Police said they went to an East Ridge Road home Jan. 6 after they received a call from a woman who said she needed help and didn't know who to turn to. She said the power had gone out to half of her home, including the side with the furnace. She said her and her boyfriend checked with fuses inside the home and everything seemed to be in working order, so she was confused as to why half of the house was lacking electricity. She said she was told by police not to contact her landlord unless it was an emergency. Police said they advised her to call the landlord, who was identified as Scott Brennan, as it was indeed an emergency related to the property.
A short time later Middletown police were called again, this time from the woman's boyfriend who said they called Brennan to tell them about the issue and he said he wasn't going to fix the problem and hung up the phone. Officers said they went to visit Brennan, who told them he didn't think the couple with children were his tenants and wanted them out of his home. He said they were squatters with no lease and they didn't pay him rent. Police said that they advised him that under Connecticut law they were tenants and he was indeed their landlord. Because of that law, he was legally responsible for providing a working heating system to the home, and police said that if he didn't want them inside, he needed to follow proper eviction procedures. But, police said, he was still required to provide heating during the eviction process. According to police, that's when Brennan told them that he wasn't sure whether or not he would get the heating system fixed and didn't believe he had money to get it fixed anyway. Police said they let him know again that his refusal to agree to get the heat back on was the same as saying "no," so the Middletown Health Department would need to be contacted. Brennan then asked police how long he had to make the decision, and police advised him that he needed to provide a yes or no answer right then and there.
Health Department officials said they inspected the home, who then determined that it was unsafe for occupancy because of the lack of heat. Due to this, no one was allowed inside the home between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The family was then moved to a local hotel at Middletown's expense, which would need to be reimbursed by Brennan. Police then went to meet with Brennan once again and was told he had 48-hours to fix the heating system or action would be taken against him. Police said he again protested and said he didn't understand why he didn't have any rights as a homeowner against "squatters" who were not welcomed inside his home, and was confused as to how he was supposed to get those repairs made if police told him he wasn't allowed at the home. He was again told that it didn't matter whether or not he wanted the couple and children in the home and needed to provide heat, and was also told that repairs could be made if he called his tenants prior to arriving.
Days later, police were told that the home was now completely without electricity and heat. Police then made contact with Brennan again. Police said he told them that he thought he had 48 hours to decide whether he was going to try to fix the heat, and even though he didn't have money he tried his best. He also said he called an electrician who was able to get the furnace working for a period of time, but it shut off again. He said he was arrested when he went to the home to make repairs, and police said that was because he was told that a licensed electrician needed to make the repairs, not him. He was told that he was initially given 48 hours to get everything working and it had been 96, so he was arrested and was expected to appear in court Jan. 22.
Story by WFSB
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