Selectman arrested for alleged traffic violations

WINSTED — Democratic Selectman Michael Renzullo, who was elected for a third term during municipal elections in November, was arrested at a traffic stop on New Year’s Day.According to the police report by the Winchester Police Department, Renzullo was cited for misuse of a marker plate and failing to stop at a stop sign.He was released on a written promise to appear in Bantam Superior Court on Monday, Jan. 9.“I’m taking care of this today, and this won’t be a story in two hours,” Renzullo told The Winsted Journal in an interview on Tuesday. “There is a stop sign on the bottom of Oak Street, which is right near where I live on Wetmore Avenue. Apparently, I didn’t stop completely to the officer’s liking. I did not do it the way he wanted me to do. He considered it a rolling stop and pulled me over.”As for being cited for misuse of a marker plate, Renzullo admitted he was not carrying up-to-date vehicle registration forms at the time of the stop.“Over the summer, I got new license plates,” Renzullo said. “When I was pulled over, I could not find my new registration. I only had my old registration, which showed my old license plate number. I am going to the Department of Motor Vehicles today and getting everything straightened out. The police officer told me that all I need to do is bring my new registration into court with me and the matter will be dropped. I have no idea where the new registration went. It was just a silly mistake that I left the old one inside my truck.”In November 2009, Renzullo was pulled over and charged with carrying a dangerous weapon in a vehicle, using a cell phone while driving and driving an unregistered motor vehicle.The charge of a dangerous weapon in a vehicle was due to the discovery of a 7-inch knife in his truck during the police stop, which Renzullo said was used for a camping trip.Those charges were eventually dropped.