2 Teen Girls Fight Off Attempted Sexual Assault At CT State Park: Police

SOUTHBURY, CT — Two teenage girls fought off an attempted sexual assault by a man armed with a knife at Kettletown State Park in Southbury, according to Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police.

Environmental Conservation Police said officers responded to the state park July 13 after receiving a report of an assault.

Police arrested Darius Moreno, 23, of Southbury, in connection with the incident.

According to DEEP, Moreno threatened the two juveniles with a knife and attempted to sexually assault them. The juveniles resisted and were able to get help from other park patrons, police said.

Moreno was processed at Connecticut State Police Troop A and initially held on a $250,000 bond, according to DEEP.

Court records show Moreno was arraigned Tuesday in Waterbury Superior Court, where Judge Hunchu Kwak increased his bond to $1.5 million. Moreno remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court again July 21.

Moreno is charged with:

• First-degree robbery
• Two counts of second-degree breach of peace
• Interfering with an emergency call
• Two counts of third-degree assault
• Two counts of second-degree threatening
• Third-degree strangulation
• Two counts of criminal attempt to commit third-degree sexual assault
• Two counts of first-degree unlawful restraint
• Carrying a dangerous weapon
• Disorderly conduct

During Tuesday's arraignment, prosecutors said they intend to add two counts of first-degree kidnapping. As of Wednesday morning, those charges had not yet appeared in the online court docket.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.