Crime & Safety

Alleged Clinton Drug Dealer Planned to Sell Heroin and Crack Cocaine on Day of Arrest, Police Say

According to documents at Middletown Superior Court, complaints about Shea Decesare's alleged drug dealing started early 2013. Police say they received reports of the 39-year-old dealing out of her home, vehicles, and meeting suppliers in New Haven.

The following information was provided by court documents at Middletown Superior Court. An arrest does not constitute a conviction and all defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law:

Shea Decesare, 39, of 9 Oak Ridge Drive in Clinton, was arrested on May 9, and was set to appear in court May 21. Her case has since been continued twice, according to court documents, and her next scheduled appearance has been set for July 15, 2013. 

Decesare was charged with two counts of sale of narcotics, possession of narcotics (cocaine) with intent to sell, possession of narcotics (heroin) with intent to sell, possession of narcotics with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school, and conspiracy to sell narcotics. 

According to the Affidavit, which was signed by Detective Bryan Pellegrini and Sgt. Flynn of the Clinton Police Department, on May 9, the day of Decesare's arrest the police received information at 10:30 AM from a "known and reliable source" that Decesare was returning to Clinton with "heroin and cocaine for sale" and that she would be "selling to customers who could stop by her residence," or that she "would deliver the drugs after she returned."

Police say this source also told them that they were aware of this information through "direct phone conversations with Decesare on Decesare's cell phone and that Decesare indicated she would have crack cocaine and heroin for sale later that day." That same source also told police, according to court documents, that the alleged drug dealer used her cell phone to contact customers and her drug supplier to arrange drug transactions. 

Court documents also stated that Clinton Police had received information and complaints from neighbors complaining of Decesare's "use and sale of drugs from her residence and her vehicles," dating back to early 2013.

Complaints included a tip from an anonymous caller back on January 16, 2013, who called the Clinton Police tip line two days in a row and complained about "drug traffic." According to the affidavit, "the caller stated that there is vehicular and pedestrian traffic constantly and he can see what he believes are hand to hand transactions in the front door way of the residence."

According to Police, on or around February 15, 2013, Clinton Police received a report of "drug use, sales and child neglect," at Decesare's residence from CT DCF. The reported indicated that on that day, around 3 PM, the agency received a report of "suspected abuse and neglect of a child." The affidavit states that the DCF report stated:

The caller said that the mother is doing some kind of drug dealing our the house. The caller said that the mother has being coming and going from the house all hours for about the past 6 months-1 year... the caller said that the mother is the drug dealer and the caller knows this because she observed some zip lock bags outside outside under the mail boxes on the ground that had some kind of whit residue power in them.

On March 8, 2013, a source reported that Decesare was selling heroin and crack cocaine from her residents, according to the affidavit. The confidential informant also reported Decesare would "make 1-3 trips daily to meet her suppliers in New Haven," and also was supporting her own drug habit, police say.

This CI also implicated Decesare's friend, Caitlin Creeron of Westbrook, who was the passenger in Decesare's vehicle during her May 9 arrest. Creeron was charged with possession of narcotics and conspiracy to sell narcotics, according to the Clinton Police Department. 

On March 11, Detective Pellegrini conducted a motor vehicle stop which "resulted in the siezure of Heroin and the arrest of the vehicle operator," who had been "observed leaving Oak Ridge Drive operating erratically," according to the affidavit. The operator stated "he obtained the heroin from Shea Decesare" just prior to being pulled over.

On April 3, the Clinton Police Department and the Clinton Volunteer Fire Deparment were dispatched to Decesare's resident on a report of an unconscious male, police say in their report. It was determined that "the adult male patient had overdosed on heroin." Decesare stated that she had witnessed the male, who was identified as her live-in boyfriend, use the heroin in the residence, police say.

On May 9, around 11 AM, after receiving the information that Decesare would be returning to her residence "with drugs for sale," both Pellegrini and Flynn conducted surveillance. Decesare was observed pulling onto her street driving Creeron's vehicle, police say in their report. The vehicle was parked on a traffic island on Oak Ridge Drive, across from Decesare's residence, and both police officers made contact with the occupants, police say. The affidavit states:

Creeron was asked and immediately admitted there were some narcotics in the vehicle.... Creeron provided a signed statement... she admitted to using crack cocain prior to the motor vehicle stop. She indivcted the crack was provided to her by Decesare who gave it to her in exchange for a ride to New Haven to purchase narcotics... She indicated they both smoked cocaine on the way back to Clinton. She also reported they dropped of cocaine to customers in Clinton...

Creeron indicated that one of these customers was a convicted narcotics offender, police say, who "verbally advised this officer [Flynn] he did purchase crack cocaine from Decesare a short time prior" to the officer's arrival, but declined to put his statement in writing. 
The vehicle occupied by Decesare was searched and the following evidence was seized according to the affidavit: 

  • Crack pipe with a rubber tip belonging to Decesare located in center console
  • Crack pipe belonging to Creeron located in the passenger door pocket
  • Two Needles located in multicolored bag found in passenger door pocket
  • One spoon located in multicolored bag found in passenger door pocket
  • Broken crack pipe located in multicolored bag found in passenger door pocket
  • 46 bags of heroin located in multicolored bag found in passenger door pocket
  • 20 bags of crack cocaine located in multicolored bag found in passenger door pocket
  • Diazepam pills located in Decesare's purse
  • Carisprodil pills located in Decesare's purse
  • Two bags of crack cocaine belonging to Creeron located on the person of Creeron
  • 3 Checks from Gregg Gyenzis located in Decesare's purse
  • One multi colored bag located in front door pocket
  • One black Kyocera Qualcomm 3g CDMA cellular phone located in Decesare's purse
42 year-old Gyenize, later spoke with Pellegrini according to the affidavit and provided a statement that "checks were given to Shea Decesare in exchange to pay off a drug debt."According to the affidavit, Decesare has a previous "arrest and arrest for possession of narcotics and reckless endangerment in 2010." Police stated near the end of the affidavit:

Based on these facts it is clear that Decesare did purchase heroin and crack cocaine in New Haven with the intent to sell in and around Clinton.


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