Stonington Officers Earn Service Awards From State Police

STONINGTON, CT – At a ceremony Tuesday at the State Police Training Academy in Meriden, State Police Troopers and others received awards for service in Troop A, B, G and L area towns. The Connecticut State Police honors Troopers who demonstrate exceptional service in the line of duty.

According to a news release, the ceremony also honors men and women serving in local and federal law enforcement agencies, those serving as first responders, and civilians.

Award winners received medals and certificates from Commissioner Dora B. Schriro and State Police Colonel George F. Battle. Governor Dannel Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman also attended and addressed the recipients.

Among those awarded included Trooper First Class Jonathan Kaufman, Detective Michael Hoagland and Stonington Police Detective Greg Howard.

On June 25, a male operating a truck attempted to abduct a teenage girl by forcing her into his vehicle in Groton City. Police said the victim ran from the suspect and sought help while the suspect fled.

Local detectives completed a sketch of the suspect, which was circulated through local media.

Two days later, Hoagland and Howard discussed physical similarities between the suspect and a neighbor of Hoagland. Police said the neighbor was a registered sex offender with a history of violence towards women. He was recently released after serving time for the attempted abduction of a female jogger at gunpoint.

From his own residence, Hoagland observed the truck parked in the suspect’s backyard. Both detectives witnessed the suspect altering the identity of his truck and loading bins into it.

Police said Hoagland and Howard attempted to follow the suspect when he left his residence, but lost visual contact due to his evasive actions. Vehicle information was relayed to other law enforcement.

Kaufman located the truck traveling on Interstate 95 in Milford and initiated a stop. According to police, the suspect had absconded from an earlier parole meeting and was in possession of a GPS unit with a programmed destination of Florida. He was immediately taken into custody.

"The alert actions of Detectives Hoagland and Howard and Trooper Kauffman led to the successful apprehension of a dangerous fleeing predator," police said in a release. "They prevented a convicted felon and registered sex offender from fleeing the state in the middle of an ongoing kidnapping investigation."

Each earned the Medal for Meritorious Service.

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