Date: Fri 21-May-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

nocturnal-intruder-Northrup

Full Text:

"Nocturnal Intruder" Waits In Prison To Be Sentenced

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

The local man known as the "nocturnal intruder," who is awaiting sentencing

for a series of late night Riverside burglaries with child victims during the

past two summers, was being held this week in a state prison in Suffield.

Kennith J. Northrop, 29, of 86 Alpine Drive, Riverside, was being held at the

Walker Reception and Special Management Unit, according to a state Department

of Correction spokeswoman.

Northrop had been out on a $50,000 bond until May 12, when Danbury Superior

Court Judge Patrick Carroll raised the bond in the sexual assault case by an

additional $300,000, a cash amount which Northrop was unable to post,

resulting in his incarceration.

In court May 12, Judge Carroll ordered that Northrop spend 60 days in a

psychiatric hospital for evaluation on whether he should serve his sentence in

a prison or psychiatric facility, but because there are no beds available at

Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown where Northrop would be evaluated,

he was placed in the Suffield prison until a psychiatric bed becomes

available, possibly in mid to late July.

In raising Northrop's bond, Judge Carroll expressed concerns about public

safety in Northrop's neighborhood and about whether Northrop would make future

court appearances. Northrop had been scheduled to be sentenced in Danbury

Superior Court May 5, but didn't show up because he had checked himself into

the psychiatric unit at Danbury Hospital.

In court May 12, Assistant State's Attorney Devin Stilson asked Judge Carroll

to sentence Northrop to prison, or at least raise his bond in light of the

past warm weather incidents in which Northrop secretly entered Riverside homes

late at night with the intent of massaging young children with vegetable oil.

Mr Stilson noted that warm weather is approaching and Northrop still lived in

the Riverside neighborhood where the crimes were committed.

Last winter, Northrop accepted a plea bargain agreement with the state in

which he pleaded "no contest" to second-degree burglary for an August 5, 1997

incident; second-degree burglary and fourth-degree sexual assault for a June

29, 1997 incident; and third-degree criminal trespassing and breach of the

peace for a June 23, 1998 incident. After a "no contest" plea is made, a judge

makes a finding of "guilty."

The state is recommending a prison sentence of 15 years, suspended after three

years, plus five years probation. Northrop's probation would require that he

stay away from his victims, be tested for AIDS, undergo sex offender treatment

and be registered as a sex offender.

After Northrop is evaluated in the psychiatric hospital for 60 days, mental

health staffers will recommend whether he should serve his sentence in a

prison or psychiatric facility. Judge Carroll will consider that

recommendation in imposing his sentence.

Mr Stilson stressed Tuesday that the charges against Northrop are serious

ones. Residents in Riverside have been very concerned for their safety,

especially during the warmer weather, in light of the past burglaries

committed by Northrop, Mr Stilson said. Northrop had told a mental health

worker he had been drinking as recently as April, Mr Stilson added.

When Northrop is sentenced, the parents of the children who were victims of

his burglaries are expected to offer comments to Judge Carroll, Mr Stilson

said.

"The entire neighborhood feels like they're being held hostage in their own

houses," Mr Stilson said of apprehension experienced by Riverside residents

when Northrop was out on bond.

The parents of the victims had wanted to make comments to Judge Carroll in

court May 12, but it wasn't the appropriate time to so, Mr Stilson said. A

letter concerning Northrop's being out on bond, which was signed by about 25

neighborhood residents, was given to the judge, according to Mr Stilson. That

letter stated that the residents feared that Northrop would commit additional

intrusions in the neighborhood if he was out on bond, Mr Stilson said.

The nighttime intrusions committed by Northrop in the summers of 1997 and 1998

can leave a lasting sense of fear and unease in the victims, Mr Stilson said.

Attorney Dennis McDonough, who is Northrop's special public defender, said it

is unclear whether Northrop will serve his sentence in prison or a psychiatric

hospital. "It's really up in the air," he said.

"I firmly believe he should be in a psychiatric facility. I don't think a

conventional jail would serve any useful purpose," Mr McDonough said. Mr

Northrop needs psychiatric help, McDonough stressed.

The nighttime entries occurred in the area of Underhill Road, Bankside Trail

and Dock Drive. No physical injuries resulted from the incidents, according to

police.

In those break-ins, Northrop would secretly enter homes and properties late at

night carrying vegetable oil with the intent of massaging young children. The

presence of vegetable oil at the crime scenes was the common link which police

used to connect Northrop to the crimes.

The police investigation into the intrusions crystallized last summer, when on

June 23, 1998, at 2:52 am, police responded to a Dock Drive residence after

the homeowner informed them someone had entered a tent in the backyard where

children were camping out. The homeowner confronted and detained the intruder

who was later identified as Northrop.

The nighttime incidents led police to boost surveillance in the Riverside area

and conduct door-to-door interviews of residents in a lengthy investigation of

the case.

In the summer of 1997, police conducted a neighborhood meeting for area

residents concerned about the nighttime intrusions, and raised the possibility

that residents form a neighborhood crime watch to keep an eye on suspicious

activity.