WATERBURY, CT- For a Waterbury (CT) Police Department sergeant, the fourth time definitely was not the charm. The Hartford Courant reports that Sgt. Adrian Sanchez, a supervisor with the department and member of the Board of Aldermen, has been suspended after an independent investigation found he made false statements and violated department policies in connection with a police department investigation into one of his political opponents.
The internal affairs investigation looked into an August incident between Sanchez’s political opponent and a friend, former Connecticut State Rep. Victor Cuevas.
The Courant obtained a copy of the IA report via a Freedom of Information request, which alleged that Sanchez’s actions posed a “conflict of interest.” It was alleged that Sanchez “invoked potential violations by superior officers of the Waterbury Police Duty Manual and the Hatch Act,” regarding a social media post where he alleged that “on-duty police officers are being ordered by their superiors to perform political favors.”
Note that the Hatch Act typically does not apply to local officials or municipal employees not connected to federally funded programs. Under 5 U.S.C. § 1501 (4), it says the Act applies only to a state or local officer/employee: “whose principal employment is in connection with an activity which is financed in whole or part by loans or grants made by the United States or a Federal agency.”
Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo convened a Loudermill hearing, which provides employees subject to disciplinary action the opportunity to defend themselves, before three union police officers, The Courant reported.
“Based on the recommendations and based on the investigation and based on Sanchez’s past disciplinary record, I determined a 15-day suspension was appropriate,” Spagnolo said.
Sanchez has filed a grievance over the suspension with the support of the Waterbury Police Union, the “Brass City Local.”
“We filed a grievance and are going through the grievance process, and fully supporting Sgt. Sanchez,” said Detective John Healey, president of the Waterbury police union.
Spagnolo noted that while he was considering discipline against Sanchez, “there was absolutely in my mind questions about him serving as an officer, serving the community, [and] serving in a supervisory role.”
“But the reality is he is afforded union protection,” Spagnolo said. “There is a progressive discipline process in place. I had lengthy conversations with the HR director, and already this has been grieved by the union. It is difficult for me in this case because I do question whether he should be in a supervisory role and, frankly, in some ways, a police officer. But I have to follow the guidelines and understand what the processes are and make sure we provide opportunities, and we have a historical background in case this behavior continues, and we have to take further action.”
In an email, Sanchez admitted he understands the public interest in the situation, “because it involves an internal personal investigation and a pending labor grievance, I am not able to comment on the findings or details at this time.
“I will be addressing the matter through the appropriate contractual and legal processes,” he said.
The latest incident involving Sanchez relates to an Aug. 22 police investigation whereby Cuevas allegedly confronted and made homophobic comments to Efrain Torres, a former Republican Board of Alderman candidate who ran against Sanchez.
Cuevas was arrested on Dec. 17 on charges of second-degree breach of peace by Waterbury officers in connection with the incident, which was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
However, Waterbury State’s Attorney Maureen Platt said the incident with Torres was a “hate incident” and didn’t rise to the level of a criminal violation, Spagnolo said.
The Courant reviewed video footage of the incident where Torres was seen on video on Aug. 22 walking downtown by Republican Town Committee headquarters when Cuevas confronted him, asking him, “What did you call me?” followed by a series of expletives. He then reportedly made derogatory comments with no response from Torres, except to say, “See you later.”
Sanchez, off duty at the time, reported the incident and directed one of his officers, Perla Cora, to investigate the incident, according to the report, which says that he violated department policy by not reporting it to his commanding officer.
In his investigation, Miguel Escalera Jr., an attorney whom the corporation counsel in Waterbury hired to conduct the probe, wrote in his report that “Mr. Cuevas was actively supporting Sergeant Sanchez in his political campaign against Efrain Torres.”
“One can only imagine the negative news articles that would have been written about the Waterbury Police Department had the media been aware that Sergeant Sanchez, himself the political opponent of Mr. Torres, was undertaking to direct the investigation of the altercation on behalf of the Waterbury Police Department,” Escalera wrote in his report.
“Because of his conflict of interest, Sergeant Sanchez should have immediately taken steps to distance himself from the investigation of the altercation by reporting this unusual occurrence to his superiors and allowing them to direct the investigation,” the report continued. “I find by failing to report this matter to his superiors, Sergeant Sanches not only violated the Waterbury Police Duty Manual but also demonstrated extremely poor judgment.”
Escalera continued in the report that “Sanchez does not take responsibility for having done anything improper.”
“As such, Sergeant Sanchez’s poor judgment continues unabated,” the report continued.
The Courant reported that according to Spagnola, there have been four significant incidents of misconduct against Sanchez, including the August incident that required disciplinary actions and weren’t disputed.”
For example, in 2018, he was suspended for five days for violation of department policies after he was involved in an off-duty fight, Spagnolo said.
In 2019, he was working an unauthorized off-duty job in Waterbury, where a domestic incident occurred, also a violation of department policies; he was suspended for three days. This past April, Sanchez launched an investigation into a medical incident involving a former police commissioner, which also violated department policies.
In the latest incident, during an interview with Sanchez on Oct. 31, he asked Off. Perla Cora “very politely to investigate” the incident with Cuevas and Torres as a friend and that he had “no intention” of giving her an order. Further, he said she could have refused to do what Sanchez asked, the report said.
“I find that these statements by Sergeant Sanchez were false statements made in violation of the Waterbury Police Duty Manual,” Escalera wrote in his report. “I find that Sergeant Sanchez’s statements were a contrived attempt to avoid criticism for not contacting Officer Cora’s supervisor or his own superior officers.”
Meanwhile, Cora told Escalera in an interview that she was “concerned that I not disobey the order from Sergeant Sanchez.”
“I have never received an assignment from an off-duty sergeant before,” Cora said. “I felt the assignment from Sergeant Sanchez was an order. After I returned to the police station, I received a text from Sergeant Sanchez, stating, ‘give me a call if you are around nobody.’”
A police lieutenant also questioned Sanchez’s actions, according to the investigation report.
“Sergeant Sanchez had no authority to initiate an investigation while off duty,” Lt. David Knapp said. “Sergeant Sanchez should have called communications and notified me since I was the shift commander.”
During his interview with Escalera, Sanchez said that Cuevas had been assisting Republican candidates for “election, including me.”
“Mr. Cuevas has provided me with advice, mentorship, education, and direction,” Sanchez told Escalera. “In retrospect, I should have had Victor Cuevas call Communications directly to report the altercation and request an officer be dispatched to take his report,’ Sanchez said. “However, I maintain I did not violate any policy in the Waterbury Police Duty Manual.”
Sanchez said that Cuevas’ request to initiate a report about the altercation was “a routine matter presented to an off-duty officer.” Sanchez later told Escalera that “I believe I handled the situation the same way other officers do.”
Sanchez also gained attention to himself in an Aug. 6, 2025, Facebook post, where he wrote, “Our city’s corruption scandal is beyond blatant. It’s straight up criminal.”
Despite that post, Sanchez told Escalera he had “no knowledge of any criminal conduct by any employee or government official in the city of Waterbury,” nor was he aware of any violation of “federal law perpetrated by any employee or government official in the city of Waterbury,” The Courant reported.
“My intention was to refer readers to the podcast hosted by Dan Maiorano, Republican Town Committee Chairwoman, and Steve Pedbereznak, a retired police officer known as the Brass City Beat, and the comments they were making on the podcast,” Sanchez said.
In a follow-up post to Facebook on Aug 8, Sanchez wrote: “That’s why it’s incredibly disappointing to see the current elected Democrats drag PAL (Police Activity League) into questionable and potentially illegal political activity.
“It is not meant to be used as a political tool, especially when on-duty police officers are being ordered by their superiors to perform political favors,” Sanchez continued.
Again, despite that post, Sanchez told Escalera he had no knowledge of “any criminal conduct by PAL.”
“I have no knowledge of any Democrats dragging PAL into potentially illegal activity,” Sanchez said. “I have no knowledge of any Waterbury police officers being ordered to perform political favors.”
Sanchez told Escalera that when he wrote the post, he “mistakenly believed that PAL had provided tables and chairs to the Democratic Town Committee without charge.”
“I have since learned that PAL rented the tables and chairs to the Democratic Town Committee as it has rented tables and chairs to various organizations,” Sanchez added.
Escalera wrote that he found Sanchez’s “allegation that Waterbury police superiors are ordering police officers to perform political favors while on duty undermines the public trust in the department and is likely to disrupt police operations.”
He further wrote that the allegation would “tend to cause the public to question whether the law in Waterbury will be administered fairly without regard to political affiliation and would tend to impugn the integrity of the Waterbury Police Department. “
“I am not aware of any criminal conduct that is occurring in the police department or any agency,” Chief Spagnolo told The Courant.
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