An 18-year Connecticut State Police veteran was arrested today on allegations that he stole personal belongings from a person who died in an accident on the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield.
According to a release from Lt. J. Paul Vance,
Huntsman, a trooper based out of Troop G in Bridgeport, was charged with two counts of third-degree larceny, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and interfering with police.
In a report just released by state police, Vance said several first responder agencies were present on the scene of the accident, including state police, Fairfield fire, and EMS. Subsequent to this fatal accident, family members determined that certain personal property belonging to the deceased was not accounted for, including jewelry, clothing, and cash, Vance said. Family members were able to recover the clothing of the deceased from the hospital, but there were still missing items of value, according to the report.
State police initiated an investigation in an attempt to determine the location of the missing property. It was determined that the jewelry had not been logged into evidence by the Trooper investigating the fatal accident, Huntsman.
State Police Detectives conducted numerous interviews and examined evidence that resulted in the seizure of a large amount of cash from the police cruiser of the investigating Trooper. An arrest warrant was issued yesterday and Huntsman was taken into custody today, at Troop I.
Huntsman was processed and released upon posting a $5,000 bond. He will be arraigned in Bridgeport Superior Court on Dec. 10.
Huntsman's police powers were suspended upon initiation of this investigation, Vance said, and he will also be subject to a corresponding internal affairs investigation.
