Southington Housing Authority Resident Charged in Prescription Drug Investigation

Southington police are cracking down on prescription and diverted drug sales in the community, officials said, and the latest arrest has led to charges against a man deemed to be disabled that had been living in the Housing Authority complex on Academy Street.


Officers on Friday served five warrants on Brian Gardner, a resident at Lincoln Lewis Terrace at 43 Academy Street. Gardner was arraigned in Bristol Superior Court on five counts of sale of narcotics and five counts of sale of narcotics within 1,500 feet of public housing.

“The arrest warrants were the result of an investigation over several months into Gardner selling abused and diverted prescription narcotics within the town of Southington,” Sgt. Jeffrey Dobratz said Tuesday.

Gardner, 47, remains in state custody in lieu of $375,000 in court set bonds in the case, according to the state Department of Correction.

According to court documents, Gardner allegedly sold prescription amphetamines in Southington at points over the past year. Court officials and police did not provide additional information and the case remains sealed under court order as the investigation continues.

Gardner was awarded housing previously after qualifying as being disabled by the Social Security Administration and meeting the State of Connecticut guidelines. Staff was unable to say how long he’d been living in public housing.

The department, after receiving information late last year and complaints of ongoing prescription drug fraud and sales in community, entered into an extensive investigation involving numerous individuals in Southington and surrounding communities.

The effort is part of an ongoing series of investigations conducted through the department’s Narcotics Enforcement Team, Dobratz said.

Gardner is due back in Bristol Superior Court on Oct. 16, court records show.

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