A Danbury woman called police to complain she was being harassed by Bethel First Selectman Robert Burke in June, a Danbury Police Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday.
The alleged incident took place more than five months after an incident that resulted in Burke's arrest by Connecticut State Police on Monday.
No criminal charges were brought against Burke in the Danbury case, police department spokesman Capt. Thomas Wendel said Tuesday.
Instead, police contacted a prosecutor in the Danbury state's attorney's office and were referred to state police, who by this time were already pursuing a separate investigation against Burke. Danbury police turned the complaint over to the state police.
However, the two alleged incidents are apparently related. The woman who contacted Danbury police is the daughter of the woman who filed the complaint in December that led to Burke's arrest for second-degree harassment.
"My family has been having problems with him for a long time," the daughter claimed Tuesday.
So from what little we know about this situation, Burke had the cops called on him on by the victim and the victim's daughter on at least two occasisons.
Lets look back at what Bethel Police Commissioner Nick Ellis said to the News-Times yesterday.
Bethel Police Commissioner Nick Ellis, who was elected three and a half years ago, said he was sorry about the arrest but knew it was coming.
"I feel sorry for Bob and his family, but the victim has gone through a lot,'' Ellis said Monday. "I'm sorry it had to happen this way."
Ellis said Burke and the alleged victim had a personal relationship that was private between them and their families, but the issue became public after the individual went to the police department several times.
The alleged victim didn't want to file a complaint initially but finally did last December, Ellis said.
What's worse is that just about everyone in Bethel knew about the "rumors" surrounding Burke's situation before the arrest...including those within Burke's own party.
[Selectman] Szatkowski said that he, like many people, had heard rumors of Burke's situation for weeks.
"We're a small community,'' Szatkowski said. "Everybody knows everybody.''
"It was probably the most open secret in town,'' said GOP Town chairman Paul Improta.
Improta said the rumors of Burke's legal problems were among the reasons the town committee decided not to endorse him, instead backing Craybas.
"We didn't want people saying 'You knew about this and you endorsed the guy anyway?'" Improta related.
Like Szatkowski, Improta said it would be "wise'' for Burke to drop his primary challenge.
"It would be good for the town,'' he said. "We don't need to go through a fight he has no chance of winning. I think he'd be doing himself a favor."
Although the case is scheduled for Spetember 8th, the recent news reports are not looking good for Burke.
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