Prospect Town Council Member, Funeral Home Owner Charged With Stalking Ex-Business Partner

PROSPECT, CT — A member of the town council and local funeral home owner has been arrested amid claims he stalked a former business partner.

State police said Michael P. Palmerie Jr., 66, of Amber Court, turned himself in and was charged Friday on a warrant with second-degree stalking.

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Palmerie is the co-owner of Prospect Memorial Funeral Home.

According to state police, Palmerie's male ex-business partner filed a complaint against him in May, claiming Palmerie had been harassing and stalking him.

The complainant owns and operates his own, separate funeral home business in Prospect, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

The man told police Palmerie had followed his wife's vehicle into a church parking lot and briefly blocked their vehicle in, and the complainant said he had become fearful for the safety of his family, according to the warrant.

The two men previously had been partners at the same business, but had a falling out around 2014, and then the complainant walked away from their joint venture entirely around 2016, court documents show.

The complainant told investigators Palmerie "threatened to cut his throat if he caused him a negative financial impact," the warrant states.

The man subsequently worked for other funeral homes, and he said Palmerie would park in their lots for an unknown reason.

When the man launched his own business around 2024, he said Palmerie spoke against him during zoning proceedings. The man told police Palmerie also parked his vehicle in the back of his business for "no known reason," and followed him.

Police reviewed security surveillance video. According to police, they observed "over 30 incidents of stalking behavior" by Palmerie, including parking at the complainant's business' property and at a post office when he was there.

When questioned by police, Palmerie said he never got out of his car, never opened his window or communicated with the man at all.

A judge ordered Palmerie to stay at least 100 yards away from the complainant and his place of business, and he can't initiate any contact with the man, court records show.

Palmerie posted a $25,000 bond, and he is due to appear in Superior Court in Waterbury on Oct. 22.