MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — East Lyme Police Chief Michael Finkelstein appeared before a judge in handcuffs Monday morning. He was arrested on three additional charges of violation of a protective order, false statement and disorderly conduct.
The case was recently transferred from New London to Middletown Superior Court to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
These new charges come weeks after Finkelstein was arrested on June 5 after police were investigating a fight at his home, where according to court documents he punched a woman in the face. He was previously charged with second degree breach of peace and disorderly conduct.
The violation of a protective order and false statement charges stem from the days following his arrest, when a protective order was issued requiring him to surrender all of his weapons. According to court documents, Finkelstein only surrendered his service weapon claiming it was his only gun.
Later investigators found two more guns registered to Finkelstein that were unaccounted for, one of which investigators discovered was sold to a former coworker years ago but never filed a transfer of ownership.
It wasn't until a week after his arrest that he told investigators the other gun was in his garage.
John Nazzaro, Finkelstein’s lawyer, told the judge Monday that Finkelstein had trouble remembering about the other guns because of lack of sleep following his arrest.
The new disorderly conduct charge comes after investigators re-investigated a similar incident at Finkelstein's home in June of 2023, which was handled by East Lyme police. No charges were ever filed.
The judge also approved Finkelstein to seek treatment for alcohol abuse at a facility out of state.
Finkelstein and his attorney are asking the judge to be considered for a diversion program that would require him to complete classes on family violence prevention among other court-ordered stipulations. Only then would it be possible for all charges to be dropped, but a decision on if he will be approved for that kind of program has not yet been made.
He is expected back in court on July 29.
Jake Garcia is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. He can be reached at jgarcia@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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