Convicted Greenwich kidnapper released from jail on bond

STAMFORD — A former judicial marshal with a troubled past, who is living under a new name, has been released after being arrested last month after an altercation at a Greenwich hotel.

Alexander Edell, 36, formerly known as Alexander Wendorf, of Cos Cob, was arrested at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich hotel on Aug. 1, when a woman called 911 to report an altercation with him.

Edell was accused of breaking down a door between two adjoining rooms he rented, according to the arrest report.

Police said they found a large amount of drugs and paraphernalia in both rooms, including marijuana, Xanax and Ketamine.

Edell was charged with operation of a drug factory, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, assault, criminal mischief and interfering with a 911 call.

Edell was released this week on $100,000 bond after a Stamford judge lowered it from $500,000. Edell, a former Stamford resident, told Judge Richard Comerford he wanted to get out of jail to find a private attorney to represent him.

Before changing his name, Wendorf was a judicial marshal in Norwalk for seven months in 2002. In 2010, he posed as a police officer and kidnapped a female student at Norwalk Community College, where he had taken classes, according to court records.

Police said Wendorf injected a dose of cocaine during the abduction before the woman escaped by jumping out of the car.

Wendorf pleaded guilty to second-degree kidnapping, first-degree criminal restraint and impersonating an officer. He was sentenced to four years in prison.

His next court date is Sept. 27.