Judge Continues Bizarre Seymour Cruelty Case

FILECourt officials should know in March whether the case of a Seymour man accused of holding his sister captive in dungeon”-like conditions will go to trial or be resolved through a plea deal.

The man, Arthur Gauvin, 59, made his 10th court appearance in the case at Superior Court in Milford Tuesday (Jan. 6).

But after his lawyer and a prosecutor discussed the case with Judge Frank Iannotti behind closed doors, the judge continued the case two more months, to March 4.

The judge said that’s because Gauvin’s lawyer, Daniel Ford, is still waiting for discovery materials from prosecutors in the case.

We had some discussions in chambers and Mr. Ford brought up the issue that before he can really sit down and have concrete discussions with Mr. Gauvin about what direction this case may be going, there’s 800 and some odd pages of discovery that (he’s) waiting for,” Judge Iannotti said in court.

Prosecutor Cornelius Kelly told the judge he would get the materials to Ford within a few weeks. Once that happens, the judge said, Ford will have time to review them before returning to court in March prepared to discuss if there is the possibility of a resolution short of trial with regard to Mr. Gauvin’s matter.”

The Valley Indy left a message at Ford’s office Tuesday.

Background

Gauvin was arrested in April after an anonymous complaint led police to Gauvin’s Eleanor Road house, inside which police accused Gauvin of keeping his sister locked in a fetid, urine- and feces-stained bedroom.

Police said conditions were so bad inside the room in which Gauvin allegedly kept his sister that they had to don self-contained breathing apparatus and hazardous-materials suits to document the filth.

Cops said Gauvin’s motive for keeping his sister locked up was his fear of losing the home, which the sister once owned by transferred to him about seven years ago.

Click here for more information from a previous story. 

Gauvin faces charges of first-degree assault of an elderly person, second-degree kidnapping, cruelty to persons, second-degree reckless endangerment, and first-degree unlawful restraint, and witness intimidation. He is free after posting bonds totaling $105,000, but is being monitored by court officials via GPS.

The status of his sister wasn’t available Tuesday.

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