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Man describes shocking living conditions he endured during 20-year home captivity: 'Unimaginable'

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Man describes shocking living conditions he endured during 20-year home captivity: 'Unimaginable'


New details have emerged in the shocking story of a 32-year-old Connecticut man allegedly held captive in a single room by his father and stepmother for 20 years.

Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was arrested Wednesday, nearly a month after Waterbury police and firefighters responded to a fire the man lit inside the home Feb. 17.

While receiving medical care after the fire, the 32-year-old said he had been held captive in the home since he was 11 years old.

“I wanted my freedom,” he told first responders.

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Police take Kimberly Sullivan into custody Wednesday to face charges of kidnapping and cruelty for allegedly holding her 32-year-old stepson captive for more than 20 years.  (Waterbury Police Department via AP)

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The Waterbury Police Department Major Crimes Unit and Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office launched an extensive investigation that found the man endured prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect and inhumane treatment, according to a statement from the department.

Subsequent arrest warrants revealed the man was locked inside a room nearly 24 hours each day without heat or air conditioning, The Associated Press reported.

He was also provided two sandwiches and two bottles of water on a daily basis, which he rationed for soapless baths, according to the report.

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Kim Sullivan, who is charged with neglect, stands with her attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, right, during her arraignment Wednesday at Waterbury Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn.  (Jim Shannon/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, Pool)

When he was found, the man weighed just 69 pounds, standing at 5-foot-9, the AP reported. Having no access to a bathroom, he funneled his waste through straws that led to a window.

Police noted the man was starving while still attending school, often stealing food and eating out of the garbage, according to the report. When he ate, his teeth would break due to lack of dental care.

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Sullivan was arrested and is charged 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.

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Kimberly Sullivan was charged with kidnapping and cruelty for allegedly holding her 32-year-old stepson captive for more than 20 years.  (Waterbury Police Department via AP)

Her bond was set at $300,000, and she was later released by the Connecticut Department of Corrections.

Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo called the suffering the man endured “heartbreaking and unimaginable,” noting the man has since been diagnosed with PTSD and depression.

While authorities are investigating how the man fell through the cracks as a child, Spagnolo told the AP police only had two interactions with the family, both in 2005.

Police responded to reports of a fire at a residence on 2 Blake St. in Waterbury, Conn. (Google Maps)

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One call was a welfare check prompted by reports from classmates. Another was after the family filed a harassment complaint against school officials for reporting them to state child welfare officials, according to the report.

Officers noted there was no cause for concern, Spagnolo told the AP.

The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) said it is continuing to look for records of agency involvement, according to the report. However, unsubstantiated reports of neglect or abuse are erased five years after the conclusion of the investigation.

Kim Sullivan stands between her attorneys Jason Spilka, left, and Ioannis Kaloidis during her arraignment Wednesday at Waterbury Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn.  (Jim Shannon/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, Pool)

“We are shocked and saddened for the victim and at the unspeakable conditions he endured,” the department said in a statement to the AP. “The now adult victim has shown incredible strength and resilience during this time of healing and our hearts go out to him.”

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Tom Pannone, former principal of the defunct Barnard Elementary School in Waterbury, told NBC Connecticut administrators reported the alleged abuse to police and “not a damn thing was done.”

The Waterbury Police Department, Waterbury Public Schools and Connecticut DCF did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Watch New Canaan vs. Cheshire in Connecticut Class L football championship: Live stream

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Watch New Canaan vs. Cheshire in Connecticut Class L football championship: Live stream


New Canaan faces Cheshire in the 2025 Connecticut high school Class L football state championship on Saturday afternoon.

The game begins at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.

The game will stream live on the NFHS Network.

High school football championships on NFHS Network

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What: Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Class L football championship

Who: New Canaan vs. Cheshire

When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025

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Where: Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut

Time: 4 p.m. EST

Stream: NFHS Network

Tickets: $11,50

Record, MaxPrep state rankings: New Canaan 12-0, No. 1; Cheshire 9-3, No. 11

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Here’s more information about the game from the Hartford Courant, via the Tribune News Service:

New Canaan is going for its 16th state title and fourth straight under veteran coach Lou Marinelli and New Canaan outscored its playoff opponents, 85-13. Cheshire’s last finals appearance was 2009, when coach Don Drust was an assistant for the Rams’ team, which beat Staples in overtime to win a Class LL title. Cheshire rallied from a 19-point deficit against Fairfield Ludlowe to win the Class L quarterfinal game and beat Ridgefield 21-0 in the semifinals. QB Aiden Gregorich’s pass to Liam Suomala proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left in the quarterfinal.

What is the NFHS Network?

The NFHS Network covers more than 30 sports across the country. NFHS Network costs $13.99 per month or $79.99 per year.



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Could mini-liquor bottles be banned in Connecticut?

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Could mini-liquor bottles be banned in Connecticut?


Have you still seen a lot of mini-liquor bottles, littering the streets in Connecticut?

Members of one environmental group said they still see them, and believe a ban is the best way to solve a multi-tiered problem.

State data shows in the past 12 months, ending September 30, there were more than 93 million mini-liquor bottles sold in our state.

The group supporting local bans says it’s not just the litter, but also the fact mini-liquor bottles are easy to conceal and consume on the job, in the car, or at school.

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The group “Connecticut Towns Nixing the Nip” met this week, working on strategies to get a legislative hearing on the issue in the upcoming 2026 session.

Right now, stores collect a 5-cent surcharge for every mini-liquor bottle sold, resulting in about $5 million annually for town and city environmental cleanup efforts.

Town funding from nip sales

Average revenue per year 2021 to 2025.

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“Having talked to a number of towns, well a few towns, they like the money, said Tom Metzner, a member of the group. “It’s fairly broad in how it can be used. It’s environmental. It doesn’t have to be used for cleaning up nips. And so the towns have become somewhat silent on the issue of banning nips.”

The group cited Chelsea, Massachusetts, where minis are banned, both litter and alcohol related EMS calls decreased.

The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, which devised the “nickel per nip” program, said banning the mini-liquor bottles would be unprecedented.

Instead, it said the environmental group should be challenging municipalities to prove they actually use the money for cleanup.

Legislative leaders suggested several years ago the way to really do this is to have a redemption program for mini liquor bottles, and now, that could be possible.

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At least one state with the Clynk bottle collection program has redeemed mini-liquor bottles for cash.

The company just announced a major expansion in our state, but it told us it is not aware of a redemption program for mini-liquor bottles here any time soon.



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National trust in the federal government is low. CT residents agree

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National trust in the federal government is low. CT residents agree


National trust in the federal government is at some of its lowest levels in nearly seven decades, and many Connecticut residents fall in line with that belief, a survey found.

New data from the Pew Research Center found only 17% of Americans believe that what the government does is right either “just about always” or “most of the time,” hitting one of the lowest points Pew has seen since first asking this question in 1958. And according to a DataHaven survey, Connecticut residents trust the federal government less than state or local institutions.

While these are some of the lowest polling numbers seen in American history, national trust in the federal government has been on the decline for decades. Public trust initially dropped in the 1960s and ’70s during the Vietnam War from a near 80% but began rising again in the 1980s into the early ’90s. Trust peaked again after 9/11 before falling.

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The DataHaven survey found that of all Connecticut residents surveyed, only 9% trust the federal government “a great deal” to look out for the best interests of them and their family. About 28% trust the federal government “a fair amount.”

Federal government trust among Connecticut residents was at its highest in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the federal stimulus programs and child tax credit were active.

The DataHaven survey also asked about trust in local and state government. Connecticut residents generally trust these institutions more than they trust the federal government, the survey found.

Trust in the local governments was higher than trust in both state and federal, with 67% of residents surveyed trusting their local government “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”

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And when it came to state government, 61% of residents trust the state “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”



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