Area courts absorb personnel reductions as fall term gets underway
The New London Judicial District will have fewer judges presiding over civil cases and fewer judicial marshals to maintain order in the courts when the new judicial term begins Tuesday.
One of the district's civil judges, Robert F. Vacchelli, has retired, and two, presiding civil judge John J. Nazzaro and judge Leeland J. Cole-Chu, have been assigned to different districts. Nazzaro is headed to New Haven and Cole-Chu to Windham.
Three judicial marshals retired as of Sept. 1, and replacements have not yet been assigned. The retirees are Rod Gaynor, who worked at the Huntington Street courthouse in New London, Ron Johnson who worked in the juvenile courthouse in Waterford and Jeanne Smith, who worked in the Norwich courthouse.
"We'll work with whatever resources we have and make the best of it, and somehow we'll make it go," said Hillary B. Strackbein, chief administrative judge for the New London district.
As of Tuesday, Judge Harry E. "Hal" Calmar will be transferring into the district, where he will serve as the presiding judge over civil matters, Strackbein said. Calmar, of Stonington, has not worked in the New London district since he was appointed to the bench in 2006.
Judge Timothy D. Bates will remain as a civil judge handling cases under the state Judicial Branch's individual calendaring program in which cases are assigned to a single judge from beginning to end. Senior judges and judge trial referees, who work fewer days, will be filling in the gaps in foreclosure, housing and family cases.
"We're going to be a little bit short, but we'll make do and get it done," said David S. Gage, chief clerk for the judicial district.
Two area judges who previously worked in the family court in Norwich are returning to that docket. Judge John L. Carbonneau will serve as the presiding judge over family matters, joined by Judge Kenneth L. Shluger.
The two judges who had been handling family matters, have been reassigned. Judge Susan A. Connors will be hearing cases in New Britain and Judge Leo V. Diana has been assigned to Middletown to hear cases in the regional family trial.
The district's small claims cases, previously were heard at the Broad Street courthouse in New London, and then at a centralized court in Hartford, will be tried at the Huntington Street, New London courthouse beginning in October. Small claims cases involve claims of money damages up to $5,000 and are heard by magistrates, who are lawyers appointed by the state's Chief Court Administrator.
Judge John C. Driscoll and Judge Trial Referee Michael A. Mack will continue to hear cases at the juvenile courthouse in Waterford.
Strackbein will continue to oversee major criminal cases on the so-called Part A docket at the Huntington Street courthouse in New London. Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed will continue to conduct criminal trials at Part A.
Judge Ernest Green Jr. and Kimberly A. Knox, confirmed to the bench earlier this summer, will remain assigned to the Geographical Area 10 courthouse on Broad Street in New London and the Geographical Area 21 courthouse in Norwich, respectively.
A few criminal trials are anticipated this fall.
Judge Arthur C. Hadden, who sits in Norwich, is expected to preside over the retrial of Chihan Eric Chyung, whose conviction in the June 2, 2009, shooting death of his newlywed wife, Paige Anne Bennett, was overturned by the state Supreme Court in April. The trial will go forward if Chyung turns down a plea offer at his Sept. 21 court appearance.
Hadden also is expected to preside over the jury trial of Lauri J. Villa, who is accused of embezzling more than $20,000 while working as a bookkeeper for a Lebanon farmer. Her first trial, in New London in March 2017, ended with a mistrial when a six-member jury was unable to reach a verdict.
Also on the upcoming trial docket in New London is a case involving George Zhu, a mini baccarat dealer at Foxwoods Resort casino, and a husband and wife, Boheng Zeng and Yan Wang. The dealer is accused of colluding with the two patrons to cheat the casino out of more than $300,000 in 2014. All three have pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree larceny and cheating at gambling and turned down plea offers from the state. Attorneys for the trio and the state are due to argue pretrial motions on Sept. 13 in Judge Jongbloed's courtroom.
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