By Dan Uhlinger
The Hartford Courant, Conn.
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Police arrested a town man Wednesday morning after he walked into the mayor’s office with a handful of flowers for Mayor Melody A. Currey, showed a pellet gun that looked like a real handgun and left, saying, “College campus here we go.”
A secretary immediately ran into Currey’s inner office where Currey was meeting with Police Chief Mark J. Sirois and told them about the encounter.
After asking Currey to call 911, Sirois, who was in his uniform, went looking for the man. Sirois said he found him in the town hall parking lot and ordered him to surrender. The man was taken into custody, Sirois said.
Lawrence James Palumbo Jr., 58, of 44 Taylor St., East Hartford, was charged with threatening, carrying a facsimile firearm, carrying a dangerous weapon and breach of peace. He was held, with bail at $1 million.
Lt. J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman, said Palumbo was being investigated by state authorities in another incident earlier in the morning.
Chris Cooper, a spokesman for Gov. M. Jodi Rell, said Palumbo called the governor’s office of constituent services about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and “indicated he had a BB gun.” The staff found the call threatening and security was notified, Cooper said.
Palumbo, who was convicted of a threatening charge in 1991, walked into the mayor’s office at 9:20 a.m., put a handful of flowers on a desk and told a secretary to give them to the mayor, Officer Hugo Benettieri, police spokesman, said.
Palumbo then pulled his jacket back, showing what appeared to be a 9mm Beretta handgun, and said, “the governor knows I have this,” Benettieri said.