Third “COIN” Program Winner
By Editor at September 18, 2023 | 9:15 am | Print
The consistent, effective invThe COIN program (Community Officer Investment Network), aims to reward and recognize members of the community who have made significant contributions to an incident that might not have been resolved successfully without the citizen’s participation. The COIN program involves the issuance of challenge coins to our officers that they can present to individuals who meet this criterion. The Police Department will publicize each success story in hopes of strengthening our network of partners.
The COIN program aims to educate citizens of their obligation to the community and the shared responsibility for its welfare. Our department seeks to further the acceptance of these duties through recognition of those citizens whose actions have contributed to the accomplishments of the department’s mission or the safety of the community. All Berlin officers have been issued a challenge coin that may be presented to a citizen when the officer feels that the citizen has made a significant contribution to an incident that might not have been successfully resolved without the citizen’s participation.
The Berlin Police Department had been investigating two armed robberies at the same location that were believed to have been committed by the same individual. On Thursday 07/23/2015 at approximately 5:33 pm and on Tuesday 07/28/2015 at approximately 10:37 am the Shell Gas Station, located at 1376 Berlin Turnpike, Berlin, CT was robbed by this individual who displayed a handgun. The individual was described as a white male, 5’8” – 5’10” tall with a stocky build approximately 250 lbs., between 35-45 years old with dark hair. In both incidents, he parked a vehicle in a business to the north and ran to and from that vehicle. A silver sedan was reported in the second incident.
On August 1, 2024 a Shell Gas station employee, Kidal Siddartha observed a vehicle pull in to the lot to the north of the Shell station. This is the same location where the suspect from the two previous robberies had parked his vehicle. Siddartha immediately called Berlin Police who responded and apprehended an individual who was preparing to rob the gas station again. Berlin Police detectives subsequently obtained a confession from the suspect Timothy Aseltine, age 33, of 95 Old Tannery Lane, Rocky Hill, CT. Aseltine confessed to the two previous robberies and that he was preparing to rob the station a third time when apprehended. Alsetine was charged with Attempted Robbery and Attempted Larceny held on a $100,000 bond and arraigned in New Britain Superior Court on August 3, 2015. Charges for the previous two robberies are pending an arrest warrant.
On September 3, 2015, Officer Brandon Lagueux presented Kidal Siddartha with a COIN award in recognition of how his quick thinking resulted in the prevention of a third robbery and apprehension and prosecution of the suspect of the previous two.
