Ex-Norwalk Cop Pleads Guilty In On-The-Job Drinking Case: Report

Norwalk CT

24 March, 2022

4:07 PM

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NORWALK, CT — A former Norwalk police officer who was decertified following accusations that he and a colleague drank alcohol and ignored calls while on-duty has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the incident, The Hour reported. Michael Dimeglio pleaded guilty to sixth-degree larceny and second-degree reckless endangerment on Tuesday, which resulted in a $1,000 fine, The Hour reported. His guilty plea means he won't be allowed to re-certify as a police officer in Connecticut, state's attorney Paul Ferencek told The Hour. The charges against Dimeglio stem from an arrest warrant issued in January 2021, a couple months after supervisors found him and former officer Sara Laudano in a hotel room. Authorities said they had been drinking and ignoring calls. According to arrest warrants, the two officers worked the 4 p.m. to midnight shift on Oct. 9, 2020, and accepted overtime assignments to continue working Oct. 10, 2020 from midnight to 4 a.m. due to staffing shortages. At about 12:45 a.m., a dispatcher tried to reach Laudano on her police radio and phone but couldn't, according to the warrant. The department tracked her down through a locater device in her squad car, the warrant said, and eventually found her and Dimeglio in the hotel room. Laudano was also decertified, and she is scheduled to appear in court on April 8, The Hour reported. Read more from The Hour. Related: 2 Norwalk Police Officers Found At Hotel Arrested: PD2 Norwalk Police Officers Were Drinking Before Arrest: WarrantNorwalk Cops Accused Of Drinking Have Cases Continued: Report