Governor Rell Urges Chief State’s Attorney to Seek

Pollitt’s Return to Prison for Probation Violation

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today urged Chief State’s Attorney Kevin T. Kane to ask the court to immediately return convicted serial rapist David Pollitt to prison for an apparent violation of his strict probation terms.

            Pollitt was arrested Wednesday on charges he left the yard of his sister’s home in Southbury. A court-ordered GPS monitoring bracelet shows Pollitt was out of the yard for about 15 minutes on September 3.

            “As you know, I vigorously opposed Mr. Pollitt’s release into the community last year,” Governor Rell said in a letter to Chief State’s Attorney Kane. “However, the court freed him, causing widespread and justifiable concern among the residents of the Southbury neighborhood.

            “Mr. Pollitt’s family has denied that he left the yard and say the GPS unit often malfunctions,” the Governor said. “His defenders say it is unfair to pursue charges for an alleged event that ‘only’ lasted 15 minutes. This argument is stunningly unpersuasive. As you are well aware, 15 minutes can be a lifetime to the victims of violent crime.

            “Given Mr. Pollitt’s record of violence and his apparent inability – or unwillingness – to live within the terms of his release, the safety of the community demands nothing less than his return to prison,” Governor Rell said.

            The terms of Pollitt’s probation prohibit him from leaving his sister’s home without supervision or visiting certain locations without permission from his probation officer.

            In opposing Pollitt’s release last year Governor Rell sought to have him place in a halfway house or secure treatment center, but the court ruled no suitable facility existed. Under the Governor’s direction, the state is continuing to seek a location for a secure treatment facility for sex offenders, but an original Request for Proposals (RFP) did not generate any bidders. A second RFP has now been issued.