Windsor Police recently added another season patrolman to the streets, but he’s not a new hire.
Russell Wininger has actually been with the department for almost 20 years. But after moving up the ladder to detective he’s taking a set back with a demotion.
The demotion comes after Wininger withheld information in the investigation of the December 20 murder of 87-year-old John Chakalos, who was found dead in his home on Overlook Drive with a gunshot wound to the head.
The determination that Wininger withheld information comes from an internal investigation. Information obtained by the Hartford Courant in a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that Wininger was supposed to obtain phone records of 11 persons of interest after the murder, including the records of the prime suspect.
But when he got at least some of the records he didn’t convey the information to his co-investigators, and he even denied having obtained the records when directly asked. The lack of timeliness of the department getting the phone records from Wininger may have impeded the ability of the department to get essential evidence, such as surveillance video that is often delated after a few days.
