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

5 Connecticut towns to receive $2M each for infrastructure upgrades

Published

8 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Press Room

5 Connecticut towns to receive M each for infrastructure upgrades

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Five Connecticut towns will collectively receive $10 million in grants for infrastructure upgrades, according to a Monday announcement by Gov. Ned Lamont.

The Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) is awarding $10.7 million to Coventry, Guilford, Ledyard, Mansfield and Thomaston to modernize and rehabilitate housing for low- and moderate-income residents, the announcement said.

The funds are being released through the DOH’s Community Development Block Grant’s small cities program, with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. To be eligible, a municipality must have fewer than 50,000 residents.

Cost Breakdown

Coventry: $2 million

Town of Coventry plans to use funds to upgrade, with a focus on making Orchard Hill Estates compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Guilford: $2 million

The Town of Guilford plans to use funds to design and build future affordable housing projects, consisting of up to 16 rental units and 8 homes.

Ledyard: $2 million

The Town of Canton requested funding for the first phase of affordable housing for people in Ledyard and the surrounding area. Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut is in the pre-development phase of the Colby Drive and plans to create 38 units.

Mansfield: $2.2 million

Funding will be used for upgrades to Wright’s Village, including roof replacements and sidewalk repairs.

Thomaston: $2.5 million

Funds will be used to make Green Manor ADA-compliant, including the installation of a new emergency call aid system.

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Connecticut

Do you work or volunteer for CT’s emergency medical services? We want to hear from you.

Published

19 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Press Room

Do you work or volunteer for CT’s emergency medical services? We want to hear from you.

by Cassandra Garibay | ProPublica and Jenna Carlesso, CT Mirror
June 22, 2026

ProPublica and The Connecticut Mirror, two nonprofit newsrooms, are examining the state’s emergency medical services and what it takes to provide lifesaving care across the state. If you work or volunteer for emergency medical services in Connecticut, we need your help.

We know that the state’s emergency medical services have been strained for years, but that doesn’t stop paramedics, emergency medical technicians and emergency medical responders from working around the clock to serve community members in crisis. We have data on ambulance response times, but we know it doesn’t tell a full story about what is happening behind the scenes.

If you work or volunteer for a Connecticut ambulance corps, a fire department, a law enforcement agency or an emergency room, we want to hear your experience and understand what resources you need to do this lifesaving work.

What has changed about emergency medical services since you started? If your ambulance corps needs more staff, what are the challenges to hiring or retaining new people? What do you wish Connecticut residents or lawmakers knew about the state of EMS?

Your input is crucial and will help guide our reporting. We want to understand the issue in all its complexity — from training limitations to worker housing needs to budget cuts, and what that means for your vital work every day.

You can fill out our brief form to share your experience. Our reporters read through every response and may follow up with you. You can also email CT Mirror reporter Jenna Carlesso and ProPublica reporter Cassandra Garibay at ctemergency@propublica.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Don’t work for emergency medical services in Connecticut but know someone who does? You can also help by sending this form to them.

If you have called 911 for a medical emergency, we also want to hear from you. Please fill out our patient experience form.

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Connecticut

Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027

Published

1 day ago

June 21, 2026

Press Room

Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:

I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!

A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.

German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.

German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.

German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).

Top SCY Times:

50 Freestyle: 23.54
100 Freestyle: 51.35
200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
500 Freestyle: 4:53.19

A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.

German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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