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10/13/2017 12:00 AMMadison Police reported on Twitter just before 2 p.m. that they have captured an armed robbery suspect. But state police and Madison town officials report that another suspect may still be at large.
First Selectman Tom Banisch was recently briefed by Madison Police Chief Jack Drumm. Banisch said he was informed the one suspect was captured in the area of Fairfield Road and that State Police are currently in pursuit of the second suspect who they believe may have left the area by car.
Police Chief Jack Drumm confirmed that one suspect was apprehended in Madison by Madison officers and State Police are currently in pursuit of the other suspect who is believed to have left the area. The one suspect is currently in state police custody.
"The state police wanted to take him to their facility so we handed them off to the state police and he is with them now," he said.
Drumm said the local police along with support from other shoreline towns were able to apprehend the suspect quickly and efficiently.
"When they came into Madison we got the school in lockdown, we notified the community, and we had officers on the perimeter very quickly and it worked," he said. "We had great cooperation from our regional partners."
Madison Resident Gives Eyewitness Account of Arrest
A Madison resident who lives in the area of Duck Hole Road and Five Field Road said she and her husband--having been alerted to the search by a neighbor--were sitting on their porch Friday afternoon when they saw a shirtless young man, who looked like he was about 20 years old, run in from the area of Five Field Road, across her garden, across her driveway, across the lawn, and head towards a swamp nearby.
She gave this account to Zip06.com, but asked that their names not be used, because of the ongoing search and investigation.
"The only reason why I knew about the search was that my neighbor has a [police radio/scanner]," she said Friday afternoon. "I was at the gym with [my husband] and I got a call from that neighbor about the search. She called to warn us."
She said on their drive home from the gym they either saw, or heard about from neighbors who were calling each other back and forth on their phones, about the police activity near New Road, and on the rest stop off of I-95S by McDonald's in Madison.
When they got closer to their home, they saw one of their neighbors out by her mailbox.
"There was a girl out by her mailbox and we told her 'go into your house and lock the doors,'" she said.
She and her husband got home, still chatting with their neighbors by phone, and sat in their sunroom attached to the house where they normally go to relax and chat. But this time she says, "we were actually watching for something."
Then, they saw something.
"We saw someone coming in from Five Fields," she says. "He ran in by my garden, he ran across the driveway, and he ran across my lawn...He ran right across."
So she said something. At this point she was having back-and-forth phone conversations with three of her neighbors. She had one neighbor on the phone in one hand, and called 911 with a phone in her other hand.
"I told them, 'it looks like he ran right across my yard into the swamp!'" she said.
Then they waited. It seemed like they were waiting forever. Still no police. In retrospect, she said they really probably only waited for a few minutes, but it seemed like forever. So they called again. "I said, 'we know where he is!'"
Madison Police Sergeant Jeremy Yorke soon arrived in his police car. Shortly thereafter, there were more police cars from Madison, along with police cars from Clinton, Guilford, and the state police too, and police dogs. She said she thinks there were 15 to 20 police officers there.
"I told them what we saw and they were able to go and get him," she said.
She said she is concerned that she did not recieve a Reverse 911 call alerting them to the search, even though she is signed up for the service. She also said she and her husband were happy they were able to help police.
"I think the key is that when something happens in a neighborhood, everybody should keep an eye out, and help the police," she said. "Everybody should get themselves into a safe place, and keep an eye out. You can be the eyes and ears for police."
Was she scared?
"You know, I don't think he ever looked at us," she said, adding that her husband thought he saw something in his hand, but that it looked like a cell phone. "He was a young guy. Maybe in his 20s. He was running scared."
Updates from State Police and School Officials
State police released this statement on Facebook at 2:30 p.m.:
"UPDATE (October 13, 2017 2:30 p.m.): One suspect in custody, troopers still seek second suspect.
BOLO for two black male suspects following 11:30 a.m. armed robbery in Denny's parking lot located at 28 Flat Rock Place, Westbrook.
Male suspects last seen in the area of the I-95 southbound Madison rest area. No further descriptions yet.
Troopers, police officers and K9 teams searching the area.
Call 911 with any info or text TIP711 with any information to 274637. All calls and texts will be kept confidential."
Madison Public Schools released this statement at 2:36 p.m.:
"Earlier today, at approximately 11:30 a..m., we were informed that the Madison Police Department were in pursuit of a suspect on foot who was considered dangerous. This matter was completely unrelated to the earlier message sent regarding Daniel Hand High School this morning.
The suspect's location was close enough to our TCLC Preschool that the school was placed on a modified lockdown, which requires that we continue with the school day as usual, but keep students indoors.. The MPD informed us that at no point were any other schools effected. About an hour later we were informed that it was recommended to place the preschool, along with the Board of Education offices, and the Town Hall, on full lockdown. In this procedure, students remain in their classrooms, the locked exterior doors are not opened for guests or visitors, and shades are drawn where possible. Within minutes of initiating the full lockdown, we received an "all clear" message from the Madison Police Department.
Since it was PE and Art day for our students, they happily engaged in their normally planned Friday activities. The faculty and staff did an exemplary job in maintaining normalcy in the school.
As always, our district Safety Committee, which meets regularly, will debrief these events with the Madison Police Department and other town personnel.
If you have any questions or concerns, I encourage you to contact me directly at 203-245-6320.
Thank you for your understanding.
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools"
The incident, which started in Westbrook earlier Friday following a report of an armed robbery at the Denny's there, led to a police operation on the rest area of I-95 S in Madison, one that included between 15 to 20 officers, some of them dressed in SWAT gear, according to one eyewitness account.
Madison officials said that the town campus--where town offices are located--was put on lockdown, along with one school that is on the town campus. Westbrook school officials said they restricted outdoor activities at their schools Friday morning, until they were given the all clear by police, upon which the activities resumed.
In addition to Madison and state police, Clinton police were involved with the investigation.
This story will be updated with additional information as it is received.
Staff writers Zoe Roos, Becky Coffey, and Pem McNerney contributed to this story.