Name: Connecticut state trooper taken off the road after stopped motorist records tirade
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Connecticut state trooper taken off the road after stopped motorist records tirade

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AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantMay 19, 2020 at 1:34 pmA state trooper was placed on desk duty after a driver recorded an expletive-laced tirade in which the trooper scorned his job and derided the motoring public.The trooper’s behavior in a of the traffic stop Monday “is disturbing,” state police Col. Stavros Mellekas said in a prepared statement, but does not reflect the great work of the men and women of the state police or the agency’s values.AdvertisementMellekas did not identify the trooper, who has been placed on administrative duty during an internal investigation. But his name tag, clearly seen in the video of the I-95 stop, identifies him as Trooper Matthew Spina.Posting on Youtube as “C.O.P. Civilian on Patrol,” the driver was identified by state police as Kevin A. Jette, who recorded the entire stop at the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in New Haven. The video begins with Spina at the passenger side window and Jette asking him, “Can I just ask you why you’re riding their butt like that and speeding, man?”AdvertisementThe description of the video says the trooper “was driving erratically and I flipped him off and threw my hand out the window (I did not realize it was a State trooper driving like that until he passed me, I was just flipping off someone I thought was driving like an [expletive] and putting other motorists in danger).”Spina explains that he was running the license plate of the vehicle he was following and then asks Jette why he was speeding. Jette answers that he was “only going 60,” and Spina informs him that the speed limit is 40 mph.“Oh, and give me the weed, too,” Spina says.When Jette starts a stammered reply that he has a medical marijuana card, the trooper orders him out of the car.“You wanna [expletive] run your mouth — you came to the right guy,” Spina says.He tells Jette that he is being detained, but is not under arrest and then explains that the driver of a blue car who was tailgating the trooper decided to pass the police car "and flip me off!”“Who the [expletive] do you think you are worrying about what I’m doing?” he shouts at Jette.The video then shows Spina searching the vehicle and saying, “God help you if there’s anything illegal in this car.”AdvertisementHe asks Jette twice if the marijuana that he admitted was in the car was in the original dispensary container. Jette answers "no” and Spina responds, “Then you’re [expletive]. How’s that sound? Mind your own [expletive] business next time.”The trooper tells Jette he was “going to issue a simple citation, but you just couldn’t [expletive] shut your mouth.”“You ever hear of a heat-seeker?” Spina asks. “A heat-seeker is someone who draws attention to himself.”With Jette apparently handcuffed outside, the trooper says, “Why am I speeding? I’m doing my [expletive] job.” He then recites a state statute that allows police to disregard traffic laws in performance of their duty.“How the [expletive] am I gonna catch a speeder if I’m not speeding?” he yells.Spina then says, “It just never [expletive] ends in this [expletive] job. I got 14 months. I can’t [expletive] wait to be done.”AdvertisementHe then talks about understaffing in the agency and says, “There’s a [expletive] clue to the public what a bunch of [expletives] you are.”With a small black container in his hand, Spina says, “right there — you want it on paper or not?" — apparently referring to medical marijuana not in its original container, as required by law. Spina then hurls the container to the ground and appears to stomp on it.It is difficult to hear part of the audio because of traffic noise, but in the description of the video, Spina is quoted as saying, “If I ever come across you again you are going over that bridge." Spina is then clearly heard saying, “You think I’m kidding? You think I’m [expletive] kidding?”As it happensGet the latest updates on Coronavirus and other breaking news events happening across Connecticut &gt; His last words to Jette are, “Don’t you ever [expletive] with me again!”Jette then says, “Hey, can you be safe?”Jette could not be reached for comment. Under the “about” section for Civilian on Patrol, the description says, “Highlighting the good; disciplining the bad; exposing the ugly. I can film, whatever I can see, from wherever I’m allowed to be.”AdvertisementNeither of the men in the video are wearing face masks.“We do recognize that all of us everywhere are under extreme stress during this pandemic,” Mellekas said. "For our troopers, they are dealing with the impact on their personal lives along with workplace stressors of being on the front line.“While not an excuse, we are sensitive to this and also referred the trooper to our employee assistance program," he said. "We have also recently launched a resiliency program to help all our employees dealing with this pandemic.”Jesse Leavenworth can be reached at jleavenworth@courant.com Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantMay 19, 2020 at 1:34 pmA state trooper was placed on desk duty after a driver recorded an expletive-laced tirade in which the trooper scorned his job and derided the motoring public.The trooper’s behavior in a of the traffic stop Monday “is disturbing,” state police Col. Stavros Mellekas said in a prepared statement, but does not reflect the great work of the men and women of the state police or the agency’s values.AdvertisementMellekas did not identify the trooper, who has been placed on administrative duty during an internal investigation. But his name tag,...

Connecticut state trooper taken off the road after stopped motorist records tirade

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