2 men charged in police confrontation

TORRINGTON — Two men have been arrested and charged after a confrontation with officers, and one was found with a loaded pistol, police said.

Joeshel Mullen, 33, of Echo Lake Road in Watertown, was arrested Dec. 17 and charged with possession of a controlled substance and interfering with an officer/resisting arrest.

Nicholas Simpson, 29, of Pine Street in Waterbury, was arrested Dec. 17 and charged with interfering with an officer/resisting arrest, tampering with physical evidence, illegally carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of weapon in a motor vehicle, stealing firearm and attempt to commit first-degree assault.

Two officers were patrolling the area near the Stop & Shop at 211 High St. “due to recent information regarding narcotics being sold and used in the area,” police said in a probable cause report. They noticed “suspicious activity” involving a Chevrolet Suburban, and began to interact with Mullen, the driver, and Simpson, the report said.

An officer saw Simpson “attempt to place an object thought to be narcotics into his mouth” during the interaction, according to police.

“Simpson was told to step out of the vehicle and complied. While out of the vehicle, Simpson was asked what he placed in his mouth, Simpson replied ‘I swallowed it,’ ” said police in the report.

Officers patted down Simpson “to check for weapons,” according to the report. He “immediately pulled away and placed more objects into his mouth with his left hand,” at which time “Mullen began to yell and move toward the struggle,” police said.

“This movement was perceived as a threat and therefore pulling the attention away from Simpson,” said the officer.

Simpson began to reach for his right pants pocket, and the officers “took (him) to the ground in a forceful manner.” He continued to reach for his pocket before officers were able to control him, according to the report.

“Once Simpson’s hands were controlled, I reached into Simpson’s right pant pocket and located a black pistol,” said the officer. Other officers were called to the scene for backup.

The pistol was later determined to be stolen from a Torrington home. It contained six rounds of ammunition — five in the magazine and one in the chamber.

A partially-smoked marijuana cigarette was found in the car, which Mullen had rented and was driving, police said.

Simpson was held in lieu of $50,000 surety bond and scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Torrington on Dec. 18, while Mullen was released on a $10,000 surety bond and scheduled to appear Jan. 2., police said.

No record of Simpson’s case was available Tuesday at state Superior Court in Torrington, according to staff.