State police have arrested a Naugatuck official accused of impersonating a police officer.
Walter Dambowky, 74, turned himself in on Monday.
Dambowsky is the emergency management director for Naugatuck. He is assigned a black Chevrolet Tahoe equipped with lights and sirens as part of his job, according to the arrest affidavit. He is not a police officer and has no policing powers, the warrant states.
Dambowsky is also a Nauguatuck burgess.
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Naugatuck police first began an investigation into Dambowsky after getting a complaint from a driver about being pulled over on May Street by someone in a black Tahoe with lights and sirens on June 3. At one point, the person flashed a badge to the driver.
A Nauguatuck officer called Dambowsky and asked about the encounter. Dambowsky told the officer he never activated his lights and sirens and didn't pull anyone over, but he did remember yelling at someone for cutting him off, according to the affidavit.
At that point, Naugatuck police decided to turn the case over to state police.
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According to state police, this was not the first time Dambowsky has been investigated for conducting motor vehicle stops. Police investigated an incident in April, but the investigation determined no law was broken.
Investigators learned Dambowsky's Tahoe was also equipped with a dashcam.
They went to Dambowsky's home on June 21 to speak with him about the incident. Dambowsky told them he would speak with an attorney before answering any questions.
While police were at the house, they seized the Tahoe over concerns some evidence could be destroyed.
Investigators found the lights and sirens in the Tahoe weren't working. It was determined that two fuses that control the system were blown, but after researching, police found the 30-amp fuses they found were not the proper fuses, according to the affidavit. The system requires 40-amp fuses.
The SD cards used to record video while the vehicle is on only showed images from two days prior to the Tahoe being seized, according to police.
State police executed search and seizure warrants on Dambowsky's home and office to look for loose fuses and SD cards.
They did locate two SD cards in the house, though neither had video showing the incident. According to the arrest affidavit, police believe it's possible Dambowsky altered the cards to remove video from them.
Investigators also found a piece of paper on a printer that was a printout from the Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Library about criminal impersonation in Connecticut, including impersonation of a police officer.
State police obtained an arrest warrant for Dambowsky.
He is charged with impersonation of a police officer, tampering with physical evidence, and second-degree breach of peace.
Naugatuck Mayor N. Warren "Pete" Hess III said Dambowsky was placed on leave on June 21, pending the investigations.
He said there is a pending criminal case and human resources is reviewing his employment status.
Dambowsky was released on $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 20.
