Man Charged In Assault Of School Custodian: Hamden Police

HAMDEN, CT — A man has been extradited from New York to Hamden and charged in connection with an assault and burglary at the Wintergreen Magnet School earlier this year in Hamden.

The New York Police Department notified Hamden police on Feb. 12 that they had Jordan Richards, 33, in custody. The Hamden Police Department Major Crimes Division worked closely with the NYPD, and “with the help of technology from Automated License Plate Readers,” they were able to pinpoint Richards’s location to take him into custody, according to Sgt. Angela Vey.

Richards is accused of assaulting the custodian during the early morning hours on Jan. 31 and stealing his wallet and keys, and ultimately his vehicle.

Vey said Richards also committed a second burglary at Wintergreen School on Feb. 11.

Hamden police detectives Gabriel Garcia and Shawn Nutcher went to the Rikers Island Correctional Facility in the Bronx, New York, on Wednesday, May 17, to take Richards into custody on an extraditable arrest warrant, according to Vey. Richards was then taken to the Hamden Police Department.

Richards was charged in connection with the Jan. 31 robbery with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, second-degree larceny, third-degree larceny, interfering with an emergency call, and illegal use of a credit card. He was held in lieu of a $750,000 bond.

In connection with the Feb. 11 incident, Richards was charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief. He was held in lieu of a $10,000 bond on those charges.