Police, DEP track down, ticket four on ATVs

By Rachael Scarborough King, Register Staff
April 1, 2008

GUILFORD — Police issued four tickets for trespassing over the weekend during a crackdown on all-terrain vehicle use, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Hutchinson said Monday.

Working with state Department of Environmental Protection enforcement officers, police issued four tickets to two men and two juveniles riding ATVs in an area near Lane’s Pond Road in North Guilford. The DEP provided air support allowing police to find the people illegally riding on private property, Hutchinson said.

He added that the Police Department often hears concerns from residents about people riding on town or private land.

“We get these complaints all the time,” he said. “Essentially, they destroy the property and cause a lot of noise.”

The goal of issuing the tickets over the weekend was to let people know that “illegal ATV operation is something we look at,” Hutchinson said.

The department plans to conduct similar enforcement operations in the future, but a schedule has not been set.

Tickets for illegal ATV use can cover a range of infractions, including trespassing, Hutchinson said.

“Sometimes what happens is if the ATVs aren’t registered properly … there’s a multitude of charges that could apply,” he said.

Hutchinson said the fact that there are not many spots for recreational ATV use in the area leads to riders on other people’s land, often parcels owned by the town or the Connecticut Water Co.

“The problem is there’s just no real good places for people to ride,” he said.

“If you know people who have ATVs, they get frustrated … but that doesn’t make it OK to go on other people’s property.”