East Haven Man Who Harassed, Threatened Police Rearrested, Put On Leave From Madison Schools Custodial Job

EAST HAVEN, CT — In one of his 16 calls to East Haven Public Safety Communications Center—a recorded line—Mark Williams, 24, of East Haven, left a message informing officers that given the tires on his car had been slashed and he needed to get to work, he expected help from the East Haven Police Department.

Williams is employed by Madison Public Schools as a night custodian at Daniel Hand High School.

In this call, Williams begins a one-minute-long explicit and expletive-laden racist, homophobic, and misogynistic tirade against police who he claims won't help him. And he calls out one officer in particular and repeats repugnant racist verbal attacks and threatens worse. Williams is heard saying he'd sexually assault the officer's wife.

Patch filed a Freedom of Information request for the warrant, audio recordings, and police bodycam footage of interactions with Williams. The two former were provided on Monday afternoon, but the body-worn camera's footage was denied, as East Haven police Capt. Joseph M. Murgo explained: "After consulting with the state's attorney's office, we won't be able to release the body camera footage due to the nature of his initial complaint," which was a report of property damage due to a domestic incident.

Williams was arrested this past weekend and charged with second-degree harassment for his repeated calls. He posted bond and was released. But he was rearrested Tuesday.

This time Williams was again charged with second-degree harassment but also with second-degree threatening/reckless violence.

"Within hours after being released on bond, Williams resumed communications directed toward the same officer who had been the target of much of the earlier harassment," Murgo said. "The subsequent investigation revealed that Williams continued to engage in conduct that served no legitimate purpose and was intended to harass and intimidate the officer."

"As part of the investigation, recorded telephone calls, emails, and other electronic communications were reviewed. The investigation revealed that after being released on bond, Williams continued to target the same officer and sent communications, including videos containing violent imagery. Considering the pattern of prior harassment, discriminatory remarks, and repeated targeting of that officer, it was determined that the communication was threatening in nature," Murgo said.

He was held on $50,000 bond and is due in court Tuesday.

Early Monday, a reporter reached out to Madison schools via phone and email. Later in the day, schools’ superintendent Dr. Craig Cooke responded.

"The employee has been placed on administrative leave. I'm unable to comment further on this personnel matter."

Cooke shared this message for parents.

Sixteen calls in 24 hours

The first call to police from Williams came in to dispatch at 12:33 a.m., May 31. The last of his 16 calls was 24 hours later, June 1, not long after midnight.

In each case, Williams launched into shocking and prolonged rants rife venemous slurs where he verbally attacks police employees.

He was adamant that he wanted a "white officer" to respond, and when a Hispanic officer arrived, Williams called the officer a pejorative term for a Latino, and said "I don't like your kind." He told police he "hated” people of color and used the n-word numerous times and used homophobic slurs in describing police personnel. Many of these harassing calls were directed to police dispatchers.

The worst of it was in a recorded voicemail left for police records department staff; the entirety of that message is so disturbing it cannot be paraphrased here.

The arrest warrant obtained by Patch via the FIOA, contains explict, vitriolic, disparaging and overtly racist, homophobic, misogynostic and crude sexualized and threatening statements from Williams.

"The East Haven Police Department remains committed to protecting all members of our community, including the public servants who answer calls for service, investigate crimes, and provide assistance to residents each day," Murgo said. "When conduct crosses the line from protected speech into criminal harassment or threatening behavior, it will be investigated thoroughly and addressed promptly."