Lewd Comment Leads To Altercation, Arrest For Middletown Man: Police

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A Middletown man is accused of assaulting two people after making a lewd comment to a woman and later damaged a restaurant sign, according to police. Middletown Police responded to the area of the Herd Restaurant, located at 200 Main Street, on the report of a disturbance at about 9:30 p.m. on July 28.

A man and a woman told police that they were sitting at a picnic-type table and bench on the landing near the Herd Restaurant when Jeffrey Steffen, 52, approached them and made a lewd comment to the woman, according to the police report. (To sign up for Middletown breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

The man told Steffen to go away and he allegedly replied by saying “what are you going to do about it?,” according to the report. Steffen is then accused of hitting the woman in the face and knocking her glasses off and punching the man in the face. The man told police that he was forced to punch Steffen back to get away from him, according to the report.

The man and woman then walked away from Steffen but said he followed them past the Herd Restaurant. Steffen is then accused of picking up a menu sign from Herd and smashing it. The man told police that Steffen then took a board from the smashed sign and hit him across the left side, according to the police report.

An owner of the Herd Restaurant told police that the sign was valued at $159 and he wanted to press charges, according to the report.

Steffen, of Pleasant St. in Middletown, was arrested on charges of third-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree breach of peace. He was released on a promise to appear in court on Aug. 11.

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