Police: Angry Norwalk Man Arrested for Shelton Harassment

Arresting an angry man involved in a domestic dispute is one of the most difficult and dangerous things police do, police often say. In one such case early Thursday, according to Norwalk police, they also knew the man had a felony arrest warrant and a registered shotgun.

Burns had been leaving threatening text messages and making numerous phone calls to his soon-to-be  ex-wife in Shelton, police said. When Shelton police called him to tell him they'd like him to come to the police station, he angrily refused, swearing at the police officer who called him, police said.

So when two Shelton officers arrived at Burns home on Scofield Place at about 12:45 a.m. Thursday, they were accompanied by four Norwalk police officers, according to Norwalk police.

Norwalk police, partly based on what Shelton police told them, gave this account of the matter (an accusation not proven in court):

Shelton police were shown text messages from Burns clearly telling his estranged wife he would kill her. When Shelton police called Burns to ask him to come to the station, he told the officer, "I'm going to smoke you," then swore at the officer, then ended the phone call.

Burns then called back the Shelton police station and said he would get the officer fired. Records showed that there was an active felony arrest warrant for Burns after he had violated his probation. He was registered to own Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun.

When police arrived at his home, the front door was open, but the storm door was closed.

After an officer rang the doorbell, a man who turned out to be Burns was seen in the hallway coming toward the door "in an aggressive manner." Police told him to show his hands as he came toward the door. He replied with a swear.

He opened the storm door and asked the officers what they wanted, peppering his question with the same swear.

He was asked to cooperate with police. Instead, he closed the door and walked away. Police followed him inside.

As police tried to take Burns into custody, he began fighting with them, striking out wildly with his hands and arms. Police used a taser gun with hooks to shock him and get him under control. After a lengthy struggle, they were able to handcuff him.

Police checked his home for the shotgun, but couldn't find it. Burns told them he had sold the weapon, although he couldn't produce a receipt for it.

Burns was taken to Norwalk Hospital in order to get the taser-gun hooks out of him. There he cursed and yelled, disturbing other patients. At one point he ripped out taser hooks from his skin and threw them at a police officer.

At Norwalk Police Headquarters, Burns refused to be fingerprinted or photographed. He was held on a $150,000 bond overnight, and in the morning police made special arrangements to escort him to state Superior Court in Norwalk separate from other arrestees, who are normally chained together.

In addition to charges from Shelton police, Norwalk police charged Burns with assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct, refusal to be fingerprinted and two counts of interfering with an officer.