New Canaan Man Arrested Twice Thursday

Michael Nowacki, 57, was arrested twice Thursday, charged with sending an e-mail to his ex-wife in violation of a protective order, then with breach of peace in an incident at Town Hall. Nowacki now has six criminal cases pending against him related to incidents that occurred in November, February, and last week.

Nowacki's ex-wife reported to police around 8 p.m. Wednesday that he had communicated by e-mail at 10:40 p.m. the previous evening, despite a protective order forbidding him from making any contact with her. Officers secured a warrant and arrested Nowacki at his home on Lost District Drive in New Canaan around 9:30 a.m. Thursday. He was then transported to Norwalk Court where he was arraigned for violating the protective order and released after posting a $10,000 bond (police had originally set his bond at $50,000, but it was reduced by the court).

At 1 p.m. Thursday, the New Canaan Personnel Advisory Board was scheduled to hear a complaint Nowacki had filed against an NCPD officer. Due to his appearance in court earlier Thursday, Nowacki missed the meeting, and when he went to Town Hall around 2 p.m. in an attempt to have his grievance heard he reportedly became belligerent, shouting profanities in the Human Resources office. When he refused to leave the office, the police were called. An officer caught up with him on Main Street near Elm Street and placed him under arrest. He was brought back to police headquarters where he was charged with breach of peace. He was released on $5,000 bond.

Nowacki is due back in Norwalk Court June 25 for disposition on the charges issued Thursday as well as for hearings in three of the earlier harassment and disorderly conduct cases. A pre-trial hearing on the oldest harassment and threatening charges is scheduled for June 24.

Nowacki has been threatening since March to file a lawsuit against the New Canaan Police Department for allegedly violating his rights to due process relating to his arrest in February. He claims officers did not listen to his side of the story before he was charged on his ex-wife's claims that he tried to intimidate her by following her while she was taking their daughter to school and the family nanny's claims he sent her harassing e-mails around that time. Those charges, which are among those now pending in court, resulted in the issuance of the protective order.