Facing Criminal Charges, Naugatuck Police Officer Resigns

A Naugatuck police officer who was arrested in January on charges stemming from a domestic dispute resigned from the Thursday, an official said.

The borough Police Commission was set to discuss whether to terminate 10-year veteran Officer Thomas Grant but, instead, Grant submitted his resignation letter which comes about three months after he was charged with assault and other charges stemming from a domestic violence case with his girlfriend.

Police Chief Christopher Edson said he accepted Grant's letter, which means the resignation is immediate.

Grant declined to comment to the press, as did his attorney, M. Leonard Caine III.

Grant, 39,  after police investigated a report filed by his girlfriend claiming Grant hit her and grabbed her by the hair during an argument. The girlfriend also alleged Grant made comments to harm her further, Naugatuck police said.

After a three-day internal affairs investigation, Naugatuck officers arrested Grant on charges of third-degree assault, disorderly conduct and threatening. He was put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a more detailed internal investigation.

Because Grant resigned he is entitled to a pension that he vested in during his 10 years with the Naugatuck PD, first as a dispatcher and then as an officer.

Edson said he would review Grant’s letter with Mayor Robert Mezzo to make sure the mayor is aware of the resignation — including the pension payout. The chief said the letter would be available for public access once the mayor has reviewed it. The pension payout has yet to be approved; Grant’s annual base salary was $63,810.

While the executive session at the meeting lasted about 10 minutes, several attorneys representing the borough, the police union and Grant were reportedly in closed-doors discussion for more than an hour before the meeting started.

Before January, Grant found himself being scrutinized after he was arrested following a domestic disturbance in 2007. He was also subjected to a 20-day suspension in 2009 after an internal investigation into inappropriate conduct at a bar. Following that 2009 investigation, Edson told Grant he would be fired if he violated department substance abuse policies again.

Grant remains free on a $25,000 bond issued by Waterbury Superior Court. Following the arraignment in court in January, a judge issued a protective order barring him from contact with his girlfriend.

Grant is due back in Waterbury Court on May 8.

Editor's Note: Grant's age was previously listed as 38. He is 39.