TYB
Ex-Planned Parenthood exec commits suicide after botched child porn raid in Connecticut
April 16, 2023
A former Connecticut Planned Parenthood honcho took his own life days after police failed to arrest him on child pornography charges â botching the raid by knocking down the door of the suspectâs New Haven neighbor.
Tim Yergeau, 36, the former director of strategic communications at the Southern New England branch of Planned Parenthood, died by suicide on Tuesday amid a child pornography investigation in Connecticut last week.
âThe person who died was definitely the suspect in a child pornography investigation and the person who committed suicide,â New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson told the New Haven Registrar.
Five days earlier, members of the Special Victims Unit investigating the child pornography case reportedly broke down the door of Yergeauâs neighbor â and handcuffed the woman before realizing they had raided the wrong apartment.
âThey obviously hit the wrong door,â Jacobson told the outlet.
New Haven policeâs internal affairs investigators are now looking into how cops botched the raid, according to the article.
âUnfortunately, a mistake was made,â Jacobson said.
âWe feel for the woman and weâre going to do everything we can to make it right,â he added.
While Jacobson declined to confirm Yergeau was the suspect of the child pornography investigation, his neighbor, and the state Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner both confirmed that he died Tuesday morning.
The medical examiner also confirmed he died by suicide.
After leaving Planned Parenthood, Yergeau began working at the Long Wharf Theatre in August 2022 as its marketing and communications director, according to the organizationâs website.
âWe are shocked and deeply saddened to learn the developments of the last 24 hours,â a spokesperson for the theater told the outlet. âGiven the difficult news, it would be inappropriate to comment further.â
According to the Long Wharf Theatre website, Yergeau had also previously worked for the New Haven Free Public Library Foundation.
olice reportedly said that since there are two open investigations into the matter, they will not release the application for the search warrant or provide information about what was found in Yergeauâs apartment until they confirm no other suspects were involved.
The state of Connecticut can also decide to withhold the warrant.
Yergeauâs neighbor Stacey Wezenter, told the outlet she relives being handcuffed every time she now walks down the apartmentâs hallway.
âWhat if I had a gun permit? What if I came down the hallway with a gun? Would I have gotten shot? What if my 4-year-old had woken up? Would they have shot him?â Wezenter said. âYou just donât do that to people.â
Police entered her apartment around 6 a.m. and began systematically moving through the home with their guns drawn, she reportedly recalled.
âI started running down the hallway, it was just like a movie. They had guns and flashlights on me,â Wezenter said. âThey put me against the wall and handcuffed me. I was crying and saying, âWhatâs happening?'â
Officers repeatedly asked her where the man was located while moving through the rooms of her apartment, according to the article.
âI was like, âWhat man? Iâm here with my children,ââ the mother said. âThey asked, âWhoâs Tim? â and I said thatâs my neighbor downstairs.â
After officers noticed toys belonging to her 4-year-old son, they reportedly realized they were not in the correct apartment.
Officers told her they had been conducting surveillance of her neighbor who was the focus of their investigation.
Wezenter told the outlet she had planned to bring a plate of Easter leftovers to Yergeau on Monday but accidentally fell asleep with her son.
https://truthsocial.com/@nypost/posts/110209007686430734
https://nypost.com/2023/04/16/tim-yergeau-dies-by-suicide-following-botched-child-porn-raid/