Former Hartford police officer Kenneth A. Elyosius, who amassed a lengthy criminal record after leaving the police service in 1997, was sentenced Wednesday to four months in prison for two probation violations.

The 63-year-old Bristol resident was arrested five times last summer in connection with boating incidents in Groton and Stonington and disturbances at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and Hot Rod Cafe in New London. His sailboat ultimately ran aground on Crescent Beach in East Lyme and was demolished.

On Sept. 11, 2015, Elyosius pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree breach of peace and was sentenced by Judge Omar A. Williams to a year in prison, fully suspended, and a year of probation. The judge ordered him to get mental health and substance abuse evaluations and treatment, if necessary, remove his boat from a Town of Stonington mooring and stay away from Hot Rod Cafe and its owner, Rod Cornish. Another condition of his probation was that he not violate any laws.

Four days later, on Sept. 15, the manager of the Marine West store in Stonington called police to report that Elyosius had defecated behind the store and had been argumentative inside the store. His probation officer, Deborah Fenner, prepared an arrest warrant, and he was charged in October with two counts of violation of probation.

He faced up to a year in prison going into Wednesday's hearing before Superior Court Judge Susan B. Handy. Elyosius admitted he had violated probation, and during the sanction portion of the proceeding, prosecutor Mary Jean Kanabis elicited testimony from Elyosius' probation officer, Fenner, who said she had concerns about the effectiveness of returning him to probation.

Defense attorney Kenneth A. Leary argued that Elyosius had tried to comply with the conditions of his probation and was at the marine supply store trying to re-instate his marine towing contract in order to remove the boat from the town mooring.

Elyosius testified that he has a stomach condition that gives him "diarrhea attacks," and that when he arrived to find the store had not yet opened, he could not wait any longer to go to the bathroom. He said he asked the manager to let him inside before the store opened, and the manager refused "for security reasons," but gave him some brown paper towels to use as toilet paper. Later, after the store opened, Elyosius said the manager took offense when he spoke with another customer about the problems with his towing service. He said he apologized to the manager and shook his hand.

"I said, 'Thank you,' '' he testified. "I said, sir, it's unfortunate you made me go (to the bathroom) in the woods." 

Elyosius' girlfriend, Barbara Jones, testified she had been driving him to a treatment program for the past six weeks and that he is seeing a doctor for his digestive issue. Leary said Elyosius has had anger issues since he was dismissed from the Hartford Police Department and "has the tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time."

The prosecutor elicited testimony also from Judicial Marshal John Lawyea, who testified that Elyosius had urinated in a holding cell at the Broad Street courthouse and "had a bowel movement" after the marshals refused to remove his handcuffs because of his behavior.

Kanabis asked the judge to impose a nine-month sentence, reading from a Elyosius' lengthy wrap sheet, which includes convictions in Connecticut, Florida and Rhode Island for assault, interfering with police and driving under the influence.

Elyosius said he was "sincerely sorry" for the inconvenience to the state and court officials and told the judge he wanted to show he could be "a good probationer."

The judge, noting Elyosius violated his probation "a mere four days" after his sentencing and only began treatment a few weeks before Wednesday's hearing, imposed a four-month sentence and told the marshals to take Elyosius into custody.

k.florin@theday.com