Connecticut

Connecticut woman held stepson captive for 20 years, police say

Published

1 year ago

March 13, 2025

Connecticut woman held stepson captive for 20 years, police say

A Connecticut woman has been accused of holding her stepson captive for approximately 20 years after authorities discovered him – now 32 years old, 5ft 9in and weighing just 68lbs – during a house fire last month.

On Thursday police in Waterbury, Connecticut, arrested Kimberly Sullivan, 56, and charged her with assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful restraint in the first degree, cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the first degree.

According to the Waterbury police, authorities discovered the malnourished man on 17 February during a house fire that he told police he had set with a lighter, hand sanitizer and paper in an attempt to escape.

“I wanted my freedom,” he told police, according to an affidavit reviewed by NBC.

He said he had been held captive since he was 11 years old.

“In 33 years of law enforcement, this is the worst treatment of humanity that I’ve ever witnessed … It was worse than the conditions of a jail cell,” police chief Fernando Spagnolo told reporters on Thursday.

“He would urinate in a bottle and he had straws connected to the bottom of the bottle, and he found a hole in the storm window frame that he was able to put these straws through.”

He said the man’s room was shut from the outside with “a number of different styles of exterior locks”.

“As we explained during an interview with the victim, throughout the years, it appeared that the locks increased in security levels as time progressed.”

According to an affidavit reviewed by multiple outlets, the man told police that he recalls being locked in his bedroom when he was three years old. He said he would sneak out at night to get food and would sometimes drink from the toilet because he was not being given enough water.

He said that after food wrappings were eventually discovered in his bedroom, he started to get locked in his room.

When he was in fourth grade, his prolonged absences caused the school to alert Connecticut’s department of children and families. Social workers from the state responded by conducting two wellness checks on his home, he said, alleging that his stepmother told him to lie and say everything was OK.

“I have been kept a secret my entire life,” the man told police, CNN reports.

He lived with both his father and his stepmother, but following his father’s death in 2024 he told police his captivity conditions became even worse.

“[The man] stated that it got to a point where the only time he would ever be out of the house once his father died was to let the family dog out in the back of the property. Stating it was only about 1 minute a day. Essentially, [he] was locked in his room between 22 to 24 hours a day,” the affidavit said.

Sullivan, who is held on a $300,000 bond, has denied the accusations.

“She completely maintains her innocence, from our perspective. These allegations are not true. They are outlandish. She was blown away when she heard these allegations,” her lawyer Ioannis Kaloidis said.

“We look forward to being able to vindicate her and show that she’s done nothing wrong.”

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Connecticut

Brittney Griner signs with Connecticut Sun in huge payday

Published

12 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Brittney Griner signs with Connecticut Sun in huge payday

The Connecticut Sun are making a big splash for their final season.

The team has agreed to a seven-figure contract to bring in Britney Griner, according to Sun sideline reporter Terrika Foster-Brasby.

Griner, a nine-time WNBA All-Star and future Hall of Famer, is one of the most decorated players in the history of the league and will be playing in her 13th season since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2013.

The deal also comes after the WNBA introduced its new collective bargaining agreement, which will — among many other advances — raise players’ salaries, making a select group of them millionaires for the first time since the league’s inception.

The move comes one day following Jackie Young’s reported one-year, $1.19 million agreement to return to the Las Vegas Aces.

Griner, who spent last season with the Atlanta Dream, turned 35 this past October, was a standout on what was a surprising run to the league’s No. 3 seed, with the team finishing 30-14.

The 6-foot-9 center started in her first 25 appearances before being moved to an off-the-bench role.

The Baylor alum came off the bench for her final 14 regular-season showings and all three Dream playoff games.

The Dream were eliminated by the Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever in the first round after opening with a 17-point win in Game 1.

Griner finished the 2025 season with career lows of 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Griner spent her first 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, establishing herself as one of the best players in league history, starring on the 2014 WNBA Champion team, also led by Diana Taurasi and DeWanna Bonner.

The six-time All-WNBA honoree is also a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, having played for Team USA in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summer Games, with two World Cup titles in 2014 and 2018.

She was also named to the W25, a list honoring the WNBA’s top 25 players of all time in celebration of the league’s 25th anniversary in 2021.

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Connecticut

Driver sent to hospital after one-car crash on I-95 in Old Lyme, police say

Published

1 day ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Driver sent to hospital after one-car crash on I-95 in Old Lyme, police say

OLD LYME — A driver was injured and taken to the hospital after a one-car crash on Interstate 95 Thursday night in Old Lyme, according to state police.

The state Department of Transportation reported the crash occurred on I-95 north before Exit 71 around 9:40 p.m.

Connecticut State Police said the driver was conscious and alert, and their injuries were not life-threatening.

The crash closed the left lane, according to state police. The incident was cleared around 11:50 p.m., according to the DOT.

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Connecticut

Connecticut ticks back with a vengeance this year

Published

2 days ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Connecticut ticks back with a vengeance this year

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — After a record year in 2025, the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station said that in under two weeks there have been more than 200 reported tick bites.

“I do not know whether this trend will continue or slow down,” Connecticut Tick Surveillance Program Director Dr. Goudarz Molaei said. “I suspect that it will continue and will get worse.”

In 2025, there were more than 6,000 reported bites, which is double the average.

It would be a mistake to think that this winter’s cold weather killed the ticks. In fact, many ticks were saved by this winter’s snow.

“It’s like a warm blanket for ticks,” Dr. Molaei said. “They hide underneath the snow and they are protected.”

These early ticks are almost exclusively blacklegged ticks. Research shows more than 50% are carrying Lyme Disease. Come this spring, four more tick species will arrive in Connecticut, with each breed carrying different diseases.

Ticks in Connecticut usually live in the woods. But not just in trees or in the grass, they could also be in leaves on the ground.

“Even though it looks goofy, I always make sure I have a thick sock and that it covers the lower half of your calf,” Ji Xue, who runs in East Rock Park, said.

Experts say you should spray on a pesticide before going outside. Upon returning, thoroughly check the body and put all clothes in the wash.

“I actually had Lyme Disease as a kid because I grew up in upstate New York,” Sean Cohen, a father of two young boys, said. “We are just extra aware of it, especially because the kids have very thick, dark hair. We just try to be on top of checking out for it.”

“I know some people who already refuse to take their dogs on hikes anymore because they are so scared,” Xue said.

Most importantly, if a tick bites you, either send it in for testing or keep the tick. If you get sick, the doctors need to know what kind of tick infected you.

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