge decides how much prison time the
two will receive.
D’Amato’s case dates back to
March 2011, the time prosecutors allege the 25-year veteran youth detective
pilfered $1,328 from the department’s evidence room. His arrest warrant does
not pinpoint an exact date and time for the alleged incident, but does cite
video captured March 14, 2011, showing a man clad in civilian clothes and
wearing a glove entering and exiting the evidence room at least six times.
Court records show D’Amato has
identified himself as the man in the video but has also denied any involvement
in the theft of the missing evidence.
Coincidentally, Spaulding
happened to be the arresting officer on March 12, 2011, the day the money and
items in question were entered as evidence. Spaulding had arrested three
suspects on drug-related charges. D’Amato’s arrest warrant states Spaulding
entered seven bags of evidence. On March 17, 2011, Sgt. George Kammerer
reported that two of the bags were missing. The bags left behind contained
marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
The bags that went missing
contained cash and a state toxicology report, according to the warrant.
The warrant states the evidence
bags captured in the May 14, 2011, video are “clearly observed to be the type
packaged and submitted as evidence by Officer Spaulding.”
Records show, however, that no
items were logged in or out that day.
On Thursday, Tara Knight,
D’Amato’s attorney, said she’s working to convince New Haven Superior Court
Judge Brian T. Fischer to have the trial held outside New Haven County, citing
the recent spate of overwhelming negative media publicity the East Haven Police
Department has experienced.
Knight said she hopes Fischer
makes a decision prior to Tuesday’s jury selection.
D’Amato retired in December
2011, eight months after the alleged theft and five months before his arrest.
Tuesday also happens to be the
day retired Detective Robert Ranfone is due in court to enter a plea in two
separate cases. The first case involves an alleged used car scam that resulted
in his arrest in October. He turned himself in to state Department of Motor
Vehicles police and was arrested on Oct. 3 in connection with an incident
involving a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette that a New Haven used car dealer allegedly
sold to two different people.
Ranfone was charged with
interfering with an officer, second-degree hindering prosecution and tampering
with evidence for allegedly helping the second buyer and ultimate recipient of
the Corvette “conceal it for a period of time,” according to court documents.
His second case involves a
January 2013 traffic stop he and other officers conducted in New Haven while he
was still a detective. The Jan. 17, 2013, stop saw officers detain a pregnant
woman who was spotted driving a car allegedly registered to the same owner of
another car police believed to be involved in a purse-snatching incident that
occurred in East Haven earlier that day.
Ranfone’s arrest warrant
charges him with second-degree unlawful restraint, coercion and breach of
peace. None of the other officers were charged, although six others including
Ranfone were subject to a lengthy internal affairs investigation.
In D’Amato’s case, Knight said
evidence is due Jan. 29.
The federal trial involving
Cari and Spaulding lasted a little more than a month. It is unclear how long
D’Amato’s trial will take.
