HARTFORD -- A construction worker hired to build Dunkin' Donuts Park was one of four men arrested for trespassing at the stadium Saturday night.
A Hartford patrol officer was on private duty at the future Yard Goats' home and conducting a security check of the park's exterior when he overheard yells and cheers echoing from inside.
Thinking of the valuable materials stationed around the park, the officer proceeded to the interior area to investigate the peculiar noises. He soon realized the trespassers had not done so with hopes of stealing high-powered equipment.
Four men were seen playing baseball on the field. One was on the pitcher's mound and another was in the batter's box. The last two were positioned in the outfield, presumably catching fly balls.
The investigating officer approached the men and questioned their presence in the stadium, asking whether they hadasked permission to play in the field that evening. It was then he learned one of the suspects, Austin Kelly, 25, of Portland, was employed with Centerplan Construction, a company hired to help build the stadium.
Immediately, he contacted Jason Rudnick of DoNo Construction, the park's primary developer, to ask whether Kelly and his companions were permitted to be on the field after-hours. Rudnick conclusively stated that "no one" had permission to be on the field.
The four men were subsequently placed into handcuffs and brought to the Hartford Police Department for processing.
Kelly, with acquaintances Michael Cowee, 24, of Hartford, Theodore Swanson, 25, of Glastonbury and Brandon Herrick, 29, of Old Saybrook, were all charged with second-degree criminal trespassing.
