WATERBURY, Conn. — Waterbury police have arrested a man connected to several recent shootings in Brass City as well as other parts of the state.
Richard Laramy, 18, was arrested Monday and is currently in the custody of the Connecticut Department of Correction, Waterbury police announced Thursday.
During the arrest, police found a 9MM handgun with a 30-round extended magazine, which police said is connected to at least 16 shooting incidents across Connecticut.
"Either incidents of shots fired, where property was damaged, or incidents where there was the victim of a shooting," Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo, said in a press conference Thursday.
Laramy was charged with weapons and narcotics violations and violation of probation. He was also charged with assault and firearms charges in connection to a recent shooting on Fairfax Street in Waterbury.
He is being held on a $725,000 bond.
Police said Laramy has an extensive criminal history, having seven juvenile arrests and three adult arrests with the Waterbury police department and over 30 police contacts.
With the rise in juvenile crime, lawmakers have been going back and forth with a proposed bipartisan bill that would address the uptick.
The bill looks to crack down on repeat offenders by giving judges more access to juvenile criminal records and allowing the judicial system to track repeat offenders through GPS monitoring and extending the time a juvenile can be held from six to eight hours.
"This is a consistent pattern that we see, people get arrested...whether they're juveniles or adults, they get into the judicial system, sometimes within hours, sometimes within weeks, but always, they're released. Back into the communities, to commit the same crimes again," Spagnolo said during the press conference.
Not everyone is in agreement with the bill. The Connecticut Justice Alliance said the bill would make it easier to send young people to detention and would not provide enough funding for diversionary programs.
"It is being portrayed as something that is going to reduce crime and improve the lives of Connecticut's youth," Christina Quaranta, executive director of the Connecticut Justice Alliance told FOX61 on Wednesday. "It's not going to do that because it doesn't address the root of any of the issues of what kids are dealing with and why they end up committing crimes."
The House was expected to vote on the bill Wednesday, but it was not called up. The legislative session ends May 4.
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