Poquonnock Bridge swears in new firefighter
New London
Mariano Rolan, 33, of 65 Federal St. was charged Thursday with possession of narcotics: heroin.
Cinda Torres, 32, of 46 B62 Crystal Ave. was charged Friday with breach of peace.
Julianna Vince, 62, of 325 Huntington St. was charged Friday with breach of peace.
Norwich
charged Thursday in Griswold with interfering with a police officer and failure to pay or plead.
Susan Roetting, 48, of Colchester was charged Friday with operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol and failure to drive in the proper lane.
Waterford
Groton — The Poquonnock Bridge Fire District on Friday swore in full-time firefighter Harry Reed, a longtime member of the New London Fire Department and its firefighter of the year.
Reed takes over for Patrick Leonard, a paramedic and former member of Poquonnock Bridge Fire who was hired by New London Fire in December. Leonard’s brother, Michael Leonard, is a lieutenant at the New London Fire Department.
Reed, 46, said he was drawn to Poquonnock Bridge by the people he met and how the department turned itself around.
“Honestly, how quickly they recovered from the issues they had two years ago speaks a lot to the integrity of the department, so when I heard they were looking for people, that was a big draw,” he said.
The fire district grappled with a major financial crisis, closed one of its two fire stations and laid off nine firefighters before turning things around last year.
Reed, of Waterford, served 26 years with the New London Fire Department. He joined the volunteer department in Waterford at age 16, went to the Submarine Base Fire Department for a year and a half, then joined New London Fire before turning 21. He was just named firefighter of the year.
Reed interviewed for the Poquonnock Bridge job on March 18, and the department hired him shortly after. A group of captains interviewed five can- didates for the job.
“It was just a good opportunity, and I’m too young to retire,” Reed said. “I like to stay active, and I still really love the job.”
“He’s a silent leader,” Po- quonnock Bridge Fire Chief Joseph Winski said. “With his wisdom and his experience, he’s going to really be a benefit to the department and to the town of Groton.”