Court to decide whether deportees can file appeals

HARTFORD (AP) >> The state Supreme Court will be deciding whether deported people can file appeals in criminal cases.

Justices are scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday in the case of a man identified only as Jerzy G., who was deported to Poland in 2012 while in a probationary program on a misdemeanor sexual assault charge filed by Stratford police. His last name was not disclosed to protect the victim’s identity.

Defense and immigration lawyers say the case

is important to uphold appeal rights and allow deported people who win appeals to return to the U.S.

After Jerzy G. was deported, a judge terminated the probation program and ordered him rearrested. Jerzy G. appealed, but the Appellate Court ruled the appeal was moot because of the deportation. He then appealed to the Supreme Court.

Hoarding hampers attempts to reach woman who died in fire

NORWALK (AP) >> Connecticut fire officials say a woman has died after a fire broke out in a Norwalk home with extreme hoarding conditions.

Crews responded to the house just after 7 a.m. Sunday and found fire coming out of a second-floor bedroom window. Neighbors said there was a woman in the house. Firefighters say they had a difficult time moving through the house because the rooms, hallways and stairs were cluttered, nearly to the ceiling in some places.

Officials said firefighters had to crawl on top of mounds of belongings to locate the woman and put out the fire.

The woman was taken to Norwalk Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Her identity was not immediately released. Fire officials said there was no one else in the home.