New London police officer Deana Nott said in arrest warrant filed Tuesday that an argument that led to her arrest last week started when a patron at a Waterford restaurant insulted her.

In the warrant, Nott said that when she was leaving Sunset Ribs May 30, another patron, James Campbell - who had been involved in a confrontation with one of her dinner companions - grabbed her and called her a name.

She said the comment made her angry, and she slapped Campbell in the face, leaving him with a scratch on his right cheek.

Nott, 40, of 11 Ninth Ave., Waterford, was charged with second-degree breach of peace and suspended without pay last week from the New London Police Department.

New London police Chief Bruce Rinehart said he could not comment because it was a personnel matter. He said the suspension is in line with the city's personnel rules. The suspension will continue until the case is resolved in court, he said.

Campbell, 48, of 26R Lamphere Road, also was charged with breach of peace. Both Nott and Campbell are scheduled to appear Friday in New London Superior Court.

In the arrest warrant, Campbell claims he was at the bar with a friend that night, and he could see Nott and her friends sitting on the deck, looking and laughing at him. He said Nott's husband, Joseph, and one of her friends were giving him the middle finger.

Campbell said when he got up to get a beer, he went over to the table and asked one of the men in Nott's group “what's so funny?” That's when he states Joseph Nott jumped up and shoved him backward.

Campbell stated the verbal argument was broken up, and he was told to go to the opposite side of the deck.

He said the argument became physical when Deana Nott and her husband were leaving and after she and Campbell exchanged words, she reached across the table and struck his right cheek.

He said the scratch caused his cheek to bleed heavily but did not require medical attention.

In the warrant, Nott states that on the night of the incident she was having dinner at the restaurant with her husband and another couple. She said Campbell arrived at the restaurant and became confrontational with one of her guests.

At one point she said Campbell came to their table and flipped it over, dumping all of their food and drinks on the floor.

She said she asked the restaurant to kick him out, but instead they moved him to another side of the bar.

When she was leaving Sunset Ribs, she claims Campbell grabbed her and insulted her, which provoked her to slap him.

Waterford police said they did not receive any complaints from patrons at the bar about the incident, but later that night Campbell called the department saying he wanted Nott arrested for “assaulting” him, and police then started the investigation.

Waterford police Chief Murray J. Pendleton said there was a lag in making the arrest because the complainant did not file a formal complaint immediately. He also said it took time for police to receive a signed warrant from the Chief State's Attorney Office.

Campbell's arrest warrant wasn't available Wednesday.

A.RENCZKOWSKI@THEDAY.COM

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