Waterbury Police are on two major cases that reflect a crime trend: a repeat offender is at the center of each.
The Crime Prevention Unit made an arrest Wednesday night and separately, police have identified a suspect in a homicide that happened on Halloween.
“We're seeing that the people that are committing acts of violence here in the city of Waterbury have an extensive criminal history,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said.
Body camera footage shows the moments the Crime Prevention Unit arrested a man on Knollwood Circle Tuesday just after 9 p.m. When officers approached the suspects’ car, he accelerated, then reversed.
“He struck two police cars in an effort to escape,” Spagnolo said.
Police say the 20-year-old suspect from West Haven has been arrested 19 times for guns and other violent charges.
“He has a prior juvenile probation. He has a history of arrest dating back to 2017,” Spagnolo said.
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In a separate case, police also identified 43-year-old Clarence Rhodes, of Waterbury, as the suspect in a homicide that happened on Halloween.
“We are actively and currently looking for him. We do believe that he is dangerous,” Spagnolo said.
He is suspected of shooting a 23-year-old at the intersection of Willow and Hillside, who died from injuries. Police say Rhodes has three pending cases, and has been arrested 20 times on guns, drugs and violent charges.
“Once again, Rhodes is a convicted felon. He has prior incarceration and he's on probation,” Spagnolo said.
The chief said both cases illuminate the pattern of repeat offenders committing crimes over and over again in Waterbury.
“These are folks that are engaged in recidivism,” he said. “They're folks that are out on bond. They have prior judicial experience, you know. So these are the issues that we need to be concerned with.”
He says as police step up patrols and use technology to target crime, they are also looking at why these criminals keep offending.
“Working with our Mayor's office, working with the Connecticut conference municipalities,” Spagnolo said.
The chief wants more research on the conditions under which people are released back into communities.
“Was it appropriate or prudent to just release that person back into the community?” he said. “Does there need to be more research into what services are available for that person, what network that person may have to support them right when they come back to the community?”
He says like the body camera from Tuesday’s arrest shows, the ongoing crime puts lives at risk.
“These officers, you know, did everything they could do, putting their lives in danger,” Spagnolo said. “These are the type of incidents that are occurring throughout the state daily.”
Anyone with information on Rhodes or the Willow Street homicide is asked to contact the Waterbury Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 203-574-6941 or Crime Stoppers at 203-755-1234.
