Newtown Kidnapping Suspect Has Extensive Criminal History

Christopher Lemke was arrested last week, after police say he entered the home of a Newtown resident and kidnapped the unnamed victim.

Get our free mobile app

The victim reportedly was able to escape but authorities say Lemke took off after stealing the Newtown resident's car. That began a police pursuit that ended with Lemke in cuffs off of Exit 15 in Southbury.

Dan Abrams's Law & Crime

Now that Lemke is on everyone's radar, his criminal past is becoming a topic of conversation in the Greater-Danbury area and it's extensive. Thanks to a quick Google search, public records show Lemke has been convicted of an array of crimes in the past including disorderly conduct, carrying a pistol without a permit and alcohol related crimes.

CT Judicial

His list of arrests is even longer, and now the public wants to know what his tie is to the Reyes case, if any.

These cases touch so many towns and people in the Greater Danbury area. Lemke's Facebook page says he lives in Bethel and graduated from New Milford. The alleged kidnapping took place in Newtown and ended in Southbury. The Reyes case touches Danbury and Brewster.

The communities appear to be concerned, and for good reason.

The Danbury Police Department has not told the local media much, especially about Lemke's potential relation to the Reyes case because it is an ongoing investigation. I have reached out to my contacts with DPD and I expect we'll be updated when it makes sense for the authorities to do so.

Lemke faces the following charges in connection with the Newtown incident:

Illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle
Possession of a stolen firearm
Criminal possession of a pistol
Engaging police in pursuit
Reckless driving
Reckless endangerment
Possession of narcotics with intent to sell
Possession of drug paraphernalia.

P.S. When I say the communities appear to be concerned and people want to know more, I can back that up with actual listeners from the Ethan and Lou radio show. The mail we've been getting indicates that people in the area are understandably interested and worried.

Visual Guide of Mark Twain's Redding + Hartford , CT Homes and Years

Mark Twain lived in CT for nearly 20 years, he owned homes in Hartford and Redding. Twain even purchased a second Redding home for his daughter. During his CT years he wrote classics like; "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court."

Each week on the Ethan and Lou Radio Show we are joined in the studio by Mike Allen for a segment we call: "The Place You Live." Mike brings his research findings with him and shares another amazing local story, this week, it was all about Mark Twain's ties to the Constitution State. This is a visual guide of Mark Twain's footprint on Connecticut.

Inner Sanctum - Behind the Curtain on Danbury's Mysterious Free Masons

John Arizzi is the sitting Worshipful Master for Danbury’s Union Lodge #40 of the Ancient Free and accepted Masons. Arizzi described his role to me in layman’s terms, saying that in any other organization, he’d be called the President. This position is voted on every year by the group, and Arrizi has held the position multiple times. Arrizi was my tour guide into a world many people never see, the inner sanctum of Danbury's Free Masons.

The Danbury Free Masons meet in a building at 337 Main Street. The building was originally the Meeker mansion. The Meekers were the prominent Danbury family who ran Meeker's Hardware. It's worth noting, that a separate Masonic Lodge is headquartered in the same building, Lodge 39. Lodge 39 is originally from Georgetown, CT but when their member numbers dwindled, they sold their building and moved to Danbury.

Take a Look at Danbury's Behemoth Exit 5 On-Ramp Potholes

Awhile back, I promised the people of the great City of Danbury that I would create a pothole map and this is just one chapter, in the book of potholes.

When I began my pothole journey, I debuted with the potholes of West Street and they are some of the worst I’ve ever seen. I focused mainly on the area of West Street near the Citgo gas station. To the city's credit, they've already begin working on those, eliminating some of the biggest issues there.

Then I put a call out to the Ethan & Lou Radio Show listeners and asked for some tips. I was told to look at Shelter Rock Road so I did a report on those huge Earth holes.

I also examined the potholes on the South end of Main Street, and now we go to a very specific region, the North end of Main Street. I wanted to focus on the I-84 Exit 5 on-ramp. I enter the highway here everyday, on-my-way to work, and it's an atrocious mess.

Categories: Articles