‘Ghost hunters’ trespass on Dark Entry

CORNWALL — Two young Connecticut residents turned themselves in on arrest warrants on Friday, July 6, after allegedly trespassing on private property on Dark Entry Road in Cornwall in May,  looking for thrills in the area known as  Dudleytown.

Dudleytown in Cornwall is not a town, but a 1740s farming settlement whose founders included several members of the Dudley family. The area is mainly owned now by the Dark Entry Forest Association, which has replanted trees in the formerly deforested land. 

Dudleytown has taken on a life of its own in recent decades and has become a draw for seekers of the supernatural. On countless websites the area has been labeled “The Most Haunted Place in Connecticut,” or “The Village of the Damned.” Visiting thrill seekers thoroughly document their illegal visits to the privately owned property, and their search for evidence of madness and murder. 

In 2002 National Geographic even reported on the paranormal lore surrounding the historic settlement. 

But as the Cornall Historical Society states on its website, “Dark Entry Forest/Dudleytown is private property. The people who live there do not appreciate trespassers wandering about their backyards. Just as with any other private property, trespassers will be arrested.”

As detailed in a written report, State Police found James “Jimmy” Frederick Godfrey, 19, of Bethel, Conn., and Brittany Lombardi, 21, of Danbury, Conn., at a residence on Dark Entry Road belonging  to Mhammad Alisdairi, 38, of New York, N.Y., at approximately 2 p.m. on May 14, where they were arrested.

Alisdairi was not at the residence but told Troop B he was alerted to Godfrey and Lombardi’s presence by security cameras on the property. Godfrey and Lombardi also allegedly trespassed on the same property the night before, on May 14 after midnight, along with two other males recorded on camera. Alisdairi called the State Police, who arrived at Dark Entry Road approximately at 2 a.m. By then, the trespassers had left.

According to the police report, footage from Alisdairi’s camera showed Godfrey and Lombardi returning to trepass the next afternoon, when they were apprehended by police.

Alisdairi told the State Police that he recognized both Godfrey and Lombardi from the security footage of their first break-in. They wore similar clothes and Godfrey, who was described as a white male with glasses who looked to be in high school, carried a notable phone case that read “Best F--k.” 

State Police reported the following events: After his arrest on the afternoon of May 14, Godfrey denied trespassing at the residence the night before. Police presented Godfrey with a picture from the security cameras. The report states that Godfrey’s face turned red. 

“This is a picture of you last night and you just said you weren’t at Dark Entry before,” the trooper said. 

Godfrey said, “Yes, it’s me.”

Police reported that Lombardi, a white female, agreed to be interviewed and recorded after signing her waiver of rights.

Lombardi was reportedly recorded saying, “I was watching ‘SVU’ when Jimmy [Godfrey] called and asked if I wanted to smoke some pot [marijuana] with Amanda, JP and another guy. I don’t know Amanda or JP’s last names. JP is a black male and is 18 years old.” 

After speaking with Bethel Police Department, Troop B identified JP as John P. Suero, 18, of Danbury. The unnamed male was identified by Godfrey as Isaac LeBerbera.

Lombardi then told police that, “Everyone was at my house where we smoked [marijuana] and then someone asked if we could go on an adventure. They wanted to go to an insane asylum in New Fairfield, but I said no, because everyone gets arrested there. 

“So I suggested we go to Dudleytown because we’ve never been there before. 

“Amanda drove us there. She has a gray Dodge Dart. While we were near the Milford Hospital Amanda got a call from her mother. We got to Dark Entry and parked at the top. Everyone got out of the car except for Amanda. Amanda doesn’t do ghosts. Plus she was arguing with her mother. 

“We got to the house and the door was locked. JP [Suero] put his back to the door, lifted his leg and kicked the door in, We figured we came all this way, we might as well go inside. I heard Amanda saying she had to go because her mother was mad, so we left.”

 Describing the footage from the security cameras, Alisdairi stated he saw four high school-aged people, three males and a female, kick in the door and walk into the living room. “They noticed the camera and walked out. They came back a few minutes later with their faces covered and put the camera down.”

Recounting why they returned the next day, Godfrey was reportedly recorded saying, “Today, Britanny called me and said let’s go check out that house again. We went inside, the door was not locked. We looked around and did not take or break anything.”

Both Lombardi and Godfrey’s statements were submitted into evidence. They were both charged with burglary in the third degree and criminal trespassing in the second degree and were scheduled to appear in Torrington Superior Court on July 17.