New London man, who once sued city over police misconduct, arrested again
New London — City police again have arrested Lance Goode.
Goode, 51, of Groton was charged Wednesday with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to police, Goode was arrested at 26 Mountain Ave. in New London at about 11:30 a.m. A press release put out Thursday morning from the New London Police Department said that at around 11:12 a.m., police "responded to a call for a male passed out behind the wheel of a running vehicle located partially on the sidewalk in the area of Mountain Avenue and Manwaring Street."
Police arrived at the scene and identified the man as Goode, the release said.
According to the release, police found and seized 1.5 grams of crack cocaine, 57 Alprazolam pills, eight individually packaged bags of heroin, a digital scale with narcotic residue and a narcotic smoking device.
Goode was given a court date of Nov. 22 and was released on a non-surety bond.
Goode's arrest is the latest development in a contentious history between the former New London resident and the city police department. He brought a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city in 2012 after a 2010 incident in which he claimed police used excessive force and falsely arrested him, then planted drugs on him in a separate incident six months later.
An integral part of the lawsuit was the claim that former K-9 Officer Roger Newton planted a bag of oxycodone near Goode's car during an October 2010 arrest. Newton was placed on administrative leave once a video of the arrest was made public. He later resigned from the department, although he claimed in a subsequent lawsuit against the city that he was forced to resign.
The Day reported in 2014 that Goode has "numerous felony drug convictions" and, at the time, was incarcerated on charges that he hindered a police investigation of the August 2013 fatal shooting of Jesus "Gee" Pinero.
In a different 2010 incident, Goode said several police officers smashed him into a wall and stunned him with a taser. He was charged with trespassing at a New London Housing Authority complex where his mother lived. A New London prosecutor later dismissed the trespassing charges.
In November 2014, the City Council approved a $50,000 settlement for Goode's lawsuit.
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