A Pennsylvania man who is accused of a break-in that knocked out power to a state office building in downtown Hartford on Sunday evening appeared in court on Monday.
State police responded to 165 Capitol Ave. in Hartford around 5:11 p.m. after an alarm went off and found that someone had gotten inside through a utility area under the building through a metal gate, according to state police.
They said this was not a targeted incident and no offices in the building were affected.
They took Cristian Gonzalez, 43, a homeless man from Shillinton, Pennsylvania into custody and did not find anyone else in the building.
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He entered a subterranean high-voltage electrical conduit area and did not get into the building itself, state police said, and there is no threat to the public or the employees of the building.
Gonzalez caused damage to utilities in the building, which knocked out power and caused other systems to fail, including the elevators, according to state police and the state Department of Administrative Services.
He has been charged with third-degree burglary, criminal trespass in the second degree, criminal mischief in the first-degree and possession of burglar tools.
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His bond was set at $50,000.
Gonzalez appeared in court on Monday.
The prosecution said he is a threat to public safety and it's not clear how much the damage will cost to repair.
A public defender was appointed and requested detox and mental health watch.
The prosecutor said Gonzalez is not employed, is battling addiction and was using drugs when he broke in.
The judge granted detox treatment for Gonzalez.
The state office building was closed on Monday. Eversource is still making repairs.
Anyone with information is asked to call Trooper Luis Ferreira at Troop H-Hartford at 860-534-1000.
