The Farmington Police Department's press arrest log for March 20 through 22, 2026, records eight arrests involving six individuals, four officers, and a range of criminal conduct that no longer fits comfortably in a single paragraph.
The previous log covered two warrant arrests at GA 18 courthouse, thirteen minutes apart. This one is busier.
Christian Mora, 40, of 177 Weston Street, Hartford, was arrested on March 20 at 4:45 p.m. at 625 Hartford Road by Officer Kyle Roque in connection with shoplifting. Mora was charged with larceny in the sixth degree under Connecticut General Statute §53a-125b — the lowest tier of theft available under state law, covering items valued at less than $200. He posted a $2,500 nonsurety bond and is due in court on April 6, 2026. Incident No. 2600004650.
Kevin Christopher Witkos, 28, of 15 Highledge Road, Canton, was arrested on March 21 at 2:40 a.m. on Plainville Avenue by Officer John A. Salute. The charges: failure to drive in proper lane (§14-236), traffic control signals (§14-299), and illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs (§14-227a). Witkos posted a $5,000 nonsurety bond and is due in court on April 6. Incident No. 2600004682.
There is a certain elegance to a 2:40 a.m. arrest on Plainville Avenue that includes all three of those charges simultaneously. One imagines a sequence of events.
Ziane Destiney Ormsby, 21, of 635 Burnside Avenue, Apt. 8B, East Hartford, was arrested on March 21 at 1:40 p.m. by Officer John M. Finn. The arrest location is listed as York Corrections Institution — which is to say, Ormsby was already incarcerated when Farmington police arrived to serve the warrant.
The charges are not small. Robbery in the third degree (§53a-136), conspiracy to commit robbery in the third degree (§53a-48/§53a-136), larceny in the fifth degree (§53a-125a), and conspiracy to commit larceny in the fifth degree (§53a-48/§53a-125a). The surety bond was set at $25,000 — the highest on this log by a comfortable margin. Ormsby posted it and is due in court on April 6. Incident No. 2500021133.
For readers unfamiliar with the convention: being arrested while already in prison is not uncommon in Connecticut. Outstanding warrants are frequently served at correctional facilities. It is procedurally routine. It is also, to be fair, an extremely specific kind of afternoon.
Chassidy N Cote, 37, of 63 Huntington Street, Floor 1, Hartford, was arrested on March 21 at 4:57 p.m. at 500 South Road by Officer Kyle Roque — the same Officer Roque who arrested Christian Mora for shoplifting the day before at 625 Hartford Road. Cote was also charged with larceny in the sixth degree in connection with shoplifting. She posted a $2,500 nonsurety bond. Court date: April 6. Incident No. 2600004710.
Officer Roque's back-to-back shoplifting arrests at two different locations on consecutive days suggest either a dedicated patrol assignment or a man who has simply accepted his lot.
Suzanne A Paolitto, 57, of 11 Orchard Road, Farmington, was arrested on March 21 at 11:38 p.m. at 319 New Britain Avenue by Officer Joseph G. Aiello — a name familiar to readers of the March 18 police log, where he made that edition's sole arrest. Paolitto was charged with three counts of violation of a protective order under §53a-223. The surety bond was $20,000. She posted it. Court date: March 23, 2026. Incident No. 2400006413.
Paolitto is the only Farmington resident on this log. The incident number begins with 24, suggesting the underlying case dates to 2024.
Cory Burtchell, 49, of 370 Asylum Street, Apt. 204, Hartford, was arrested on March 22 at 5:37 p.m. at her own address by Officer Michael J. Smith. Burtchell was served three separate warrants at the same time, generating three separate incident numbers and three separate charges:
- Larceny in the sixth degree (§53a-125b) — Incident No. 2600001326 — $2,500 surety bond
- Failure to appear in the second degree with pending charges, first offense (§53a-173(a)(1)) — Incident No. 2600001491 — $2,500 surety bond (re-arrest warrant)
- Larceny in the sixth degree (§53a-125b) — Incident No. 2600002910 — $2,500 surety bond
Total bond: $7,500. Burtchell was held on bond across all three. Court date: March 23 — today. The address, for those who appreciate this kind of thing, is Asylum Street.
All persons named in this log are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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— Jack Beckett has now read more Farmington arrest logs in one week than most residents read in a lifetime. He does not know why Officer Roque keeps getting the shoplifting calls. He does not know what happened on Asylum Street. He does know the coffee isn't strong enough for this. ☕
*The Farmington Mercury covers the town nobody else is covering — the police log that is technically public record but that you'd never find unless someone typed it up, the zoning meeting that ran until 10 p.m., the board of education vote that affects your property taxes. We publish slowly, deliberately, and without apology. By the time you read this, the facts are checked, the bonds are posted, and Officer Roque has probably arrested another shoplifter. Find us at farmingtonmercury.com and tell your neighbors. #WeAreFarmington 📰
Update: The next arrest log covers March 23–24 — five arrests, one vehicle pursuit, and Officer Roque's third consecutive shoplifting collar. The March 24 log records a third shoplifting arrest at 500 South Road in four days — this time by Officer Aparo.*