More Than 120 Unserved Bench Warrants in Southington

Reporting by Eileen McNamara.

Michael D. Dudarevitch was arrested three times last year and convicted on numerous charges, including assault, drug possession and sixth-degree larceny. Last April the Meriden man was sentenced to one year in prison on some of those charges and the conviction was suspended after he served three months. He was then placed on three years probation.

But about a month ago Dudarevitch, whose last known address was 68 Knob Hill Road, was found in violation of that probation and the court issued a new warrant for his arrest.

That warrant is still pending and Dudarevitch remains at large. His arrest order on violation of probation is among thousands issued by the courts in Connecticut every month and which can remain unserved for weeks, months and even years.

All of the court-issued arrest warrants are available for public viewing on the Connecticut Judicial Branch's website under a state law passed several years ago, and expanded in the last year, that seeks to increase public access to court records.

The warrants database can be searched by town, allowing residents of a community to see, at any given time, who is wanted in their towns. The database can also be searched by court and by a defendant’s name.

The warrants listed on the site are those issued only from the judicial bench, largely for violation of probation, failure to appear in court and to a lesser degree, orders to incarcerate those who were previously convicted but not jailed.

They do not include warrants sought by local police departments, which are typically for more serious charges.

Currently in Southington there are more than 120 residents with bench warrants pending against them. Some were issued this month and others years ago. 

You can view your town’s warrants here.

While state and local police departments say they take the serving of such warrants seriously and seek to make those arrests where possible, lack of manpower and the more pressing concern of dealing with serious local crimes makes the issue of tracking down the suspects of bench warrants less of a priority.

“We do take them seriously and if we can go out and get them we do. They’re subject to arrest when and where we can find them,” said state police Lt. Paul Vance. “There are also times when we’ll put a task force together and we’ll go out and serve these warrants and pick these people up.”

Christopher Duryea, a research attorney with the judicial department who oversees the warrant database, said the department makes the warrants information available as part of an overall effort to increase public access to court documents online. The information, he said, is also important to certain agencies and people, such as landlords checking on prospective tenants and employers doing background checks on prospective employees.

The website, however, warns others not to try to take action if they recognize someone who has a pending bench warrant.

“It is recommended that you do not attempt to take action against anyone based on information contained in this website,” it states. “If you think there is a threat right now to a person or property, you can call 911 or your local police department. If you think that help is needed right away, please contact your local police department.”