New Haven woman sues East Haven police for allegedly violating civil rights Plaintiff, who was pregnant, claims she was unlawfully detained

An East Haven police cruiser and a car were involved in an incident on Sargent Drive in New Haven Jan. 17, 2013. An East Haven police cruiser and a car were involved in an incident on Sargent Drive in New Haven Jan. 17, 2013. Photo: MARA LAVITT — NEW HAVEN REGISTER FILE PHOTO Photo: MARA LAVITT — NEW HAVEN REGISTER FILE PHOTO Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close New Haven woman sues East Haven police for allegedly violating civil rights 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

EAST HAVEN >> A New Haven woman is suing eight current and former town police officers, alleging they violated her civil rights after officers pulled her over and impounded her car when she was eight months pregnant.

With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Connecticut, Dominique Cash filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Jan 15. Cash had pledged to file a lawsuit in December 2013, nearly a year after the Jan. 17, 2013, incident.

According to the lawsuit, when Officers Robert Ranfone, Kershen Bissette, Craig Michalowski and Carlos Roman removed Cash from her vehicle at gunpoint and questioned her for 40 minutes in January 2013, they violated her Fourth Amendment right protecting her from unlawful search and seizure. The lawsuit states the officers crashed their vehicles into the car Cash occupied to stop her from driving, constituting excessive force against Cash.

Cash had borrowed the vehicle from a friend for an appointment in New Haven. As she drove on Long Wharf in New Haven, the four officers surrounded the vehicle. The owner of the car owned another vehicle that had been seen leaving the scene of a purse theft. The owner of the purse was the mother of an East Haven police officer. Cash was not a suspect in that crime, which was a misdemeanor investigation.

The lawsuit alleges the officers caused the accident and detained Cash in an attempt to gain information about the purse-snatching.

Video footage of the traffic stop on Sargent Drive, obtained by the Register through a source, shows that at least one officer drew his weapon as he approached the car driven by Cash. The officer, holding the gun at his hip, opens the door and then holsters the weapon as Cash exits the vehicle. The gun was not pointed at her.

The incident was the subject of a 2013 internal investigation by the East Haven Police Department that determined the officers had unconstitutionally detained Cash. Seven officers were named in the report compiled by Deputy Chief John Mannion; all seven are named defendants in the lawsuit: Frank Montagna, Joseph Slane, Gary DePalma, Ranfone, Michalowski, Roman and Bissette; Slane was included in the initial probe but later exonerated. Bissette, Michalowski, Montagna and Slane still are working at the department. DePalma retired in 2013; Roman is no longer working at the department.

Ranfone, who has since retired from the department, faces criminal charges stemming from the incident. He has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of unlawful restraint, coercion and breach of peace. He is due in a New Haven courtroom Feb. 23 to answer to those charges.

American Civil Liberties Union attorneys David J. McGuire and Sandra J. Staub were not available for comment. According to the state’s Department of Correction, Cash is serving a one-year maximum sentence at York Correctional Institution in East Lyme for third-degree burglary.

Attorney Hugh Keefe confirmed Wednesday that he is representing the defendants, which, in addition to East Haven police, include the town of East Haven, Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. and Police Chief Brent Larrabee. The lawsuit claims the mayor, the town and the police chief knew or should have known of the officers’ alleged misconduct.

Cash is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

Keefe declined comment other than to say it was an “interesting case.”

Call Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-9901.