Southington in the American Revolution

SCREENSHOT FROM 'SOUTHINGTON IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION'

Today the names 'Sloper' and 'Woodruff' are likely to make you think of roads or places in town. Yet 250 years ago, they were the names of real people who lived in what we now call Southington. As part of this year's America250 celebrations, The Southington Outsider has teamed up with Christina Volpe, curator of the Barnes Museum, to create this short film that focuses on Captain Daniel Sloper, his wife Hannah B. Woodruff, and the small but not insignificant role they played in the American Revolution. Filmed at YMCA Camp Sloper and South End Burying Ground, it offers a rare glimpse into Southington's revolutionary past.

Southington in the American Revolution - A Short Film

CLICK TO WATCH

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/abd89a_f33ecf2ad1b249758ffa85107d93f0a8/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Special thanks goes to Wayne Edwards, who is a member of our Board of Directors and a professor in the Communications, Film and Media Studies Department at the University of New Haven, for working with his students Elisa Broche and Jay Sanders to film and edit this video. Thanks also to John McDonald of CTPhotoPro for sharing the drone footage of South End Cemetery.

Southington Organizations Awarded over $29K by Main Street Community Foundation

[Press Release] Main Street Community Foundation is proud to have recently awarded a total of $29,280 to nine nonprofit organizations serving Southington residents through its General Grant Cycle. A total of $167,740 was awarded to forty-seven local organizations through this grant cycle to further their reach and meet the needs of residents in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington, and Wolcott. Since its establishment in 1995, MSCF has awarded grants and scholarships totaling nearly $36 million and is one of the leading grantmakers in the Central Connecticut region. To view all grants awarded in this cycle, visit mainstreetfoundation.org/grants-awarded#general.

The grants awarded to organizations serving Southington are as follows:

·       CyberKnights Robotics - $4,500 - The Southington STEM Pipeline to begin shop modernization and upgrades for CyberKnights programming (KAWFY Memorial Fund)

·       Friends of Southington Community Services - $2,000 - Operation Stay Warm program to purchase equipment and supplies essential for the clothing program, supporting for families in need (KAWFY Memorial Fund, Bradley Henry Barnes and Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust)

·       Mattatuck Museum - $4,140 - After School Art with the MATT in collaboration with the Southington YMCA’s after-school program to introduce participants to diverse artists, mediums and styles (Sid Bernard & Ed Miller Children's Fund for the Visual Arts, Lynda M. Mazur and Michael F. Colomonico Jr. Hands-On Fund)

·       Palace Theater Group - $3,000 - Performance and post-show discussion of Mrs. Doubtfire on stage at the Palace Theater for high school students from Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth and Southington (Douglas and Noreen Schumann Special Interest Fund)

·       Southington Girls Softball League - $2,000 - Field 1 dugout replacement to benefit 350 female athletes (Paula & Rick Knight Family Fund for the Southington Community)

·       Southington Housing Authority - $5,000 - Complex enhancements to improve community spaces and encourage socialization, physical activities, and safety (KAWFY Memorial Fund)

·       Southington Public Library - Barnes Museum - $6,000 - Exterior preservation  and conservatory woodwork restoration for the preservation and stabilization of The Barnes Museum (KAWFY Memorial Fund)

·       Southington Symphonic Band - $1,200 - Support for sheet music and related expenses to provide music for the community (KAWFY Memorial Fund, Southignton Arts Council Legacy Fund)

·       The Tabernacle Christian Church - $1,440 - Giving Back Food Pantry program to purchase groceries and fresh foods for food-insecure residents in Southington and surrounding areas (Paige Wartonick Laferriere Memorial Fund)

General Grant Cycle awards support basic needs, increase access to opportunities, and create vibrant communities, to meet the needs of the communities served by the Foundation. Grants are distributed from endowed funds established by donors to support local communities and causes they are passionate about, from arts and culture, to food and housing, and mental health and wellbeing.

Applications for the General Grant Cycle are submitted annually in the spring, and are thoughtfully reviewed by local residents that volunteer on MSCF’s Distribution Committee. The Committee reviews all proposals, conducts site visits, and makes funding recommendations to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. This annual process ensures that the goals and programs of the grantees are feasible and align with the fund donor’s intent.   

To learn more about the Main Street Community Foundation, visit mainstreetfoundation.org. 

The Main Street Community Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for both present and future generations in the communities served by encouraging and promoting gift planning, prudent stewardship of assets, effective grantmaking and community leadership. A nonprofit public charity, created by private citizens, the foundation works with donors in Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Wolcott who wish to build permanent charitable endowments to support their communities. Since its founding in 1995, the foundation has provided nearly $36 million in grants and scholarships.

Details of Two Recent Violent Attacks Become More Clear

Police on the scene at Cadillac Ranch, July 15. JENNIFER ROY VIDEO SCREENSHOT

A fuller picture is emerging of the confrontation that led to a shooting at Southington’s Cadillac Ranch on July 15.

The July 20 confrontation between youths on ebikes and a motorcyclist on Main Street has also become clearer thanks to video evidence that can be compared with the police report.

The following account synthesizes reporting by staff at the Hartford Courant and by Bruce Mattazarro, Jr., of CT Insider. It incorporates analysis from John E. Bunch II of Black Dragon TV, a "motorcycle club historian and protocol expert," evaluates videos posted (with permission) by the Facebook page New England Unfiltered, and summarizes official reports released by the Southington Police Department and Connecticut State Police.

Note that every person accused of a crime is presumed to be innocent until and unless their guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Cadillac Ranch Incident

On the evening of July 15, Cadillac Ranch at 45 Jude Lane was holding its monthly “Bike Night.” Typically the event brings in several hundred motorcycle enthusiasts and members of motorcycle clubs. Proceeds from the event were to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It was sponsored by Haymond Law Firm, a Hartford-based firm that specializes in personal injury compensation, and Yankee Harley Davidson.

Among those who came to the event were 44-year old Francis Imperato III of Griswold, Connecticut, and his father. Imperato is listed by the State of Connecticut as the owner of Bully Baggerz & Son, LLC, a motorcyle repair shop in Jewett City, Connecticut.

Around 6:30pm, the younger Imperato was reportedly approached by an individual who said that he was unhappy with the work that was done on his motorcycle seven years ago and wanted his money back. CTInsider, drawing on police reports, has given the name of the individual as Chris Sneider.

Imperato told police that Sneider was accompanied by several other individuals. He said that Sneider then punched him in the face, and that once his father tried to separate the two, the rest of the assailants joined in. While his father was pinned to the ground, Imperato said he was subject to assault. He said the assailants attempted to pull off his jewelry and his clothes, as well as his loaded gun, a Glock 43X, which he had in a holster tucked inside his waistband. He reported that his gun was taken from him and that he subsequently heard it discharge. The men, he said, took turns punching, kicking, and hitting him with what he said felt like a hammer. He said he did not fire his gun.

When the gun discharged, a 25-year old man named Justin Woodbury was struck in the chest by a bullet and critically injured. He was later taken to the hospital. His brother, 31-year old Harley Woodbury of Terryville, told police that he was some distance away when the gun discharged and raced to the scene, where he found that his brother had been shot. He said that he then joined the assault on Imperato, thinking that he had pulled the trigger. He also said that he grabbed and threw the Glock.

Southington Police arrived on the scene and gained control of it with help from police departments in neighboring towns. During the initial investigation, police found a single shell casing on the ground about ten feet from the location of the shooting victim. They swabbed Imperato’s hands for signs of gunshot residue. Apparently finding none, they did not take him into custody, and informed him that he was free to leave the hospital whenever doctors allowed it.

Cadillac Ranch’s owner Peter Griffin allowed police to examine video taken by the facility’s surveillance cameras. He told them that the camera aimed at the area of the altercation was not working, while the cameras that were working were pointed elsewhere. Accordingly police had to rely on video provided by a witness to identify the assailants.

After reviewing the witness’s video, police identified five men involved in the assault on Imperato. Four were arrested and charged with assault: James McDermott, 52, of Waterbury, Gerard McAfee, 54, of Branford, Philip Gugliotti, 55, of Waterbury and Harley Woodbury, 31, of Terryville.

A fifth individual said by police to be involved in the assault left the scene.

Four more men were arrested for interfering with an officer: Kevin Lawlor, 48, of Derby, William Schneiter, 60, of Baltic, Marc Debenigno, 49, of Waterbury and Zarif Ramadanov, 46, of Bethany.

A police officer at the scene reported that the individuals involved in the “commotion” were wearing the black and red sleeveless vests of the Diablo motorcycle club. He also said that the shooting victim was wearing a Diablos vest. The booking photos show Debenigno, Lawlor, Ramadanov, and Schneiter wearing Diablos vests, and Gugliotti with Diablos tattoos.

The Diablos Motorcycle Club is a nationwide ‘outlaw’ motorcycle club founded in 1961 by Meriden native John J. Baltas. The club has a clubhouse in Meriden. In 2019, repeated brawls between the Diablos and their rivals, the Outlaws, at Plainville’s Central Cafe led state officials to suspend the restaurant’s liquor license and shut it down.

A GoFundMe account was set up for the shooting victim soon after the incident. The GoFundMe page states, in part: “Justin Woodbury, Virginia’s beloved son, was tragically caught in the crossfire as an innocent bystander at the Cadillac Ranch. Justin was struck by a stray bullet, resulting in significant injuries that have left him on life-support. He is expected to remain in the hospital for several months, facing multiple surgeries and a long road of rehabilitation ahead. This sudden and senseless event has turned Justin’s life upside down, and the emotional toll on his family has been immense.”

Since then the account has raised $28,648 towards its $30,000 goal. On July 26, according to the page, the largest contribution was $666 from DIABLOS MERIDEN. The page has since been taken down.

Two days later, on July 17, an explosive device was set off at Imperato’s motorcycle repair shop in Jewett City. Investigators identified it as an illegal, M-class explosive device consisting of a tube filled with flash powder and detonated with a hobby fuse. The explosion inflicted light damage on the shop.

On the night of July 23, Kevin Lawlor, one of the men from the Cadillac Ranch incident charged with interfering with an officer, was arrested in connection with the explosion. Lawlor was charged on four counts, including conspiracy to commit arson. The arrest warrant for Lawlor says, “This is an active investigation with additional arrests anticipated.”

Cadillac Ranch has cancelled its Bike Nights for the remainder of the year.

Youth Attack on a Motorcyclist

On Monday, July 20, just five days after the incident at Cadillac Ranch, an apparently unrelated attack occurred in Southington when a group of youths fought with a man riding a motorcycle on Main Street.

Videos purportedly taken by the teenagers and footage from nearby homeowners shows the events from multiple angles. While the videos reveal what transpired, they do not make clear what was said or what motivated any of the subsequent actions.

At around 2pm, a group of about 30 youths on ebikes, bicycles, and mopeds riding southbound near 503 Main Street passed a 58-year old man on a motorcycle. While it seems likely that some of the youths were from Southington, not all were, since the two who were later arrested were residents of Waterbury and Cheshire.

The incident began when the youths and the motorcycle rider exchanged words. Subsequently the entire group came to a halt in the street, blocking traffic. The motorcyclist got off his bike and began to face off with a youth dressed in black clothes with a black balaclava over his face. As they circled one another, one youth tried to hold back the youth in black. Then a third youth went over to the man’s stationary motorcycle and touched it. When the motorcyclist lunged at him, he was attacked by the two aggressive youths and a third who joined in. They tackled him to the ground and proceeded to punch and kick him and take his cellphone.

The youth dressed in black drew what police later identified as a screwdriver and struck at least twice at the man’s lower back.

About two minutes passed between the initial encounter and the arrival of police. The homeowner’s video shows many of the youths fleeing before police arrived.

Police arrested 20-year old Kevin Manuel Rodriguez of Waterbury and changed him on eight counts, including –

Criminal Attempt to Commit Assault in the First Degree

Conspiracy to Commit Assault in the First Degree

Assault in the Second Degree

Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the First Degree

Riot in the Second Degree

Unlawful Assembly

Threatening in the Second Degree

Breach of Peace in the Second Degree

Booking photo for Kevin Manuel Rodriguez of Waterbury SOUTHINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT PHOTO

Police also arrested a 13-year old from Cheshire and charged him with seven counts, including –

Robbery in the First Degree

Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the First Degree

Larceny in the Fourth Degree

Assault in the Third Degree

Riot in the Second Degree

Unlawful Assembly

Two counts of Breach of Peace in the Second Degree

Because of his age, police will not release his name.

The Outsider invited local leaders from both parties to comment on the recent attacks. We will be sharing their complete responses in a future article.