Prosecutor Charged In Fairfield Case Seeks Dismissal Program

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield resident and assistant state's attorney accused of fleeing police has applied for a program that could result in the dismissal of the charge she faces, according to her lawyer.

Justina Moore, 42, is charged with interfering with police after officers were contacted by Moore's ex-husband and went Dec. 9 to her Dawn Street home, where she refused to identify herself to law enforcement, eventually leading officers on a car chase, police said in a report.

Under the accelerated rehabilitation diversionary program for which Moore has applied, her charge could be dismissed and erased from all records, her attorney, Eugene Riccio, said after a court appearance Friday. The requirements of the program are at the court's discretion.

Moore's ex-husband had contacted police about a propane tank being used to heat her house, where two children were staying, the report said. Fire officials took the tank for safety reasons but found no unhealthy propane levels at the home, according to the report.

Moore declined to answer questions from law enforcement or identify herself or her children, saying she was in the midst of a custody dispute and any documentation could jeopardize the custody hearing, the report said. She later told police she was as a prosecutor in the Fairfield Judicial District, but still wouldn't give her name, according to the report.

Moore then fled law enforcement with her children in an SUV, before police cut her off and ordered her out of the vehicle, the report said. She refused, so law enforcement removed her and brought her to the ground, according to the report.

Moore, who has worked as an assistant state's attorney with the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice since 2008, was placed on leave for a week as a result of the charge, State's Attorney John Smriga has said. She then returned to work on limited duty, pending the progress of her case, which has been transferred to the New Haven Judicial District to avoid the potential for a conflict of interest.

Moore's next court appearance is set for March 6 before Judge Philip Scarpellino.