Town Man Arraigned on Felony Assault Charges

NORWALK — A New Canaan man police say struck his son in the head with a snow shovel last week has had his firearms taken away and been served with a protective order.

Kenneth R. Klenk, 64, of 1734 Oenoke Ridge Road, appeared in Tuesday to be arraigned on charges of first-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangerment.

New Canaan police say Klenk struck his 23-year-old son with the shovel on the morning of Jan. 14 during a family dispute.

In a news release, department spokeswoman Sgt. Carol Ogrinc said police received a 911 call at about 8:25 a.m. Friday from the family's home, during which the caller hung up before saying anything. She said when a dispatcher called back the number, the person who answered said his brother had slipped and fallen on the ice and had a head injury.

When officers arrived, Ogrinc said, they determined Klenk's son had been struck in the head with a snow shovel, and suspected his father had committed the assault. According to Ogrinc, Kenneth Klenk was not home at the time, but arrived minutes later and was taken into custody without incident.

The son was taken to Stamford Hospital, Ogrinc said.

Klenk was released after posting $25,000 bond. During the arraignment, a protective order was issued, forbidding Klenk from committing violence against his son.

Holding his raincoat and green hat over his left forearm, Klenk stood silently beside his lawyer, Frank P. Bevilacqua, of the Norwalk firm DePanfilis & Vallerie LLC, during the proceeding before Judge Bruce P. Hudock.

Hudock said he understood Klenk had one or more firearms in his house, and Bevilacqua replied they had been confiscated by New Canaan police. At the request of assistant state’s attorney Aaron Leonard, Hudock signed a protective order against Klenk, naming his son, who lives in his father’s house, as the protected party.

Hudock warned Klenk that violation of a protective order is a class D felony.

At Bevilacqua’s request, Hudock continued the case to Feb. 23.