HARTFORD -- On Wednesday, following the arrest of Simon Hessler, FOX61 learned that he was the second in command of the Ellington Volunteer Ambulance Corps and worked with several juveniles in the Explorer Post.
An Ellington mother was upset that on two occasions, she reported inappropriate behavior to ambulance officials and then to police. Even after the complainants, Hessler was still overseeing juvenile girls in the Explorer Post.
Melissa Doyon, an Ellington mother of a female explorer was upset her warnings were not taken seriously.
“It was brought to my attention that he had messaged a young women that was homeless looking for a place to stay, and that the messages were inappropriate, when I found out through the people in the Enfield community that he worked on the Ellington ambulance, I was concerned because my daughter was a member of the post at that time and has been since her freshman year of high school.” said Doyon.
Initially, reporting to Ambulance Corps supervisors, Doyon was assured that her daughter would not have contact with Hessler.
But when that failed, she spoke with the Connecticut State Police in March, after the First Selectman Lori Spielman reported an incident to police.
“It was revisited in March of this year, it came up again and I showed someone in town the messages, and I ended up speaking with a police officer. He came to the house he took a statement, and then he went to the president of the ambulance and came back over and said that it was already dealt with from the first time I reported it," said Doyon.
The ambulance president never personally contacted Melissa, but, somehow Hessler’s wife did find out Doyon made a complaint and she contacted Doyon.
“She said that they frequently try to help people in need by offering them a place to stay, and that she understood why I was concerned, because of the way the messages appeared, but she assured me that her husband had good intentions.”
Incredibly, Spielman told FOX61 Thursday that she was unaware of any previous complaints against Hessler despite a resident saying they spoke and texted her directly, and despite an Ellington Resident Trooper investigating him in town.
However, Spielman admits she contacted troopers and initiated the investigation into Hessler, but said she did not specifically know it was Hessler she was reporting to police.
Spielman said Thursday that the Troopers never reported to her that they investigated Hessler in Command in the Ambulance Corps and Explorers. She also said,Peter Hany, the President of the Ambulance Corps, never reported the Hessler investigation to her. FOX61 was also told by a resident that the superintended of Ellington Schools may have been made aware of the investigation back in March.
“I can speak for the entire Ellington Volunteer Ambulance Corps that we are as shocked at the events surrounding Simon Hessler as much as the entire town of Ellington and surrounding towns are," said Ambulance President Peter Hany. "No one knew anything at all about the goings on in his life and hotel. It's a very sad time for all of us."
When FOX61 asked about the previous complaints against Hessler, Hany stopped returning calls and texts. FOX61 also learned that Hessler was responsible for taking pictures of the juvenile explorers for their ID cards. FOX61 asked Hany about this as well, and he has yet to respond.
This leaves open to the question, how many pictures did he take? Of who, what and where are those pictures now?
All Doyon wanted was some protection for the juveniles.
“I was angry because I did on two occasions, expressed my concerns, and I really felt that I was perceived more as a troublemaker, I was actually told that he was a really stand-up guy ,” added Doyon.