Gov. Rell appoints Mansfield woman to advocacy board

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has appointed Joyce M. Peters of Mansfield as a member of the Board of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities.

The board advises the state’s Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities (www.ct.gov/OPAPD) on issues and policies affecting persons with disabilities.

“Joyce has dedicated her life to helping people with challenges to achieve their full potential,” said Gov. Rell. “She is widely recognized for her commitment to improving lives and opportunities.  She will be a highly effective member of this board.”

Peters served as the Vice President of Programs and Services for the Greater Hartford Association for Retarded Citizens Incorporated (www.harc-ct.org) for more than 40 years.

A member of the Church Community for Supported Living and the Windham Area Interfaith Ministry (WAIM), she earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut.

If you are interested in serving on a state board or commission, go to www.ct.gov/governorrell and click Online Forms.

Posted Sept. 21, 2010

Case continued for man accused of killing UConn student

The man accused of fatally stabbing a former University of Connecticut football player had his case continued in Rockville Superior Court Friday [Sept. 17].

John Lomax III, 22, of Bloomfield, was charged with murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault and will appear in Rockville Superior Court on Oct. 29.

Deron Freeman, Lomax’s attorney, said he still plans to file a speedy trial motion and offered no further comment on the case Friday evening.

Lomax is accused of stabbing Jasper Howard, of Miami, on Oct. 18, 2009, on Hillside Road outside the Student Union building on campus, according to police.

He was attending a West Indian Student Organization party when a fire alarm was activated at 12:26 a.m. and, as nearly 300 students and non-students were evacuated, an altercation broke out between a group of students and non-students, police said.

Police said Howard was stabbed in that altercation and the state Medical Examiner’s Office said he died from a single stab wound to the stomach and ruled the incident a homicide.

Others arrested during the ongoing Howard investigation include:

• Hakim Muhammad, 21, of Bloomfield, charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, second-degree assault, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, tampering with physical evidence, first-degree hindering prosecution, conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence and conspiracy to commit first-degree hindering prosecution.

He is due in Rockville Superior Court on Oct. 15, but also must appear in Hartford Superior Court on Oct. 29 for charges of second-degree breach of peace, second-degree threatening and intimidating a witness.

• De’Quan Muhammad, 21, of Hartford, charged with second-degree giving a false statement, first-degree hindering prosecution and interfering with an officer. He is due in Rockville Superior Court Sept. 24.
  • Rahim Farrarham Muhammad, 23, of Bloomfield, charged with two counts of first-degree hindering prosecution, interfering with an officer and tampering with evidence. He is due in Rockville Superior Court Sept. Oct. 22.
  • Hadiyah Monique Vanover, 22, of Windsor, charged with two counts of first-degree hindering prosecution, interfering with an officer and tampering with evidence. She is due in Rockville Superior Court Sept. 24.
  • Asia Amirah Muhammad, of Bloomfield, charged with two counts of conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence, second-degree hindering prosecution and interfering with an officer. She is due in Rockville Superior Court Oct. 15.
  • Jamal Todd, of Hartford, charged with falsely reporting an incident and reckless endangerment for pulling the fire alarm that led to the evacuation of the Student Union. He is due in Rockville Superior Court Oct. 18.
  • Douglas Davis, of East Hartford, charged with making a false statement, hindering prosecution and interfering with police. He is due in Rockville Superior Court on Sept. 28.
  • Christopher Mutchler, of Wethersfield, was charged with first-degree hindering prosecution, interfering with an officer, second-degree breach of peace, second-degree threatening and committing an act of terrorism for threats he wrote on web sites after the murder. He is due in Rockville Superior Court Sept. 24.

Neither Mutchler nor Todd have been specifically linked to the stabbing of Howard.

Posted 9-21-2010