News

New Canaan Woman, 24, Arrested after Twice Selling Heroin to Undercover Officer

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Police say they arrested a 24-year-old River Street woman on felony drug charges after she twice sold heroin to an undercover police officer. Elizabeth Hanson, 24, of 73 River St., was charged with two counts each of possession of narcotics and sale of narcotics, according to a press release issued by Police Chief Leon Krolikowski,

Police obtained a warrant to search her home and at about 9:10 p.m. on March 2, they found a small amount of heroin and empty bags containing heroin residue in her bedroom, the chief said. “This arrest is the direct result of the sustained hard work, aggressiveness and dedication of the members of the New Canaan Police Department’s Investigations Division,” Krolikowski said. “Special recognition goes to Sgt. Andrew Walsh for leading this investigation.

Around Town

Q&A: Silver Hill Launches Outpatient Opioid Addiction Program

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Here’s a startling statistic from Dr. John Douglas, clinical director at New Canaan-based psychiatric hospital Silver Hill: Without professional treatment, the relapse rate people addicted to opioids is 90 percent. New Canaan, like every other community in the region, has seen a sharp rise in heroin use in recent years, including among youth. State officials report that opioid-related deaths increased from 490 in 2013 to 558 in 2014. As Douglas tells us in a back-and-forth that’s printed in full below, insurance companies are moving in the direction of not covering inpatient treatment for people who are addicted to heroin or pain pills. To meet the need, Silver Hill is launching a new Outpatient Opioid Addiction Program that will be covered by most insurance plans.

News

DUI Checkpoint in New Canaan Yields Heroin Bust, Pot and DUI Arrests

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Police on Friday night arrested two Norwalk men, ages 24 and 25, after finding heroin and snorting gear in their car at a DUI checkpoint. At about 8:26 p.m. on Dec. 19, police pulled over a 2013 Chevy Cruze operated by 25-year-old at the checkpoint, located under the Merritt Parkway overpass at Exit 36/Old Stamford Road. According to a police report, the driver appeared “extremely nervous” with hands trembling when asked whether he’d been drinking. The officer saw a plastic drinking straw that had been cut in plain view in a center console, and noticed a powdery substance on the straw, the report said.

News

New Canaan Men, 18 and 20, Arrested for Heroin Possession

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Police arrested two New Canaan men on drug charges Thursday after finding heroin on them during a motor vehicle stop on Route 123. At about 5 p.m., New Canaan Police Sgt. Joseph Farenga spotted a suspicious vehicle on New Norwalk Road near Old Norwalk Road, according to a press release issued Friday by Chief Leon Krolikowski. Farenga knew that the driver, an 18-year-old Jelliff Mill Road resident, had a suspended driver’s license. “Sergeant Farenga stopped the suspect vehicle and determined that the operator of the vehicle had a suspended license and was likely under the influence of a narcotic,” the chief said.

Around Town

Meet Geoff Mahoney, Teen Challenge Student Raising Money on Elm Street

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Last month, NewCanaanite.com ran a three-part series on heroin addiction and our town. Experts told us that heroin abuse for New Canaan teens typically begins at home, when kids start using opioids and painkillers they find in their parents’ medicine cabinets. (Next weekend, on Saturday April 26, New Canaan is participating in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, and people can bring unused drugs to Walgreens.) When addiction sets in, the teens turn to heroin as a less expensive alternative as a form of morphine, and can become addicted. The problem often is exacerbated by many individuals’ and families’ reluctance to reach out for help. Today on Elm Street, we ran into a table set up in front of Dunkin Donuts, a fundraiser for the New Haven-based Teen Challenge Program, an interdenominational Christian residential drug rehab program that’s part of a network with 10 centers in New England and New Jersey.