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Top News In Danbury: DMV Worker Arrested, Best Friends Killed In Crash

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — The arrest of a DMV worker in Bridgeport on charges of stealing money and the death of two best friends in a head-on crash on Route 1 in Norwalk topped the week's news in Fairfield County. 

Kimberly Brown

Kimberly Brown

Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police
Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson

Photo Credit: Contributed
Andrew McDonald will be nominated to be chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Andrew McDonald will be nominated to be chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Photo Credit: File Photo
Harlan Haus has preserved several of the original features of the former People's Bank location.

Harlan Haus has preserved several of the original features of the former People's Bank location.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Jessica Lynn Musante, 17, formerly of Shelton, and Giuseppe Valentino Briguglio, 19,  were wanted in connection with a New Year's Day murder in Texas.

Jessica Lynn Musante, 17, formerly of Shelton, and Giuseppe Valentino Briguglio, 19, were wanted in connection with a New Year's Day murder in Texas.

Photo Credit: Texas Joint Crime Information Center
Stamford fifth-grader Brian Chen, right, is congratulated by (l-r) Pfizer scientist Rosemary Orciari, Stamford Mayor David Martin, school principal Amy Beldotti, and teacher Leigh Ann Mobarik.

Stamford fifth-grader Brian Chen, right, is congratulated by (l-r) Pfizer scientist Rosemary Orciari, Stamford Mayor David Martin, school principal Amy Beldotti, and teacher Leigh Ann Mobarik.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Jahmari "Wack" Cooper

Jahmari "Wack" Cooper

Photo Credit: Bridgeport Police Department

Here are the top stories of the week, as reported by Daily Voice: 

Kimberly Brown of Bridgeport was arrested after police said she stole $79,000 while working for the DMV by exploiting a loophole while registering cars. She was terminated and charged with first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, and first-degree forgery. 

Two men were killed in a head-on two-car crash on Connecticut Avenue/Route 1 in Norwalk late Monday night, and the driver of the other car was seriously injured. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The two men — 50-year-old Frank Peterson III and 40-year-old Anthony Johnson of Stamford — were best friends.

Gov. Dannel Malloy announced plans to nominate Justice Andrew McDonald of Stamford, who is openly gay, to be the new chief justice of the State Supreme Court. Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Herbst of Trumbull called the choice a "political" one and criticized McDonald's experience. State Rep. William Tong of Stamford called that criticism "bigoted." 

The wait is over: the much-anticipated Harlan Haus, a German-style beer hall, has opened in downtown Bridgeport. It was brought to the community by the team that brought you Harlan Publick in Norwalk and Harlan Social in Stamford.

Two teenage murder suspects — Giuseppe Briguglio, 19, of Texas and Jessica Lynn Musante, 17, formerly of Shelton — were arrested late Thursday in Ansonia, police said. The two were charged in a New Year's Day shooting death in Texas of a 20-year-old man.

A 44-year-old Westport woman was arrested after she left the scene of an accident and then resisted arrest, Westport police said.

Joshua Butzke, a 25-year-old Norwalk resident, died as a result of a skydiving accident in Zephyrhills, Fla. His parachute spiraled and he landed hard, resulting in the fatal injuries. Butzke was a licensed skydiver and had made 85 jumps, including 13 over the previous two days.

A husband and wife were assaulted in a Stamford parking lot on High Ridge Road in a road rage incident, police said. After one car was cut off, the drivers yelled at each other, then began hitting each other, police said. Two more men arrived and began to hit the man, at which point the wife tried to intervene but was pushed to the ground, police said. The three men fled, while the couple sought medical attention.

Police descended on a Newtown bank after a teller wrote "HELP" on a fogged up window as a prank — but a concerned customer called 911. 

A Stamford fifth-grader’s ingenious invention to combat bullying has transformed into a national prize for him and $5,000 for his school’s science programs. Brian Chen of Toquam Magnet Elementary School proposed creating a wearable “bullying button” that could alert others if a person is feeling bullied for the If Kids Could Cure contest. His idea netted him runner-up honors in the national contest.

Bridgeport police are asking for the public’s assistance in finding a 17-year-old who is the suspect in an October homicide: Jahmari “Wack” Cooper. He is a suspect in the fatal shooting of Jeri “Racks” Kollock on Oct. 11, during a robbery in the stairwell of Building 1 of the Greene Homes housing complex. He was forced to strip naked and remove his jewelry before he was shot multiple times, police said.

The state Department of Transportation is indefinitely postponing hundreds of transportation projects totaling $4.3 billion until more revenue can be secured for the state's Special Transportation Fund, which is used to pay for repair projects and the operation of the DOT, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced.

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