by Laura Glesby The New Haven independent
Former Police Chief Karl Jacobson appeared in court Thursday morning for a brief hearing, at which a judge postponed his arraignment for charges of larceny as state investigators continue to gather evidence in the case.
Jacobson appeared before Superior Court Judge Tracy Dayton in courtroom 6A of the 235 Church St. on Thursday at 10 a.m.
He did not enter a plea to two counts of Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community.
He is facing accusations that he stole $81,500 from a police confidential-informants (CI) fund as well as $4,000 from the Police Activity League (PAL). According to a state police affidavit, Jacobson had gambled over $4.4 million on the sports-betting apps DraftKings and FanDuel over the course of his final year as police chief, reaching a net loss of at least $214,000.
The affidavit states that when three assistant police chiefs confronted Jacobson about missing funds, he allegedly admitted to stealing $10,000 from the CI fund. According to the affidavit, he stated, “I have a problem. I fix my alcohol problem. I turned to gambling. I don’t know why it just got worse recently.”
Jacobson retired on Jan. 5, immediately after that confrontation.
On Thursday in court, Jacobson stood behind a desk alongside his lawyer, Gregory Cerritelli. New Britain State’s Attorney Christian Watson, the prosecutor for the case, stood behind a separate desk.
“Good morning, Mr. Jacobson,” said Judge Dayton after the lawyers stated their names for the record.
“Good morning, your honor,” Jacobson said quietly.
Dayton summarized the status of the case. The state has disclosed all of the evidence it has so far amassed in the case to Cerritelli, she said. But investigators are still looking into “current bank statements.”
She informed the courtroom that a later hearing would be scheduled once that evidence is gathered and turned over to the defense.
The hearing swiftly concluded. No pleas have been entered yet.
“This is the very beginning of a very long process,” said Cerritelli after the hearing. “That’s the most I can give you.”