No revelation here, eh? From CT Post:
The state Friday dropped criminal charges against Peter Finch, the Bridgeport mayor’s son, who had been accused of stealing a street sign in the aftermath of last month’s tornado.
“The state would have been unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant intended to permanently deprive the city of its property,” Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Marcello said in nolling the charge of sixth-degree larceny against Peter Finch.
I spoke to Pete Finch Friday night who was obviously pleased. “The justice system has worked,” he said. Following a tornado that ripped through the city, Pete Finch picked up a felled Broad Street sign and brought it into a downtown bar. He had such felonious intentions that he decided to stop for a photograph. A tornado rips through the city–roofs ripped off buildings, residents displaced, and cops have nothing better to do than spend an hour pinching Pete Finch and writing a report.
This was a classic case of abuse of power, and what did the taxpayers get for their buck? A waste of time. Cops pinched Pete Finch simply because–one of the arresting officers in particular former union chief Frank Cuccaro–they had a bitch with the mayor over the union contract. Frank might be a great cop, I don’t know; but don’t pick on the mayor’s kid because you don’t like the old man.
Frank, you’re always welcome here to share your side of the story. But even OIB friends such as Milton Johnson, a good guy and a good cop, justified the arrest. Based on what, Milton? The prosecutor ruled there was no case.
From Mayor Finch:
Take the Bus – Take A Break – Stay Cool!
City, GBT to open main bus station terminal as cooling center on Sunday, July 25
Mayor Bill Finch and Greater Bridgeport Transit officials urge City residents to come to the Greater Bridgeport Transit Main Bus Terminal at 710 Water St., to cool off on Sunday, July 25 from 1 to 7 p.m. The American Red Cross will provide cold water.
You know I never pic of for Finch but give Pete a break!!! He is deff a cool dude ask any young person around Bridgeport he is a nice guy to the max.
When I say Alvin you say Greene. Alvin Greene Alvin Greene. Ha ha if this guy ever wins again oh boy.
www .youtube.com/watch?v=Ar09czbfE8o
There is a big difference between charges dropped and charges nolled.
“This was a classic case of abuse of power, and what did the taxpayers get for their buck? A waste of time.”
Why isn’t this a classic case of a lazy-ass Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Marcello? What the fuck do we “taxpayers” get for our money when police do their job and prosecutors take the easy and lazy way out?
I wish one day an Armored Truck accidentally flips over and all the money spills on the road. I will gladly pick up as much as I can, as I now know the state would be unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I intended to permanently deprive the bank of its property. I’ll also have Lennie supporting me in case the cops don’t have anything better to do that day.
Joel, you’re comparing a street sign to an “Armored Truck.” If the prosecutor thought he had a case he’d have pursued it. I’ll gladly be the first to defend you when cops screw up. When you chopped your finger off for expressing a core value, when some wanted you pinched for causing a public disturbance, I defended you.
I’m comparing private property with private property. I lost a $500,000 deal and you said nothing about Carlos Ramos (my partner that day) being charged with causing a disturbance. I was not charged, but Carlos was. It looks like the prosecutor feels the officers should have tailed Peter Finch all the way home before making an arrest.
Hard-hitting journalism by Lennie G.
He got the coveted post-release interview with Peter Finch. I’m thinking Pulitzer on this one!!!
Where is your interview with his dad and the labor impasse, the budget fiasco???
Reap, it wouldn’t be much of an interview. He’d only want to know–who’s that pain in the ass Grin Reaper always breaking my stones?
You know, I thought I’d already said all I had to say about the matter, but since you mentioned my name specifically, I will defend my position … If you all would kindly turn your Connecticut General Statutes to Sec. 53a-119. “Larceny defined.” A person commits larceny when, with intent to deprive another of property or to appropriate the same to himself or a third person, he wrongfully takes, obtains or withholds such property from an owner. Larceny includes, but is not limited to: This part gets quite long but draw your attention to subsection (4) Acquiring property lost, mislaid or delivered by mistake. A person who comes into control of property of another that he knows to have been lost, mislaid, or delivered under a mistake as to the nature or amount of the property or the identity of the recipient is guilty of larceny if, with purpose to deprive the owner thereof, he fails to take reasonable measures to restore the property to a person entitled to it. The Assistant States Attorney, who will most likely give Bill a call when he is looking for backing for his judgeship, did not drop the charges because the State couldn’t prove “permanent deprivation,” because that is not the requirement. Attorneys, at some point in their careers, look to become judges, and favors come in handy.
So when some kid takes a car that was left running and gets caught, will the state drop the charges and say he wasn’t going to keep the car? A temporary joyride, and the owner would have gotten his car back eventually, right Lennie??? Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the Finch case, but for the record, he did meet the statutory requirement for a larceny arrest. What the State does after the fact is their own business. I am now done with this topic!
FROM THE CT POST:
Finch said that if the same tornado had hit a section of Greenwich’s multimillion-dollar homes, the threshold for damage to trigger disaster relief would be easily reached, but since it centered on East Main Street, officials are having a hard time assessing the effects.
“The FEMA system inflicts pain and suffering on the poorest people,” said Finch, likening the damage to trees and buildings on East Main Street to a “Godzilla” movie.
Where does this guy come from? The movie the Wizard Of Oz?
If a tornado lands in the middle of a cornfield I am sure it would be difficult to meet FEMA’s threshold but does that mean FEMA discriminates against farmers???
Free Peter Finch and throw his dad in jail for impersonating an elected LEADER!
It’s not always the message … but how the message is sent and/or received.
It’s not always the message but sometimes the messenger.
Bill Finch and his administrative brain trust saw the tornado as a windfall revenue stream. Now that the city is failing to meet the monetary threshold, he is casting blame on Washington and the poor residents of the East Side.
It is time to move on Bill. You have real budget problems to address rather than make-believe issues to chase.
Milton Johnson is 100% full of it. Joe Marcello is a career prosecutor. I can assure you a nicer guy you will not meet. If Joe had wanted to be a judge he would have been one years ago.
Milton thanks for the legal lesson. May I suggest you take the book of laws and ride by Commercial & Main St. and arrest a few drug dealers or kids hanging out?
Look the arrest served its purpose. It was a pain in the ass for Finch to appear in court at least once and probably more than once to answer this charge. Mission accomplished for the PD.
BTW what did you expect, a sentence of 25 years to life? It’s all bullshit plain and simple.
I marvel: This thing with the sign is crap.
Everyone agrees it is crap.
Yet millions of electrons are dying to write about this crap.
My brotherhood moment: Can we all agree the weather sucks?
Yes the weather sucks.
Did the arrogant punk even apologize? He is the mayor’s son for gripes’ sake. How does he blatantly steal a sign and then walk past dozens of cops and public works employees who are cleaning up a natural disaster like we’ve never seen in Bpt … does he offer to help … does he say we appreciate your hard work in this heat and humidity … can I get you some water … no he takes his picture and goes into a bar. And gets away with it not even an apology from son or father. Makes me sick.
John Gomes has a fundraiser tonight at the same club the mayor sent the cops on him to get him fired, think he can pull that one off again or are the men and women in blue not gonna listen to him now?
JohnMGomes.com 2011
I think the men and women in blue have a very different opinion of our fair mayor today. And it ain’t good.
A good father (mayor) teaches his son right from wrong. If the son makes a mistake, a good father (mayor) advises him to admit his mistake and apologize. A good father (mayor) would be humiliated if his son mocked the public works crews and police cleaning up after a tornado by stealing city property in front of countless witnesses. A good father (mayor) would reprimand his son no matter how old if he f-ed the police on his facebook page.
As you well know I don’t like the mayor or his policies and have expressed my feelings many times on this blog. I think you went a little overboard with your criticism of the mayor this time. First you don’t know what the mayor said to his son after the incident. Let the mayor stay out of this it was his son not him who was involved in this incident.
Let me ask you a question. If this had been John Q Public with the sign and the police officer was not the former president of the Union do you think anyone would have been arrested? I think not.
CHS, what makes you so perfect? How do you know what someone else is thinking?
Bridgeport, Conn. (WTNH) – The Bridgeport mayor’s office has confirmed that two firefighters have died as a result of fighting an afternoon blaze.
The fire broke out around 5 o’clock at a house on Elmwood.
News 8 will have more information when it becomes available.
As the son of a former Bridgeport fire fighter and a former member of the Board of Fire Commissioners I am in shock over this story. Growing up as a kid, this thought crossed my mind every time I heard the sirens going off.
My heart goes out to the families of these firefighters and to all the brave members of the Bridgeport Fire Department.
I am sure Andy and Ron feel even worse having served on BFD.
May GOD have mercy on their souls. These two brave firefighters paid the ultimate price to keep us safe. Having lost 8 friends to line of duty deaths while I was on the job I know it hurts. My prayers go out to those who died and to their families and to those who continue to lay it on the line every time the bell rings.
To those who don’t know who town committee is, I am Andrew Fardy Retired Firefighter.