October 28, 2013/Press Releases

DiNardo: Did Tom Foley Make a Deal for His Road Rage Attack Not to be Prosecuted?

Foley has repeatedly lied about requesting and releasing all records involving his felony arrest


HARTFORD, Conn. — Today, Connecticut Democratic Party Chair Nancy DiNardo again called on Tom Foley to request and release all records related to his felony arrest for a road rage attack on five people — ramming the car five times at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. Tom Foley has refused to request and release these records, even denying the records exist, despite the Hartford Courant obtaining some of the records.

“The people of Connecticut deserve to know why Tom Foley’s violent road rage attack on five people was not prosecuted,” said Chair DiNardo. “Did Tom Foley make a deal for his road rage attack not to be prosecuted? Was there a financial settlement reached with the victims in exchange for not pursuing charges? Was there some other offer made to the victims of the attack in exchange for not pursuing the charges? Did the prosecuting office reach a deal with Foley and if so what were the terms? Tom Foley needs to address what really happened that night, and why after spending a night in jail for a felony arrest his case was not prosecuted. What is Tom Foley trying to hide from Connecticut?”

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Service has publicly stated that Mr. Foley has the right to all law enforcement records regarding his felony charge. Tom Foley previously stated that his attorney, whom he would not name, requested the records regarding this felony arrest, but was told no records existed.  Mr. Foley has not provided proof of this assertion or explained why, as the accused, he could not obtain his own records despite a newspaper being able to obtain them.

Background:

New York Division Of Criminal Justice Official Said Foley Has The Right To Release All Reports About The 1981 Incident That Are On File. According to the Hartford Courant, “Foley has the right to all reports about the incident that are on file with the Southampton police, as well as any law enforcement agency that might have such records, Janine Kava, director of public information for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Service, said earlier this month. State statutes ‘provide that such records shall be made available to the person accused from any agency that has them,’ she said. The four passengers of Howe’s car either could not be reached or declined to comment.” [Hartford Courant, 10/15/13]

Foley Said He Had Exhausted All Efforts To Release All Records Of His 1981 Arrest, Saying There “Is Nothing Further For Me To Inquire About.” According to the CT Mirror, “But Foley said the two documents add little to the public narrative about his arrest at age 29, and he has no intention of repeating an effort he says he initiated three years ago, when The Courant disclosed the incident, relying on a July 2, 1981 account in the Southampton Press. ‘When this arose in 2010, I inquired through an attorney what records existed in Southampton and was told there was no record, either in the district attorney’s office or the Southampton police department related to the incident,’ Foley told The Mirror in an interview Tuesday. ‘I have no reasons to believe that’s not true. There is nothing further for me to inquire about.'” [CT Mirror, 10/16/13]

October 2013: Hartford Courant Obtained Police Documents Of Foley’s 1981 Arrest. According to the Hartford Courant, “Documents obtained by The Courant about a 1981 car crash involving Republican gubernatorial hopeful Tom Foley paint a dramatically different picture from the account that he gave during his failed 2010 governor’s campaign when he described the event as an accidental bump at low speed in traffic. The documents — which contain accounts from those who were in the other vehicle and a description of the physical condition of their car — say that Foley, then 29, drove behind a car full of people on a dark Long Island road in his Toyota Land Cruiser after a party and hit it five times in three separate locations.” [Hartford Courant, 10/15/13]

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