Derby police believe at least one of the people charged in a drug and gun ring in the Valley may be responsible for the Sept. 3 murder of Rodney Trent Baldwin.
Baldwin was gunned down at the intersection of Hawthorne Avenue and Seventh Street last fall.
“The evidence in the investigation has shown that some of those people are connected,” Lt. Justin Stanko told the Valley Indy Tuesday evening.
Shelton police Tuesday announced the arrest of eight people suspected of selling crack cocaine to make money to buy handguns. The eight people face 39 criminal charges.
No one has been charged with Baldwin’s homicide — yet.
“Right now we’re still awaiting a number of tests from the forensic lab,” Stanko said.
Shelton Police Detective Ben Trabka said members of the group arrested this week were selling crack to buy guns.
“They’re buying guns. They’re selling crack cocaine,” Trabka said.
The gun and drug case started with the theft of a gun from an office on Canal Street, April 2 Trabka said.
That kicked off a Derby-Shelton investigation. Cops issued seven search and seizure warrants, which gave them access to a number of houses and vehicles in the Valley.
As part of the probe, police also set up a drugs-for-gun sting operation. More arrests are expected, Trabka said.
Trabka said not only do the eight suspects know each other — most are related by blood.
“They’re physically related. They’re all brothers and half-brothers. They use Valley addresses and they also use Hamden and New Haven addresses,” Trabka said.
(The timeline below shows gun-related crimes in the Valley since June 2009. Story continues after timeline.)
Valley I. on Dipity.
Search Warrants
The warrants related to the case were served Sunday and Monday, Trabka said.
On Monday afternoon, police searched a Seymour home they believe the group was living in and using as a base for the operations.
Seymour police arrested four people at the home during the search on drug and weapons charges. See list below for more details about who was arrested and on what charges.
Police seized one gun — a loaded Glock (see document) — but didn’t turn up the stolen .44-caliber revolver from the Canal Street office or the gun used in the sale police apparently set up.
Police also said they seized more than $15,000 in cash as a result of the search warrants.
Story continues after the document.
Connections Investigated
Police in Ansonia, Derby and New Haven are also trying to figure out whether some in the group played a part in a series of shootings last summer in those cities.
“We’re obviously looking to see if there is a connection. We haven’t named them suspects, but we haven’t ruled them out, either,” said Ansonia police Lt. Andrew Cota.
Ansonia had a rash of shootings in the area of the Riverside apartment complex during the summer.
Cota said those arrested are familiar names to local police.
“They are very familiar to us. We deal with them on a weekly basis — these same names, this same group of characters,” he said.
One of the men arrested, Keyshon Zimmerman, was charged in 2005 with shooting up a residence on Anson Street in Derby.
On Aug. 16, 2009 Zimmerman was shot in the face near Everybodeez Cafe in New Haven.
A week after Zimmerman was shot, Kierron Stanley was shot several times on Chapel Street in Derby. He lived. Three people were arrested. Their court cases are pending as everyone waits for DNA test results, the Valley Indy reported last week.
Baldwin was shot and killed on Hawthorne shortly after the Chapel Street ambush.
On the day of his death, Baldwin’s family members told the Valley Independent Sentinel all three shootings were related, with revenge as the motive.
However, Stanko stopped short of drawing a definitive line between the shootings, saying the shooters in the case may “run in the same circles,” but the victims had no connection to each other.
Arraignment Tuesday
The eight suspects in the drug and gun cases were arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Superior Court in Derby. The arrest warrants were sealed and won’t be available for at least two weeks. Everyone is due back in court April 22.
They were arrested by three different departments, as follows:
Those arrested and charged in Shelton:
Roosevelt Scott , 21, of Hamden
- Two counts of carrying a pistol without a permit
- Two counts of criminal possession of a firearm
- Two counts of theft of a firearm
- Two counts of sale of narcotics
- Two counts of possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school or daycare
- Two counts of sale of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school or daycare
- Police said they seized two plastic bags with crack cocaine when they arrested Scott on a warrant after the alleged gun sale Sunday night.
Tyrone Daniels, 38, of Seymour
- Criminal possession of a firearm
- Theft of a firearm
- Sale of narcotics
- Carrying a pistol without a permit
- Criminal possession of a firearm
- Theft of a firearm
- Sale of narcotics
- Possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school or daycare
- Illegal sale of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school or daycare
- In Derby, he was charged with illegal sales of narcotics and illegal possession of narcotics
Keyshon Zimmerman, 24, of New Haven
- Criminal possession of a firearm
- Conspiracy to commit theft of a firearm
- Conspiracy of illegal sale of narcotics
- Conspiracy of sale of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school or daycare
Those arrested in Derby include:
Ashley Grant, 24, of Ansonia
- Illegal sales of narcotics
- Illegal possession of narcotics
Those arrested in Seymour:
Loraina Chase, 28, Bridgeport
- Weapons in motor vehicle
- Possession of marijuana
Carl Cheeseboro, 46, of Ansonia
- Possession of a firearm
- Carrying a pistol without a permit
- Illegal transfer of a pistol
- Weapons in a motor vehicle
Jason Walker, 22, of Ansonia
- Possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
Javon Zimmerman, 20, of Ansonia
- Possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
