Man Arrested After Shots Reported In Vernon

VERNON, CT — After a report of shots being fired, a man wandering on a Vernon street with a gas can wound up being an armed suspect in a domestic violence incident, police said.

On Monday Johnathan Saldivar, 35, whose last known address was in Glastonbury, was charged with the violation of a restraining order and interfering with police on an outstanding warrant. Charges from the Monday shooting and domestic incident included violation of a restraining order, carrying a firearm without a permit, criminal possession of a firearm, the theft of a firearm, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, and operating a motor vehicle under suspension.

On Monday, Vernon police responded to the area of Hartford Turnpike and the Manchester town line after a caller reported hearing six gun shots in the area and seeing a vehicle leaving the area at a high rate of speed toward Manchester, a report indicates.

According to a report, several officers scoured the area but could not locate any evidence of a shooting. A short time later, Vernon police were called to a residence on Reservoir Road, where a vehicle had been abandoned in a driveway. Police then recieved a report about a man walking along Bolton Road, according to a report.

Officers in the area then located a man walking with a gas can and recognized him as Johnathan Saldivar, who was wanted for a prior domestic violence incident involving a victim who resides in the area of Hartford Turnpike and the Manchester town line.

According to a report, Saldivar was in possession of a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, which he was prohibited from possessing and had been stolen from his current girlfriend. Officers located .45 shell casings in the back seat of the vehicle, the report indicates.

Officers conducted a welfare check of the victim from Saldivar's previous domestic violence case and determined she was safe and had not had any recent contact with him.

Saldivar appeared in court Tuesday and had his initial bond of $520,000 reduced to $25,000, which he did not post, court records show. He has also failed to pose a pair of $10,000 bonds in domestic violence-related cases, records show.

He is due back before a judge on Jan. 28, according to court records.

Police said the investigation has focused away from the abandoned car to the area of 47 Main St. and a nearby apartment complex. A police spokesman said detectives are particularly interested in speaking to anyone who heard or saw anything suspicious in the vicinity of that complex (which is on Route 30/83 near the Manchester Town Line) on Monday at approximately 10 p.m. Police are encouraging anyone with information to contact Det. Thomas Van Tasel at 860-872-9126, Ext. 3767.