One family member’s concern that another family member was taking drugs led to her grabbing his wallet from his pants pocket, which led to a tussle as he objected — then a turn of events that she didn’t seem to expect led to the man’s arrest on other charges, police said.
The Incident Last Week
Police described the events and the investigation with this account (including accusations not proven in court):
The June 23 Darien police arrest photo of Scott Waters, 23, of Walmsley Road.
The woman, a resident of Walmsley Road, ran out of the house and brought the wallet to the Darien police station — where police decided that the fresh cuts on her indicated that an assault had taken place. So they went back to the house, questioned the man — Scott Waters, 23 — and charged him with disorderly conduct and third-degree assault, both misdemeanors.
The incident began sometime before 11:20 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22, when the woman arrived at Darien Police Headquarters. She told police she had left the house with the wallet and went directly to the police station.
In the wallet was at least one piece of folded wax paper which appeared to be consistent with narcotics paraphernalia. It looked like the kind of packaging used for heroin, but it was empty. The woman said she wanted to help police with any investigation they might do into drug sales.
Police noticed the woman had a scratch on one arm and a scrape on her leg. That led police to conclude that a violent altercation had taken place when she took the wallet, and they asked her about how it had happened.
She said that when she reached for the wallet, Waters grabbed her arm and physically resisted her efforts, but she was still able to get the wallet.
She said the cuts were old. Some did appear old, but others seemed to be new, police concluded. When the woman realized that police were asking more about whether the confrontation had been violent and less about the possible drugs, she denied any violence was involved. She declined medical treatment offered by police.
Police spoke with Waters, who said the family member had seen him try to conceal an object in his pants. She got his wallet out of his pants, and when he tried to get it back, he yelled obscenities at her. He said his own actions in the confrontation were verbal and not physical in any way.
Police found no illegal drugs on Waters when they arrested him, but the wax paper could be tested for residue of drugs. If any was found, police then would have to get an arrest warrant to charge Waters.
Waters’ bond was initially set at $2,000, and he appeared in state Superior Court in Stamford the next morning, where, at some point, his bond was reduced to nothing. He is next scheduled to appear in court July 7. The Connecticut Judicial Branch website indicates he has been released from custody.
Previous Incidents
Waters currently has these three other court cases, according to the website:
Drug possession, a felony charge from a Sept. 2, 2015 arrest by Stamford police based on an accusation that he committed the crime on May 16, 2015.
Drug selling, a felony charge based on an April 9, 2014 arrest by Darien police. According to a Darien Patch article at the time of the arrest, Waters was arrested following a police investigation into drug selling in town.
Various charges related to drug possession, along with charges related to having a phony I.D. (including second-degree forgery, a felony) and interfering with a police officer (except for the forgery charge, all the charges are misdemeanors). These charges all come from an Aug. 4, 2013 arrest by Darien police (when Waters was 20 years old).
Regarding that last incident, Darien police gave this account (including accusations not proven in court):
In that incident, a police officer stopped a group of three young men, including Waters, twice overnight from Aug. 3 to 4. On the first occasion, when asked for his name, Waters had given the officer a phony one.
On the second occasion, another one of the young men had turned to Waters and said, “Hey, Scott …” The officer recalled that that wasn’t the first name Waters had previously identified himself with.
On searching Waters, the officer found oxycodone pills and a small amount of marijuana in his pocket. In Waters’ wallet the officer found a phony Connecticut driver’s license and a Massachusetts I.D. for someone else.
One case which is not currently in court occurred on November 2011, Waters (then 18 years old) was charged with second-degree assault in connection with a fight at a party in Darien.
Darien police on that occasion described the victim’s injuries as “multiple lacerations, a swollen lip and bloody nose. […] The injuries were of a serious nature, and the victim was transported to Stamford Hospital.”
As a result of the incident, Waters, then a member of the Darien High School football team, was suspended from playing that year’s Turkey Bowl game between Darien and New Canaan.