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Connecticut Crime Logs Hamden

Hamden crime report: Week of March 1

Second-degree Manslaughter Arrest/March 2

Hamden police arrested Taya Petteway-Campbell, 22, on March 2, charging her with manslaughter in the second degree with a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle under the influence and speeding and failure to drive in the proper lane.

The investigation started on Jan. 1, following a motor vehicle accident on the corner of Whitney Avenue and Buell Drive. Police concluded that Petteway-Campbell crossed over the double yellow line and hit an oncoming vehicle “head-on.” James McKenna, the man driving the other vehicle involved, died in the crash.

The police department released Petteway-Campbell on a $75,000 bail and she is scheduled to appear at the Meriden Superior Court on May 3. 

First-degree Assault/March 1 

Hamden Police Department responded to a shooting on Jan. 21, at the 300 block of Putnam Avenue where they found a 30-year-old Hamden resident shot in the leg. Emergency service transported the victim, unnamed by Hamden police, to Yale-New Haven Hospital shortly after.

After investigating the suspect, the Hamden Police Department arrested Tayvon Geter on March 1. Geter, 29, was charged with assault in the first-degree, criminal possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit. He is currently detained under a $500,000 bond and is likewise scheduled for a hearing at Meriden Superior Court on May 4.

Armed Robbery/March 1

Police are still searching for a man who robbed the Alltown Fresh on 1941 Dixwell Ave. early Monday morning, March 1. The photos below show the suspect and were provided by Hamden police.

Following an investigation, police reported the suspect — “white male, middle-aged, 5’10”, 200 lbs., wearing a dark blue and white striped ‘Adidas’ jacket and gray sweatpants” — entered Alltown Fresh and pointed a gun at the store’s clerk. The suspect pulled the trigger, although the gun did not fire, and the clerk quickly gave the suspect the cash register drawer.

The suspect left the store and fled the scene, heading northbound on Dixwell Avenue in a red four-door Chevrolet sedan, according to the police statement.

Police ask anyone with information please contact the Hamden detective division at 203-230-4000.

Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident/Feb. 26 

Hamden resident, 65-year-old Calvin Washington, died following a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Dixwell Avenue and Saint James St. on Feb. 25. 

Police responded to the accident and discovered Washington had been crossing from the east side of Dixwell Ave. and a Middletown resident, 38, struck Washington with their motor vehicle. 

Although Hamden Fire Rescue quickly transported Washington to the Yale-New Haven Hospital, the victim died at the hospital from life-threatening injuries, according to the police statement.


No information has been provided at this time about the suspect or potential charges.

Assault with a Knife/Feb. 26

Hamden Police are investigating a fight between two Quinnipiac University roommates, David Rowe and Benjamin Gudzy that took place early Friday morning and left one hospitalized after suffering a laceration wound to the neck.

Rowe, the victim, was released from the hospital the next day. The university suspended the suspect, according to Quinnipiac’s Interim Chief of Public Safety Don DiStefano.

Officer Paul Calamita responded to the 3:10 a.m. call at 275 Mount Carmel Ave. and said he found a 20-year-old student with a “large laceration” on his neck. The student told Calamita that his roommate jumped on top of him in his sleep and punched him.

The suspect and the victim got into an argument about a light in the room, according to a police statement, but no additional details were provided at this time. The roommate, who wielded a knife, reportedly cut the victim’s throat and Calamita and Quinnipiac Public Safety were later able to negotiate and safely disarm the suspect.

( Read more: QU students wish they had known about the Friday knife incident sooner. But the parent of the victim’s suitemate is unconcerned. )

Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident/Feb. 23

Thomas Henderson, a 40-year-old Hamden resident, died after he drove his vehicle into a snowbank and a utility pole around Prospect and Morse Street on Feb. 21. 

Hamden police responded to a call at about 10:30 p.m. and reported Henderson was driving eastbound on Morse Street at high speeds and ran through a stop sign before hitting the utility pole.

The Hamden fire department found Henderson dead at the scene after they were able to remove him from the vehicle.

Murder of Dennis Allen-Paige, Reward Offered/Feb. 22

Gov. Ned Lamont and the state of Connecticut authorized an increased reward of $50,000 on Feb. 22, from the original $25,000 award offered on Dec. 18, for any information about the murder of 21-year-old Dennis Allen-Paige. 

Police found Allen-Paige, who was walking home from work, dead early in the morning on Dec. 8, 2019. Reportedly, several men approached Allen-Paige near 63 Whiting St. and, when he tried to flee, the men shot Allen-Paige in his upper back. 

Allen-Paige’s wallet was missing, but later found by a “good samaritan” in New Haven. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Mark Sheppard at 203-230-4047 or the detective’s department at 203-230-4000.

By Garret Reich

Garret is a journalism major in her third year of the 3+1 Communications program at Quinnipiac University. Currently, she is an Editorial Associate at the Financial Brand and she really wants a cat.

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