On July 19, East Haven Mayor April Capone-Almon stepped in and stopped a police officer from towing cars off of an unmarked parking lot near the splash pad at Cosey Beach, police said.
Now, the East Haven Police Chief is trying to get an arrest warrant against her for interfering with police.
Chief Leonard Gallo filed the paperwork Monday and the application has been sent to the States Attorney Michael Dearington's office for review.
The warrant has not been signed, Dearington said.
Mayor Capone-Almon called the application a distraction on Tuesday.
"This is something you don't want to see happen. But my main focus is the taxpayers and again this is election season. You have to grow a thick skin in this job," she said.
She also pointed to a memorandum written Gallo wrote on June 12 and sent out to all police personnel. In it, he instructs police to tag but not tow cars from the town beach lots.
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"This was the chief’s directive based on a conversation that we had had together, earlier in the season,” she said. “He asked me what my wishes were for the parking lots and I explained it to him and he crafted that memo."
When asked if she thought she had interfered with police, Capone-Almon said no.
"The best case scenario would've been for the chief to speak to the office. The chief wasn't available. In the absence of that, I couldn't let chaos continue to unfold," she said.
Calls to Gallo where not immediately answered.
