Former classmates of a Waterbury man who claims his stepmom held him captive in their home contacted the state鈥檚 child welfare agency decades ago to voice concern about the boy鈥檚 safety, according to a police report released this week.
Waterbury police on Monday released records detailing their interactions with the boy鈥檚 family in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by 黑料吃瓜网.
Police allege the boy鈥檚 stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, kept her 32-year-old stepson captive in a small room that was locked from the outside from the time he was around 11 years old. He was discovered by firefighters in February after police say he lit a fire in an attempt to escape.
Sullivan, 57, pleaded not guilty in court Friday to charges of kidnapping and assault.
Police said previously they visited the boy鈥檚 home in 2005 after receiving a request to check on him from the 黑料吃瓜网 Department of Children and Families (DCF).
A police report shows an officer was dispatched to the residence at 2 Blake St. at 5:10 p.m. on April 1, 2005. The officer wrote that former schoolmates had called DCF and reported that "something must have happened鈥� to the boy because he was out of school for so long, and they feared "that he may have died.鈥�
The victim told investigators his family pulled him out of school in fourth grade after school officials contacted authorities about his behavior, including eating food out of the garbage due to hunger.
After visiting the home, the Waterbury officer wrote in a report that he spoke to the boy and he 鈥渁ppeared to be happy and healthy.鈥�
"The residence appeared normal and lived in,鈥� the officer鈥檚 report reads, noting Sullivan and an unnamed person were then notified the report would be written and kept on file at police headquarters.
![A portion of the narrative description of events from a Waterbury Police Department report on April 1, 2005 checking on the wellness of a child at 2 Blake St. The officer reports that, 鈥淚 spoke to [redacted] and he appeared to be healthy and happy. The residence appeared normal and lived in.鈥�](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c947381/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1228x819+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fc2%2F5c0360a146c0aff9aa52be0e32d4%2Fchild-report-pg2-1.jpg)
Records show police returned to the home later that month after the boy鈥檚 father, Kregg Sullivan, reported that his family was being harassed. Sullivan told police the principal of the school the boy previously attended 鈥減laced several calls to different agencies attempting to have his family investigated,鈥� according to the police report.
Tom Pannone was the former principal at the now-closed Barnard Elementary School in Waterbury. Pannone did not respond to email and phone messages requesting comment, but said in a television interview last month he contacted child welfare authorities for help.
鈥淲e reported it,鈥� Pannone told NBC 黑料吃瓜网. 鈥淣ot a damn thing was done. That's the tragedy of the whole thing.鈥�
DCF declined Tuesday to answer questions about the information disclosed in police reports. The agency鈥檚 commissioner said in a statement last week that DCF is reviewing records of its interactions with the family.
Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo said based on his review, officers handled the calls appropriately in 2005, finding no reason to take further action based on their observations at the home.
鈥淭he officers did a thorough job in responding to the house, interviewing the people in the house, interviewing the victim himself," Spagnolo said. "There was really nothing out of the ordinary for them to act upon at that point in time.鈥�
The alleged victim, whose identity has not been released, made a harrowing escape on Feb. 17 when he set fire to the home using a lighter, hand sanitizer and paper in what he said was a desperate attempt for freedom, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
He weighed 68 pounds at 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and suffered from severe muscle atrophy, according to authorities.
Police on Monday released photographs from the crime scene, including images of the cluttered space where the boy was allegedly held captive, and pictures of furniture and a door damaged by flames.
Records show Waterbury police had a handful of interactions with the boy鈥檚 family after 2005, though none involved the child.
Records show in 2007, Kimberly Sullivan reported a suspicious person in her yard, but the man wound up being someone she knew, and Sullivan withdrew the complaint. In November 2013, she reported someone stole a package containing a camcorder from off her porch. The following month, Sullivan reported to police that two men had tried to break into her car.
In October 2018, police responded to a 911 call from the home. A report indicates an officer spoke with Kimberly Sullivan, who said she had a verbal disagreement with her husband about their marriage while they were in their car. Sullivan said the fight didn't become physical and said she wanted to cancel calling the police because her husband had already left for work, the police report states. Then in 2020, Sullivan filed a harassment complaint against a man she described as the ex-boyfriend of a family member. Police also responded to render medical assistance in October of that year.
The alleged victim told authorities he was locked in a room without heat or air conditioning nearly all day and night, and given two sandwiches and two small water bottles a day, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Officials found a slide lock outside of the doorframe on the room where the man lived, according to the affidavit.
Police said DCF workers also visited the home, but it's not clear what the agency did. The man told police Sullivan made him tell authorities everything was OK under the threat of his food being reduced.
Sullivan posted $300,000 bail after she was arrested March 12. She has denied the allegations.
Her attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, criticized Waterbury police Tuesday for releasing documents and other records associated with the case. 黑料吃瓜网 and other media organizations obtained the material through requests made under the state public records law.
Kaloidis described the records, which include police reports and crime scene photographs, as "sensitive evidence," and said their disclosure serves to turn public opinion against Sullivan while her case is still pending.
Kaloidis asked Waterbury police to preserve their communications regarding disclosure of the records. In a separate motion filed in court, he asked a judge to order prosecutors to preserve similar material.
"Justice requires the protection of constitutional rights and ultimately, a fair trial," Kaloidis said in the statement. "We call for an immediate investigation into the release of these photos and videos. We intend to fight these outrageous allegations every step of the way."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
