Middletown:

A Middletown man claims he is God. Tyrone Spyke, 35, was arrested after a woman called the police when she saw him rummaging through her car. Spyke fled on foot, but police caught up with him shortly after and demanded he stop running. Spyke continued running, so the police Tasered him twice and handcuffed him. When taken to police headquarters, Spyke allegedly told them that he was God, everything on earth was his, and that he could look for loose change in cars if he wanted because he had created said world and cars. Spyke, a.k.a. God, is charged with criminal attempt to commit sixth-degree larceny and interfering with an officer. He has 24 arrests dating back to 1995.

The Middletown Press

Red water flowing from your sink? Always a fun change of pace. The Middletown Water Department began the State mandated annual water main flushing program last week. Continuing for 12 to 14 weeks through different sections of the city, water main flushing eliminates unnecessary sediments such as iron and manganese from accumulating in the pipes. If you notice low water pressure or discoloration, try not to use hot water, as these sediments will settle in a hot water tank. Consumers are advised to refrain from drinking the water until it clears.

Middletown Eye

Hartford:

The Department of Consumer Protection issued a warning regarding apartment and home rentals posted on Craigslist, the well-known free classifieds website. A new scam is using the site to post fake housing advertisements at extremely low prices. The scammers lift photos and information from real estate websites, and create posts with bogus e-mails and phone contact information. When interested buyers reply to the fake ad, they receive a reply from the alleged owner saying the property needs to be rented as quickly as possible, and then they request an immediate deposit be sent to a P.O. Box.  A recent post listed a three-bedroom house available for $900 a month.

The Middletown Press

The owner of a Hartford mortgage company pleaded guilty to multiple fraud charges on Monday. George Hajati, 31, owner of Connecticut Partners Mortgage was accused of conspiracy and eight counts of fraud. Justin Williams, 32, a loan officer and employee, and Douglas Sheehan, 39, a Meridan lawyer, were also charged in the conspiracy. FBI agents searched Hajati’s office in November 2007, a week before Hajati fled the country.

In March 2009, Hajati was arrested by Albanian authorities while trying to cross the border to Montenegro. All three men are accused of using misleading documents to trick lenders into making inflated loans to buyers, with the actual property worth substantially less than the loan amounts. Hajati will be sentenced in June. The maximum sentence for each of his charges is 30 years in jail.

The Hartford Courant

New Haven:

Music can be a powerful tool—especially when a benefit concert can help increase access to clean water in the world. Yesterday, the pop-rock group We The Kings played a benefit show at Toad’s Place in New Haven to raise money for the CleanWater Initiative, a nonprofit organization that helps provide clean water in Africa. Connecticut native Army Capt. Benjamin A. Sklaver founded the organization while working on a clean water initiative in Uganda on an earlier Army tour. Although Sklaver was killed by a suicide bomber while on patrol in Afghanistan last October, the organization and its efforts continue to thrive.

New Haven Register

The State Capitol’s decision not to fly the Boston Tea Party Flag, requested courtesy of tea party activists, has gotten mixed results. Although the State Capitol police had agreed to fly the flag last week, according to Acting State Capital Police Chief Walter Lee the request was denied “due to the fact that intent to fly the flag had changed.” Officially the Gadsden Flag, the bright yellow banner adorned with the image of a coiled rattlesnake and the words “Don’t Tread on Me” dates to 1775 and is named for a delegate to the Continental Congress. The flag has long been associated with the U.S. Marine Corps. Under much controversy, a Republican Congressman flew it earlier in the year before the overhauls of the health reform bill. The state’s policy specifies that only flags from the U.S., its states or territories, recognized Indian tribes, and nations with which the U.S. has diplomatic relations and military organizations can fly visibly over the state’s capitol.

New Haven Register