Man Allegedly Harasses Westport Woman with 98 Phone Calls in a Day: Police

WESTPORT, CT — A 40-year-old Watertown man was arrested on harassment charges after he allegedly violated a protection order by telephoning a former business partner - a Westport woman - 98 times in one day, according to police.

Donato Rinaldi was charged with two counts of Violation of a Protective Order and second-degree Harassment. The phone calls were placed on September 8, the victim told police, none of which she answered.

"She went on to say that on September 19, 2016 she received a number of text messages from Mr. Rinaldi," police stated. "During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that there was an order of protection in place which barred Mr. Rinaldi from contacting the complainant unless the communication was in regards to the business that they once shared. The complainant advised that the phone calls and texts were not business related."

Police obtained a warrant for Rinaldi's arrest, and took him into custody at Norwalk Superior Court, where he was appearing for a separate case, according to police.

He was held in lieu of a $50,000 cash bond and was scheduled to appear back in Norwalk court on Sept. 22. The current status of his case was not immediately known.

Photo: Donato Rinaldi. Photo credit: Westport Police Department