New Hartford man faces drug, weapon charges

TORRINGTON — A New Hartford man facing drug and weapon-related charges was arraigned Tuesday in state Superior Court in Torrington, according to court records.

Joel D. Griffiths, 42, of Dorothy Drive, New Hartford, was arrested Sept. 29 and charged with three counts of possession of narcotics with intent to sell, three counts of possession with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school, three counts of possession of narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia in a drug factory, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a weapon in motor vehicle and criminal possession of an electronic weapon.

According to an affidavit, Griffiths was stopped Aug. 31 as he was leaving the scene of a burglary on Main Street and charged with attempt to commit third-degree burglary, second-degree breach of peace, second-degree threatening and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.

Griffiths was in possession of a small pocket knife, while police found weighted black gloves, a black briefcase and an expandable police baton while searching his vehicle, officers said.

During the investigation, police were told Griffiths was “heavily involved in the illicit narcotics trade” and “constantly in possession of a black briefcase, which contains large quantities of narcotics, as well as at least one firearm,” according to the affidavit.

A Winsted police officer was previously told that Griffiths was involved in “’heavy’ drug activity within the town of Winsted,” and that there was a hidden compartment in his vehicle where he was known to keep narcotics, accessible by entering a code into the GPS.

State police learned of a hidden compartment in the vehicle in 2015 during an earlier arrest and investigation, according to the affidavit.

On Sept. 1, police in Winsted received a search warrant for Griffith’s vehicle and unlocked containers it contained, including the briefcase.

According to the affidavit, a Winchester police officer knew that the touch screen for the car’s radio moved up and down, providing access to the compartment. A code was required, but the officer “was aware that with enough upward pressure applied to the screen, it could be forced open yielding the hidden compartment.”

Police found 38 grams of heroin and 2.8 grams of cocaine in the compartment, when weighed in their respective packaging, according to the affidavit. An additional 11 grams of an “off white rock like substance” was also found but not field tested.

Items found in the briefcase included 115.6 grams of fentanyl, when weighed in its packaging; hypodermic needles, pipes, a digital scale, a lighter, a beltlike object, and a rope-like object, police said. Other substances that were not field-tested were found as well.

A stun gun was found in a compartment in the trunk and $51 in cash was found behind the access door for the fuse panel on the driver’s side of the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Griffiths was arraigned Oct. 10. His case was transferred to Part A, where more serious cases are adjudicated, at the request of counsel. He is next scheduled to appear in court Nov. 14.