Two Norwalk police officers are on administrative leave and facing charges after they were found together in a hotel room while on-duty, department officials said Tuesday.
Police officials said the two officers, 31-year-old Sara Laudano and 38-year-old Michael Dimeglio, were both on duty on October 10, 2020. Department officials said the situation began around 12:47 a.m., when dispatchers could not reach Laudano on the radio or by phone. Another officer was sent to her vehicle's location to check in.
According to police, that officer found Laudano's patrol vehicle in the parking lot of the Even Hotel on Main Street, along with Dimeglio's vehicle. Supervisors got in touch with hotel management and found both officers in a hotel room, "not in a condition to respond to calls for service."
Both officers were placed on administrative leave. Department officials said further investigation found that the situation went beyond a violation of department policy and into a criminal investigation. Police did not release details of what criminal conduct took place, but said both officers are facing charges.
Laudano is charged with second-degree larceny, reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a child. Dimeglio is charged with larceny and reckless endangerment. Both officers turned themselves in Tuesday. Bond was set at $75,000 for each and they are scheduled to appear in court on February 16.
NBC Connecticut requested further details on what prompted the charges, but was told no other details were being released Tuesday night.
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"While I am appalled at the behavior and conduct that was exhibited by these officers while in an on-duty capacity, I am proud of the professional manner in which the patrol supervisors of this department initiated this complaint and the subsequent criminal investigation conducted by the Detective Division supervisors. We have a high expectations of our officers. We demand this, as does our community who place a great deal of trust in them. Intentional conduct which violates that trust and goes against the mission and values of this department will not be tolerated. Now that the Criminal Investigation has been completed, an Internal Investigation will follow and the Disciplinary Process will commence. I am extremely disappointed in the apparent dereliction of their duty to both the citizens of Norwalk as well as to their fellow officers. We will have no further comment until after the disciplinary process is complete," Chief Thomas Kulhawik wrote in a statement.
NBC Connecticut has reached out to the police union for a statement.
