It took a long time to get my hands on this police report, even though my Freedom Of Information request was received in April of 2019. The 2017 police report indicates the owners allege to have observed a woman who changes her pants and a man who had a gun.

First, here are some things you need to know if you've never heard of Dudleytown:

  • It's a deserted parcel of land inside the rural CT town of Cornwall.
  • The area known as Dudleytown is categorized by many as "haunted."
  • Dudleytown is privately owned by a group known as the Dark Entry Forest Association.
  • The land was settled by the Dudley's, who originally came from England in 1632, with family members following suit throughout the 1600's to the late 1700's. The land was then abandoned sometime in the 1800's.
  • Legend has it, the Dudley's were cursed and an unusual number of them reportedly had "untimely ends". The Dudley's were said to be descendants of Edmund Dudley, who was beheaded for treason against Henry VIII. Many people believe the family curse was born from his execution.
  • Dudleytown is sometimes referred to as "The Village of the Damned."
  • No one is permitted to go there and both the Town of Cornwall and the ownership are quick to that point whenever asked about it.
  • Many CT residents have toured the area, both legally and illegally, and a lot of the people who've been there claim they've had paranormal experiences.
  • Famous paranormal enthusiasts, Ed and Lorraine Warren, declared the property demonically possessed in the 1970's.

Last year, I filed a Freedom of Information request with the Connecticut State Police, asking for any and all police reports related to Dudleytown in a three year period. They sent an approval list with case numbers and brief descriptions.

What I needed to do next was to request additional information for specific cases from that list and pay for them to be processed. The following is one of three police reports I asked for. This is case number is 1700556072.

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My request was stamped "received" on April 22, 2019, and was sent out to me on March 6, 2020. The police report was written by Investigating Officer Tufano, Lucas A. This is a transcript of that report and reads:

"ACTION TAKEN:

On 10/21/17 at approximately 1632 hours, myself and Tpr Ribadeneyra #542 were dispatched to a reported active disturbance, in the area of Bald Mountain Road, in the Town of Cornwall, during which a firearm was displayed. While en-route it was determined  the accused left the scene in a color red newer model Dodge Ram pickup truck.

Upon my arrival, I was met by Allen Herkimer DOB (5/29/1949) of 42 Bald Mountain Road, Cornwall Bridge. Herkimer appeared to be visibly shaken up but stated he was uninjured. Herkimer provided me with the following, sworn, written statement, in which he attested to the following in summary:

Herkimer stated that on 10/21/17 at approximately 4:25pm, he was driving his black Toyota 4 Runner. Herkimer stated that his wife, Judith Herkirmer (DOB 5/25/1954) was sitting in the front passengers seat. Herkimer stated that he was checking the top or dead end of this road (Bald Mountain Road) because his wife and he own Dark Entry Forest. Herkimer stated that they constantly have "ghost hunters" try and enter the forest because it's a well known area around the October month. Herkimer stated that after checking the top of the road, he was driving his hill and observed a newer style, red in color Dodge Ram pickup with CT plates driving up the hill towards him. Herkimer stated that he and the operator of the Dodge ended up passing each other right where Pond Road is. Herkimer stated that the Dodge truck was driving slowly and the operator was looking right at him. Herkimer stated that he then continued to pass the truck and it seemed like he and the operator of the Dodge Truck were both watching what the other was doing in their rear-view mirrors. Herkirmer stated that he then lost sight of the truck as it continued up the hill so he parked in Leich's driveway to wait for the Dodge truck to turn around and come back down the hill. Herkimer stated that he knows everyone's vehicle that lives on his road and he's never seen that vehicle before. Herkimer stated that he knew the operator of the truck was up to no good. Herkimer stated that he was waiting in the driveway for approximately seven (7) minutes before the Dodge truck started coming back down the hill. Herkimer stated that the operator of the truck stopped about one-hundred (100) feet away from him. Herkimer then stated that the operator then randomly jumped out of the truck and started stripping his clothing off. Herkimer stated that he suspected that the operator was taking his clothing off to get ticks off of him because the ticks are really bad at this time of the year. Herkimer stated that the operator was a white male late 30's to mid 40's with very short light blonde hair, maybe bald, approximately 5'10" in height and about 170 lbs. in weight. Herkimer stated that the operator was wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt with a light brown in color carhartt style vest on top. Herkimer stated that the passenger of the dodge truck stayed inside the front passenger-side seat and began taking her clothing off. Herkimer stated that the passenger was a white female mid to late 40's with light brown color shoulder length hair. Herkimer stated that he was unable to tell what the female passenger was wearing. Herkimer stated that he was only able to see one of her legs hanging out from the door and it looked like she was wearing tight black pants. Herkimer stated that after the white male brushed himself off and tossed his vest into the bed of the truck, he rounded the rear of the truck and gathered the clothing of the female passenger. Herkimer stated that the white male then tossed all of his passenger's clothing into the bed of the truck. Herkimer stated that the white male then got back into the driver-seat and began driving back down the hill towards them again. Herkimer stated that he then rolled his window down so his wife and he could try to take pictures with their cell phones. Herkimer stated that the white male widened his feet, put both of his hands together and acted as if he was holding a pistol or revolver. Herkimer stated that he is very certain that he observed a black firearm between the white male's hands but there is some doubt if it was real or not. Herkimer stated that the white male was aiming directly at him and his wife and looked like he was actually going to shoot. Herkimer stated that he was already planning on putting his vehicle in reverse to get out of the line of fire. Herkimer stated that the white male took the shooting stance for about 30 seconds and was yelling as well. Herkimer stated that he was unable to understand what the white male was yelling becuase he was a distance away. Herkimer stated that the white male then jumped into the truck and sped off and that was the last he saw of the white male. Herkimer stated that after observing thousands of ghost hunters, the white male did not fit the ghost hunter profile. Herkimer stated that at this time he did not wish to make a formal complaint or pursue criminal charges against the person. Herkimer stated that he would rather have this incident documented so it is on record. End of Statement.

I also interviewed Allen's wife, Judith Herkimer (05/25/1954). Judith corroborated her husband's statement and did not have anything different to say.

Judith was able to capture a photograph of the suspect's truck and provided me with the photo which is included with this report. Photograph

#1 Depicts overall view of suspect's red Dodge Ram pickup truck.

I informed Allen Herkimer that if he changed his mind and wanted to pursue criminal charges to contact me at Troop B. Both Allen and Judith stated they were satisfied with the documentation of this incident and thanked me for taking the time to explain all of their options.

With the lack of a formal complaint and refusal to pursue criminal charges on the suspect, this case will be closed."

CASE STATUS:

closed/cleared"

Below are images of the very same police report you just read.

Dudleytown Police Report

Allen G. Herkimer III  whenever you look for answers about Dudleytown, you'll find his name.

Below, you will see his name on a letter to CT State Representatives, putting his support behind Senate Joint Resolution 39. You can see in his written statement that he and the Dark Entry Forest Association members have an interest in keeping the neighboring property (Wyantenock State Forest) in the hands of the State of Connecticut. He writes:

If the state were to ever sell, swap or in some manner repurpose Wyantenock State Forest, Dark Entry Forest Inc. and its members will certainly appreciate the opportunity to offer testimony at a public hearing or as written comments as to how such a contradicted transaction would negatively impact both human and ecological health.

That quote was transcribed from the public document below.

Public Record
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When I started looking into Dudleytown, I did so blindly, just asking questions at random. I started with the Cornwall Town offices and remember getting the some odd responses.

When I asked the Town officials for records related to the land, they told me I was not allowed to go to Dudleytown, I never expressed interest in going there or requested permission. Now that knee jerk reminder is starting to make more sense.

The Herkimer's are listed as Justices of the Peace on the Cornwall, CT Town website

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Below are some of the responses I referred to above from years past.

Lou's phone
Lou's phone
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RESPONSE 2
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RESPONSE 3
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Lou's phone
Lou's phone
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I wonder if, in their capacity as Justices of the Peace, they ever cross paths with municipal leaders?

This a public record document where Judith Herkimer and Jared Haynes addressed the Board of Selectmen four days prior to the alleged gun incident mentioned in the police report above. While the context isn't all that interesting (falling trees), it does put Judith in the same room with the Board of Selectman.

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What's Jared Haynes' role? According to another public record, he's the President of Dark Entry Forest Incorporated.

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After literally years of looking into the place, there is no smoking gun, no evidence whatsoever that anything has gone on there of interest, only hundreds of ghost stories from folks who have entered the property.

If there is anything worth knowing about the property, I think I've at least identified the people who would know and I've been told they will never speak to me.

I am aware, that if the allegations are true, the people trespassing, changing their clothes and waving guns are the bad guys, not the people protecting their property. I get that this land is private and these folks have every right to their privacy.

I'm not saying or attempting to suggest these are bad people. However, in my opinion, the place is interesting to people because something is not normal about it. Refusing to talk about it only makes it that much more intriguing. I think the town leadership circles the wagons and I think that only makes people more interested. I also believe it makes folks less trusting of the few answers that are given.

More about Dudleytown (Drone footage because again, they don't let people in) 

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