Nine-year-old Pedro Iglesias was home at his Orchard Street residence in Ansonia March 12 when a domestic dispute erupted between his mother and her boyfriend.
The boyfriend assaulted Pedro’s mother and his aunt, according to police, and took one of the women’s cell phones as they tried to dial 911.
But Pedro showed maturity beyond his years and kept his cool during the harrowing incident, finding another cell phone in the home and calling police to the address.
Ansonia police presented him with a Citizen’s Award for his quick thinking and bravery during the department’s annual awards ceremony May 22.
Pedro was one of two children to be presented Citizen’s Awards at the ceremony.
The other was 6‑year-old Devyn Parks, whose alertness prevented a grill fire from spreading in the backyard of his Kimberly Lane residence on Mother’s Day.
Devyn (pictured at left) was in the home’s backyard when his father started a grill and went inside to let it heat up.
But the grill caught fire.
Devyn, a participant in yearly fire safety programs at his school by the fire department, “immediately sprang into action and yelled for his family to get out of the house and call 911.”
Thanks to Devyn, his father was able to put the fire out with minimal damage.
City officials gathered at the May 22 ceremony to honor Pedro, Devyn, and several Ansonia police officers for acts of heroism and bravery over the course of the past year.
FBI Special Agent in Charge of Connecticut Patricia Ferrick spoke at the ceremony.
Phipps Award
The department’s top award, the Brian Phipps Officer of the Year Award, went to Sgt. Randy Guisto.
Phipps, a retired Brigadier General in the Army National Guard and a Vietnam veteran, served as an Ansonia Police Commissioner for 13 years.
Guisto, pictured below accepting the award from Phipps’ wife and brother, was nominated by fellow officers for the award, which recognizes “honor, loyalty, dedication, honesty, and professionalism,” among other qualities.
Life-Saving Awards
The department handed out two life-saving awards during the ceremony.
The first went to Officer Michael Castillo, who was dispatched to a Division Street residence November 16, 2013 about 3:30 p.m. on a report of an unresponsive female.
Upon arrival, Castillo, pictured at left, found an elderly woman who was not breathing.
He began performing CPR immediately as he waited for EMS personnel to arrive on scene, and was able to resuscitate the woman before an ambulance took her to the hospital.
Officer Joseph Jackson also received a life-saving award — the fourth of his career with the department.
Police said that on Jan. 21, 2014 about 4:35 p.m., Jackson was sent to a Westfield Avenue address on a report of an unresponsive female.
He arrived to find a woman lying on the floor who had turned blue due to lack of oxygen.
Jackson, pictured below, started performing CPR, and resuscitated her prior to an ambulance arriving to take her to the hospital.
Police also bestowed a number of departmental citations at the ceremony.
Officer Assaulted, Suspect Arrested
Sgt. Jenifer Guisto, Officer Anthony Capezzali, and Officer Jacquelyn LeClair were honored for their actions the night of Oct. 11, 2013 after a fight in the area of North Main and Fourth streets.
Guisto, pictured below, was on her way home at the end of her shift, saw the fight, and stopped to help.
As she was doing so, she was assaulted by one of the people involved in the fracas.
The man who assaulted Guisto fled, but officers were able to identify a suspect. LeClair obtained a photo of the man from his residence, which Guisto positively identified as the man who had assaulted her.
Soon after, Capezzali spotted the man on Beaver Street and took him into custody.
Holbrook Street Burglary
Officers Michael Castillo, Jacquelyn LeClair, and Christopher Kelley received citations for their response to an April 25, 2014 burglary on Holbrook Street.
LeClair , pictured below, and Kelley responded to the address and found backpack the burglary suspect had left behind which contained identifying information. They relayed the information to other officers to be on the lookout for the suspect.
Soon after, Castillo located the juvenile suspect and another juvenile in the area of Jackson Street and Wakelee Avenue. The suspect was caught with several items reported missing from the burglary and charged.
Bike Robbery Suspect Apprehended
Castillo picked up another citation, along with Officer Steven Martins, in connection to an April 3 bike robbery in the Beaver Street area.
The victim of the robbery reported the crime at police headquarters about 4:45 p.m., providing a description of the suspect and two other accomplices.
About 15 minutes later, another bike robbery was reported on South Cliff Street.
Martins located a group of people in the area of Mott Street fitting the description of the suspects from the first robbery.
Castillo also responded, detaining one of the suspects and finding a pellet gun tucked in his waistband and the mountain bike belonging to the first victim.
Both victims made positive IDs of the suspect, and their bicycles were recovered.
Rod & Gun Club Honored
A citizen’s award was also bestowed on the Ansonia Rod & Gun Club.
The police department recognized the club for clearing more than 15 days on its range annually to allow Ansonia cops to conduct firearms training and weapons qualification courses.
Club President Warren Connors, pictured below, and Treasurer Horace Behrle accepted the award on behalf of the club.
The group’s generosity doesn’t stop with the police department — they also funded a performance at this year’s bicycle festival and made a $10,000 donation to Ansonia Rescue Medical Services last year.
Years Of Service
The department also recognized the following officers for hitting milestones in their years of service to the department:
- Sgt. Randy Guisto, 25 years
- Officer Peter Lovermi, 15 years
- Detective Kristen Hunt, 10 years
- Officer Jacquelyn LeClair, 5 years
- Officer Matthew Diaz, 5 years
- Officer Bernard Oksenberg, 5 years
To see more photos from the ceremony, see the slideshow below. The photos were taken by Josalee Thrift.
