Former Glastonbury police officer charged with ninth commercial theft

A former Glastonbury police officer has been charged with nine burglaries in the state after facing earlier charges this month at a South Windsor restaurant.

Patrick Hemingway, 37, was charged on March 8 with third-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief related to a burglary last spring at the Mill on the River restaurant on Ellington Road, according to the South Windsor Police Department.

Authorities alleged that Hemingway broke into the establishment on April 24, 2023, damaging an exterior door and a safe door that he couldn't open.

Following his arrest, Hemingway appeared in Manchester Superior Court, where bail was set at $100,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 2.

As per the Department of Corrections, Hemingway is being held on bonds totaling nearly $1.4 million. Court records indicate he has nine pending burglary cases and one additional arrest for misusing a law enforcement database during his tenure with the Glastonbury Police Department.

Multiple police departments in Wethersfield, Stratford, Shelton, Old Saybrook, East Hampton, and Manchester have filed burglary charges against the former officer.

According to arrest warrant affidavits in several cases, Hemingway is suspected of being involved in a burglary spree encompassing over 40 businesses across Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

His legal troubles began last September when he was arrested in New Jersey as a fugitive. Hemingway was subsequently extradited to Connecticut on September 28, 2023, and charged by the Connecticut State Police with first-degree computer crimes and making a false statement.

An arrest warrant affidavit revealed that Hemingway utilized his access to COLLECT—a law enforcement database—to check if he was identified as a suspect while working as a Glastonbury officer.

Hemingway served as a police officer in New Britain from 2009 until January 2019. He then joined the Glastonbury Police Department before submitting a letter of resignation in July, effective in September, citing his intention to pursue a career in commercial aviation.

Wethersfield police initially suspected Hemingway in a burglary after matching cell phone tower data from a crime with data from another break-in in Shelton. The cell phone data was linked to a 2019 Jeep Cherokee registered to Hemingway’s wife, according to the affidavit.

State police later revealed that Hemingway conducted numerous queries through COLLECT between January 2021 and August 2023, checking vehicles registered to him and his wife, along with his name.