Car thieves leave Glastonbury council impatient with nuance

Jun. 23—GLASTONBURY — After hearing complaints from a number of residents about car thefts, thefts of property from cars, and related crimes, the Town Council on Tuesday made a revealing change to a letter on the subject to Gov. Ned Lamont that Town Manager Richard J. Johnson had drafted on its behalf.

The next to last sentence of Johnson's draft said, "We understand there is no easy solution to the situation described herein, ...."

Republican Councilman Kurt P. Cavanaugh moved to delete that sentence, arguing that there is an easy solution — simply changing Connecticut's juvenile justice laws.

The council adopted the change by an 8-1 vote, with only Chairman Thomas P. Gullotta, a Democrat, dissenting. Gullotta argued that there are no easy solutions to anything.

The council then voted unanimously to send the amended letter to the governor.

The letter says 17 motor vehicle thefts and 103 thefts from vehicles have been reported in Glastonbury since Jan. 1. It also cites several violent incidents, including the shooting of a mother and infant by a juvenile in a stolen car, a gun threat against a homeowner who interrupted a car theft, and a series of crashes as five teenagers in a stolen car fled from police on June 13.

"Perhaps more concerning are the increases in related residential burglaries and instances of homeowners confronting these criminals," it continues. "It is a matter of time before one of these confrontations proves violent or fatal."

"Police officers throughout the State confirm the majority of these crimes are being committed by young people, resulting from continued erosion of laws and policies that remove accountability and give victims, police, and courts little recourse," the letter says.

The letter proposes no specific changes to state law, however.

During the public comment session at the beginning of the meeting, one of several residents who addressed the issue was John Cavanna of Cavanna's Farm on Woodland Street in the South Glastonbury section of town.

Cavanna, a former police officer, said, "These kids are carrying firearms, and they will shoot someone to get away."

Deb Murray of 102 Thompson St. expressed her personal frustration about having been persuaded to drop a case against someone who had broken into her car several years ago on grounds that the burglar was a single mother and would never have any money. But she said she was also speaking for the entire lower Thompson Street neighborhood.

She said she had never seen so many online comments from people wanting to learn how to use a gun. She also expressed concern that a child could be hit by a fleeing car.

The letter approved by the council said police report "a several hundred percent increase in gun permit applications over recent years, a potentially dangerous correlation."

Police Chief Marshall Porter expressed concern that thieves no longer seem to be afraid when they encounter residents or police officers.

"They stay in the area," he said. "They're not afraid. They don't leave until they get what they want."

He also said the thieves always run from police and that police officers are prohibited from chasing them when they have committed only property crimes, such as stealing vehicles.

This story has been edited to correct the date range for the number of vehicle incidents this year.

For updates on Glastonbury, and recent crime and courts coverage in North-Central Connecticut, follow Alex Wood on Twitter: @AlexWoodJI1, Facebook: Alex Wood, and Instagram: @AlexWoodJI.