Man Found With Loaded Gun During Struggle With Police: Middletown PD

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A Haddam man was arrested after police said he was found to be in the possession of a loaded gun during a struggle with police last Friday in Middletown.

Detectives from the Middletown Police Street Crime Unit were conducting surveillance on Sept. 2 in the area of Main and Rapallo Avenue, which police said is an area “known to have a significant amount of narcotics activity, including sales and usage.”

“In the past, detectives have made numerous arrests in this area related to both,” police wrote in a news release. “As of late, the Middletown Police Department has received additional narcotics complaints from local and neighboring residents, building management, and landlords in the area, which has resulted in an increase in police patrols and surveillance.”

Police said detectives saw Michael Klonoski, 52, engaged in a physical dispute with a woman in the 700 block of Main Street over what they believed was a drug purchase. The dispute was broken up by a witness and police, and Klonoski is accused of then physically struggling with police, according to the news release.

“During the struggle, a loaded handgun in Klonoski’s pocket that he had been reaching for, fell on the ground,” police wrote in the news release. “It was later learned that Klonoski, who also appeared intoxicated, had a previously revoked pistol permit.”

Klonoski was arrested and charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, carrying a firearm under the influence of drugs/alcohol, second-degree breach of peace, and interfering with police. He was being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond with a court date of Sept. 23, according to state judicial records.