Alex Hernandez

Darien High School Senior Arrested Following Assault of New Canaan Juvenile Seeks a Form of Parole

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[Editor’s Note: This article has been updated by removing the name of at least one arrested teen whose charges were dismissed.]

One of the Darien High School seniors arrested following the widely discussed assault of a New Canaan juvenile one night last month is seeking a form of parole to address criminal charges leveled against him, officials said Wednesday. An attorney for 18-year-old Brian Minicus said during an appearance at state Superior Court that that his client is applying for accelerated rehabilitation or ‘AR.’

Wearing a light blue shirt, pink-striped tie, tan slacks and blazer, Minicus was sworn in by Judge Alex Hernandez and offered short responses as to standard questions about his own criminal history—he has no prior convictions—and his understanding of the AR program. Minicus is scheduled to appear next on Jan. 17. His attorney, Stamford-based Stephan Seeger, said in an interview with NewCanaanite.com following the arraignment, “We are hopeful that through this process and discussions with the attorney for the victim that we may resolve this case in a forthright and expeditious manner.”

The lawyer for the “complaining witness” or victim, New Canaan-based criminal defense attorney Matthew Maddox, was present during the arraignment and identified himself to Hernandez as such.

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Father Charged with Interfering with 9-1-1 Call During Youth Drinking Party Pleads Not Guilty

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The children of a New Canaan man arrested following an underage drinking party at his house have been subjected to bullying online and in person, his attorney told a state Superior Court judge on Thursday. According to New Canaan-based attorney Matthew Maddox, [a New Canaan man] has been the object of “public shaming” so severe that it has “deleteriously impacted” his 18-year-old and minor children. Since [a New Canaan man’s] widely publicized arrest in May following the March 25 drinking party at his Oenoke Ridge Road house, both of his children have been “approached by adults,” including strangers, who brazenly criticize and vilify their dad, Maddox told Judge Alex Hernandez during an arraignment. The comments came as Maddox objected to a TV station—cable News 12, whose studio operates out of New Jersey—shooting video of the hearing. Hernandez said that while he sympathizes with Maddox, the Practice Book and case law in Connecticut allows for such media coverage.

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Attorney: Further Investigation Needed in Case of New Canaan Father Arrested after Youth Drinking Party

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The New Canaan family facing criminal charges following an underage drinking party at their Oenoke Ridge Road home cooperated fully with police on the night of the incident and afterwards, according to an attorney representing the father arrested in the case. New Canaan-based attorney Matthew Maddox said that [a New Canaan man] and his family allowed police into their home on March 25 to capture photographs and video at the scene. The [a New Canaan man’s family] “even offered to provide their own camera to police when the police camera was on the fritz,” Maddox told NewCanaanite.com. “This is a really complicated case with an unusually large number of witnesses interviewed, statements taken. But there remains other investigation that the defense is undertaking and that in due diligence I have to undertake for my work.

Around Town

Q&A with New Canaan’s Matthew Maddox on ‘Weed and the Next Station To Heaven’

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Though in Connecticut, possession of less than .5 ounces of marijuana is now an infraction offense—on a level, in the eyes of the law, with speeding or allowing a dog to roam—paying for that ticket and pleading guilty will create a record for the violator. That record could leave a lasting mark on a person, and many parents and kids don’t understand that, according to a local attorney who next week is hosting an informational session on the topic at New Canaan Library. Matthew M. Maddox, a parent and trial attorney who helped found Ram Council—a substance-free group of New Canaan High School students—is hosting “Weed and the Next Station to Heaven: Law and Social Policy” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18. Ahead of the event, we put some questions to Maddox about his singular vantage point on the topic. Our exchange follows.