Police: 2 cops charged for being at hotel while on duty
NORWALK — Two Norwalk police officers were arrested Tuesday in relation to an October incident when they were found at a local hotel while they were supposed to be on duty, according to police.
Officers Michael DiMeglio and Sara Laudano turned themselves in Tuesday on charges of seconddegree larceny and seconddegree reckless endangerment. Laudano faces an additional charge of risk of injury to a minor.
Sgt. Sofia Gulino said the arrests were made in connection to an October incident when the two officers were missing from duty.
At 12:47 a.m. on Oct. 10, police said dispatchers put out a call for Laudano by radio and cellphone, but she couldn’t be reached. After failing to get ahold of her, a supervisor pinged her police cruiser and found it at Even Hotel in Norwalk.
Gulino said an officer was dispatched to the hotel, where they learned Laudano and DiMeglio were together in a hotel room. When the officer went to the room, they found that “the officers were not in a condition to respond to calls for service,” Gulino said.
Both officers were later relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave.
Following the incident, a “comprehensive” investigation was launched into the two officers’ conduct, Gulino said.
Gulino said the investigation uncovered information “regarding the scope of the conduct of the officers in the hours leading up to being located,” that “rose beyond departmental policy violations and a criminal investigation into the incident was warranted.”
Police did not reveal any further information about the two officers’ actions leading up to when they were found.
Chief Thomas Kulhawik said Tuesday that he was “appalled” at the behavior of the two officers while they were on duty.
“We have a high expectation of our officers. We demand this, as does our community who place a great deal of trust in them. Intentional conduct which violates that trust and goes against the mission and values of this department will not be tolerated,” he said.
Kulhawik said the department will now conduct an internal investigation into DiMeglio and Laudano, followed by a disciplinary process.
“I am extremely disappointed in the apparent dereliction of their duty to both the citizens of Norwalk as well as to their fellow officers,” Kulhawik said. “We will have no further comment until after the disciplinary process is complete.”
Norwalk Police Union President Dave O’Connor said the whole thing was “a regrettable situation.”
“They’re entitled to due process and I hope that this thing works itself out as we get further into this process,” he said.
DiMeglio, a Marine Corps veteran who was hired in January 2012, has been among the city’s highest paid officers since at least 2015.
Laudano was hired by the department in December 2015.
Neither officer could be reached for comment Tuesday.
Both DiMeglio and Laudano were held on $75,000 bond and given court dates of Feb. 16.