New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Chief: Probe ongoing into incident at chemical company
OLD SAYBROOK — Days after police cleared the scene of a local biochemical supply company that was the focus of a multi-agency criminal investigation last week, few details have been released in the incident.
Old Saybrook Police Chief Michael Spera said Monday he had “no other details pertaining to the active criminal investigation.”
The response to the incident, which began around 2 p.m. Wednesday, included the Connecticut State Police Bomb Squad at the request of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The investigation also led to two “planned” detonations at the site on Thursday, according to officials. Authorities cleared the scene last Thursday evening, but did not say what was detonated.
Spera said Monday the business, LabDIRECT LLC, remains closed to the public by order of the local health district. The business had been deemed “uninhabitable,” officials said last week. The Connecticut River
Area Health District’s director did not immediately respond to an email seeking clarification about why the site remains closed.
No arrests have been made in connection with the investigation, according to Spera.
Asked if there was any further threat to the public on Monday, Spera noted that businesses nearby had reopened, and that if there were a threat to the public, authorities would still be at the scene.
He declined to say whether federal law enforcement is still involved in the case, citing the ongoing criminal investigation.
Employees of nearby businesses said last week they also were not told what had happened. Mark Everin, an employee at a business across the street, said they were told to leave work at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Many workers returned around noon Thursday, but were told the building would not be opening.