State police have arrested a former Newington police officer on child pornography charges.
Mark Dichiara, 48, of Burlington, was arrested by state police on Monday. He is accused of possessing child pornography and sharing it over the Internet.
According to state police, in April 2016 the Computer Crimes Unit began investigating child porn being shared over the internet. Investigators tracked the activity to a Burlington home.
State police said the on May 3 investigators executed a search and seizure warrant at 16 Mountain Briar Road in Burlington, Dichiara’s home. Police said they seized several items that lead to the discovery of suspected child pornography.
On Sept. 12, Dichiara turned himself in on an active arrest warrant. He was released on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Bristol Superior Court on Sept. 26.
Newington police confirmed that Dichiara was hired as a dispatcher for their department in 1990. In 1993, he was hired as a police officer. He spent his career in the patrol division and retired in January 2013. Dichiara also served as a volunteer firefighter between 1986 and 1992.
"He was a great guy, straight as an arrow, he was very professional in everything he did. This would be the last thing I would expect of him," said Newington Volunteer Fire Chief, Chris Schroeder.
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Newington police said they were aware of his arrest. The Newington police chief confirms that Dichiara did not work with children during his tenure as a cop.
Members of the Connecticut State Police Computer Crimes Unit, the Burlington Resident Trooper’s Office, US Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI were all involved in the investigation, police said.
NBC Connecticut has reached out to Dichiara for comment.
