Crime & Safety

Regional Police Roundup: April Fools' Joke Brings More Cops than Laughs

An Ellington man pulling an April Fools' joke on his girlfriend ended up with a police escort instead of a funny punchline.

This article was written and reported by Jayme Kunze.

April Fools' Joke Gone Wrong

The case: An Ellington man was charged with breach of peace and filing a false report on April 1, according to police.
The twist: The charges stem from an April Fools’ joke gone wrong. In the spirit of the holiday, the 20-year-old Friendly’s employee texted his girlfriend and told her that the Manchester restaurant was being robbed, police said. The girlfriend promptly called 911, police said. Officers surrounded the Friendly’s and escorted the prankster and his fellow employees out of the restaurant at gunpoint, according to police.

Painful Wakeup Call


The case: A Middletown woman was charged with breach of peace on March 28, according to police.
The twist: The woman’s live-in boyfriend called police to their home and told officers that his girlfriend had punched him in the privates to wake him up after he failed to wake up to his alarm, police report. The woman told police that she only tapped him with her hand, according to police.

Man Crashes Stolen Car


The case: A South Windsor man got into a car accident  and was charged with larceny in the third degree (possession of a stolen vehicle), operating an unregistered motor vehicle, misuse of registration plates, no insurance, failure to renew license and failure to drive a reasonable distance apart, police report.
The twist: Police discovered that the man’s car was stolen after he crashed into a South Windsor public works vehicle on April 2, police said. The car did not have registration or insurance, police report. Officers later found out that the car was marked as stolen from Springfield, Mass., according to police.

Crime in the Family


The case: Police report that they charged a Vernon man with 20 counts of ATM fraud and third-degree larceny.
The twist: The man withdrew more than $2,300 from a number of Vernon ATMs using a family member’s card, police said.

Enforcing Strip-Free School Zones


The case: A Massachusetts woman was charged with driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol and second-degree breach of peace, according to police.
The twist: The woman pulled into Manchester’s Buckley Elementary School on the afternoon of March 30 and began to take off her clothing, police said. Students were not in school, but some children were playing baseball in a field near the parking lot, police said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.