SHARE

Ex-State Trooper From Fairfield Who Stole From Crash Victim Loses Pension

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — A former Connecticut State Police trooper will lose his pension after stealing cash and jewelry from the dying victim of a motorcycle crash on the Merritt Parkway in 2012.

A former State Trooper from Fairfield will lose his pension following his conviction on a felony larceny charge, said Attorney General George Jepsen.

A former State Trooper from Fairfield will lose his pension following his conviction on a felony larceny charge, said Attorney General George Jepsen.

Photo Credit: Connecticut Attorney General's Office

The ruling was issued Thursday, Nov. 19, by a Superior Court judge after Aaron Huntsman, an 18-year veteran of the department and a Fairfield resident, was convicted of felony larceny, said Attorney General George Jepsen.

"Theft related to an individual's state or municipal position is a serious violation of the public trust and this particular case represented an unconscionable violation of that trust on the part of a law enforcement officer," said Jepsen. 

Huntsman had responded to crash while on duty as a state trooper, said Jepsen. The theft came to light after family members complained that the victim's jewelry and cash were missing after the accident. 

Investigators later found the jewelry, and a large amount of cash in Huntsman's car and realized it had not been filed as evidence, State Police said. 

Huntsman resigned and pleaded guilty in July 2014 under the Alford Doctrine to a charge of third-degree larceny and was sentenced to five years in prison, suspended after one year, and three years of probation, Jepsen said. 

The former trooper would have been eligible to begin receiving a monthly pension benefit of $1,530 on July 1, 2024. 

To keep that from happening, Jespen filed an action seeking to revoke Huntsman's pension in Hartford Superior Court in October 2014. 

"In 2008, the General Assembly granted my office authority to seek a pension revocation or reduction from a state or municipal official convicted of a felony in connection with their public position," Jepsen said. "With this court order, Connecticut taxpayers will no longer be on the hook for Mr. Huntsman's pension." 

Under a state statute enacted in 2008, the attorney general is authorized to initiate a civil action seeking reduction or revocation of the pension of any state or municipal official who, in state or federal court, is convicted of or pleads guilty to a crime related to their state or municipal office on or after Oct. 1, 2008. 

The fatal motorcycle accident occurred near Exit 44 on the Merritt Parkway just before midnight Sept. 22, 2012. 

Click here to read the original Daily Voice story.

to follow Daily Voice Fairfield and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE