Wake Crasher Subject of Flatto Report

A Bridgeport man accused of crashing a wake and pretending to be a member of the deceased's family last week has been badgering First Selectman Ken Flatto, who contacted police on Thursday, police said.

The 57-year-old man, identified by police as Esteban Sebourne, stood with the family in a greeting line during a wake at Lesko-Polke Funeral Home in Fairfield Center on Feb. 6 and "just smiled" when officials at the funeral home asked him to leave at the family's request, police said. Officers who arrived at the funeral home said Sebourne could not provide the name of the deceased and again "just smiled" when he was questioned by police.

Kevin Lesko, an owner of the funeral home, said Sebourne wouldn't leave the funeral home and was making a nuisance of himself. He said police were called to escort him out of the funeral home and that Sebourne mentioned he planned to attend the funeral the following day but did not show up. "It was dealt with as quietly and professionally and respectfully as possible," Lesko said, adding that the funeral home "had a police presence" at the funeral in case Sebourne did show up.

Lesko said he later learned that Sebourne attended former state Rep. Carl Dickman's funeral at St. Emery's Church on Kings Highway in Fairfield on Feb. 5, but said Sebourne did not make a nuisance of himself at that funeral. Sources said Sebourne sat with Dickman's family at the service.

Flatto's office contacted police on Thursday after Sebourne called Flatto at home and at work to complain that he was mistreated by police, according to police and Flatto's office. Police said Sebourne also had obtained Flatto's cell phone number, but a staffer in Flatto's office, who declined to give her name out of concern for her safety, said Sebourne never called Flatto on his cell phone.

The Flatto staffer said Sebourne called Flatto at home twice and that Flatto told him this was a police matter and that he shouldn't bother people at private events. Initially, Sebourne wouldn't give his name when he called Flatto, but he did give his name on Thursday and it matched the name that police had from the incident at Lesko-Polke Funeral Home, according to Flatto's office.

The Flatto staffer said Sebourne never threatened Flatto and that his phone calls to Flatto amounted to complaints. "There's been no problem other than calls," the staffer said. "The real problem is him attending funeral services of people he doesn't know."

Flatto said his office called police on Thursday afternoon for advice on how to handle the situation because Sebourne had been calling "incessantly" to complain about police after the Feb. 6 incident at Lesko-Polke Funeral Home. "I tried to explain this is a police matter and he shouldn't trespass," Flatto said, adding that he was concerned Sebourne would continue to show up at funerals of people he didn't know and pretend to be a member of the deceased's family.

Lesko said wakes are public events but a person can be asked to leave at the family's request. When Sebourne didn't leave the Feb. 6 wake, it became a matter for police, Lesko said.

Lesko said Sebourne has been warned by police not to come back to the funeral home and if he does, he will be trespassing.

Sebourne was the subject of a police report in 2004 at Starbucks on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield where he allegedly harassed customers. Police said he had been involved in several similar incidents.