Away from the spotlight, Sandy Hook parent battles criminal charges

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden arrive as Mark Barden, the father of Newtown shooting victim Daniel, lower right, speaks during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 17, 2013, in Washington, about measures to reduce gun violence and a bill to expand background checks on guns that was defeated in the Senate. They are joined by joined by former Rep. Gabby Giffords, second from left, and Newtown family members Neil Heslin, father of Jesse Lewis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) less President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden arrive as Mark Barden, the father of Newtown shooting victim Daniel, lower right, speaks during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, ... more Photo: Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press Photo: Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Away from the spotlight, Sandy Hook parent battles criminal charges 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

Neil Heslin, father of a slain Sandy Hook first-grader, has appeared before Congress and the state Legislature urging the passage of tough gun-control measures.

But on Wednesday he will make an appearance of another kind, this time before a state Superior Court judge in Milford, to answer a variety of criminal and motor vehicle charges ranging from operating with a suspended license to issuing bad checks to larceny.

Reached by telephone on Tuesday, Heslin, who lives in Shelton, said he couldn't discuss the five cases dating back to July 2011 that will require him to be in court. He referred all comment to the lawyers representing him.

"You're welcome to call my attorneys and get their comments. I have no objections to that, but I have representation," he said.

Calls to both lawyers weren't returned on Tuesday.

Heslin's status as a father of a murdered child in one of the country's most notorious sprees of gun violence has turned the self-employed, 50-year-old contractor into a prominent activist, one who is often shown on TV and in newspapers displaying the portrait of his murdered son, Jesse Lewis.

It's made his legal troubles fodder for gun-rights websites, conspiracy buffs and so-called truthers, who claim the massacre of 20 first-graders and six adults on Dec. 14 was part of a government plot. And it illustrates how the high-visibility roles embraced by Heslin and some others from Newtown have put their private lives squarely into public view.

"One crooked gun control hero" and "Heckled Sandy Hook dad has sordid past," are typical of the headlines on several Internet articles seeking to discredit Heslin for his alleged "criminal associations."

The allegations against Heslin, if true, mostly paint a picture of a man struggling with his business finances and stiffing his creditors.

Three of the cases involved writing bad checks, the largest for $2,424, which he used to buy building materials he purchased for a job that his company, V&H Construction, was doing in Oxford.

Court documents indicate that when the supplier, O&G Construction of Torrington, delivered the material on Sept. 19, 2011, Heslin initially said he forgot his checkbook but provided the salesman with a check later the same week. After the check, which also included a disconnected phone number for Heslin's business and an invalid driver's license number, was returned for insufficient funds, an O&G representative contacted State Police.

Heslin promised to make good on it but never did, police said.

In addition to passing a bad check, a misdemeanor, he was charged with third-degree larceny in that case.

The two other cases involve checks on closed accounts that Heslin allegedly used to pay for just over $1,000 worth of home heating oil in June 2012 and a check for $102.35 worth of repairs to his vehicle at an Ansonia tire shop six months earlier.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The motor vehicle charges were the result of stops by Shelton police in July and August 2011. The operating under suspension counts indicate that his license had been suspended for a previous drunken-driving conviction, but there was no information available about that case in state Superior Court records. He also was charged with failure to display plates, carry registration and carry insurance as a result of the July stop.

Former state Victim Advocate Michelle Cruz, now in private practice in Hartford, said Tuesday that pointing out past indiscretions "is often used as a way to undermine a victim's credibility." Heslin's legal problems, she said, have nothing to do with his work on gun control.

"Whether someone has a pending matter shouldn't invalidate what someone is saying about their victimization," she said. "This parent may have a larceny charge that they have to deal with, but that has nothing to do with a child being murdered," she said.

Cruz added that the publicity about Heslin's charges -- most of which are at a level that rarely draws news media scrutiny -- also point to why some victims shun the spotlight.

"Victims are sometimes reluctant to come forward out of fear of being ridiculed, but they often have valid points about what they want to see happen and how the situation has affected them," she said.

Heslin has been among the most forceful and visible of the Sandy Hook parents pushing for gun restrictions. "I'm really ashamed to see that Congress doesn't have the guts to stand up and make a change and put a ban on these types of weapons," Heslin said at a news conference with Vice President Joe Biden and New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg after the Senate failed to enact a ban on assault weapons.

Court records indicate that Heslin apparently drew the ire of Judge Frank Iannotti for not showing up an appearance in state Superior Court in Derby, where the five cases were being heard on April 15.

Heslin wouldn't say Tuesday why he wasn't present, but according to several news reports he was in Washington, D.C., with several other Newtown families, unsuccessfully lobbying the Senate to pass a variety of gun-control bills, including one that would have instituted universal background checks for firearms purchases.

Iannotti ordered Heslin to bring proof of his whereabouts on April 15 to court in Milford, where the judge will sit Wednesday.

Heslin didn't want to discuss whether his legal problems might undermine his advocacy efforts.

"I never gave it much thought. I guess you can look at it either way," he said. "If there's something to talk about, people are going to talk about it, good or bad, no matter what. I don't really have any comment on that part of it either. Down the road, I may be able to."

Staff writer Dirk Perrefort contributed to this story. jpirro@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342