Trooper pleads not guilty in Mystic bar assault
State trooper Jeffrey A. Meninno pleaded not guilty Monday during his first appearance in New London Superior Court on charges that he assaulted a man during a June 10 altercation at a Mystic bar.
Meninno, 52, of Waterford, is accused of second-degree assault, third-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace. He has retained Hartford attorney Robert J. Britt and is due back in court on July 26.
Meninno, who was hired by the Connecticut State Police in 1997 and worked out of the Troop E barracks in Montville, was on workers' compensation at the time of his arrest. State police said they removed his gun and badge after the arrest and that the Connecticut State Police Bureau of Professional Standards would conduct an internal investigation.
He is accused of punching a man in the face at Chapter One Fine Food and Drink.
Groton Town police, called to the bar at 12:58 a.m. on Saturday, June 10, said in a report that the unidentified male victim, whose face was bloody, appeared to have suffered a broken jaw and tooth injuries and was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital to see specialists.
The police reviewed video footage of the incident that they said showed Meninno standing at the bar and talking to a man and a woman to his left just before the assault occurred. According to the report, Meninno repeatedly turned his attention to the victim, who was standing on his right. Meninno and the man exchanged words, then Meninno punched the man in the face at least two times before the men moved out of the range of the camera, according to the report.
Witnesses said Meninno shoved a person attempting to escort him out of the bar and shoved the person again outside the bar. He left the area. Groton officers arrested him at his Waterford home at 4:15 a.m.
Meninno told police the man was poking fun of him and would not leave him alone. He said he asked the man to leave several times, and then "threw three jabs" at the victim's face with his left hand.
The victim said Meninno threatened him after he laughed at a joke that the woman made about Meninno being her father. He said he walked away for a moment, but when he came back to order a drink, Meninno threatened again to hit him. Thinking it was a joke, he said he turned away and Meninno punched him three or four times while he wasn't paying attention.
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