Your Government Let a Domestic Violence Cop 'Complete a Program' and Immediately Arrested Him Again

 In June 2023, Connecticut State Police say East Lyme Police Chief Michael Finkelstein grabbed a woman during an argument and struck her in the nose with a small remote control. The case landed with his own department — East Lyme police — to investigate. No charges were filed. A year later, on June 5, 2024, police were called to Finkelstein's home for a fight with his wife that "turned physical," and court documents say he punched her in the face; he was charged with second-degree breach of peace and disorderly conduct and suspended with pay. His case was transferred out of the local court system specifically to avoid a conflict of interest. Weeks later, state police reopened the original 2023 incident — the one his own department had quietly closed — and added a felony charge for violating a protective order, after he surrendered only his department-issued handgun to authorities while claiming it was his only firearm, despite owning others; his attorney blamed "lack of sleep" for the omission. Facing five total charges, Finkelstein checked into in-patient treatment for "stress and alcohol management," was accepted into a family violence diversion program in July 2024, and retired from the department in May 2025, citing PTSD and "poor decisions" in his resignation letter. This year, having completed the program, all five charges against him were formally dropped. Then, on May 22, 2026 — barely two months after those charges were cleared — East Lyme police arrested him again, this time for disorderly conduct following another domestic dispute at his home; officers wouldn't say whether it involved the same victim as before. Days later, state police hit him with two more warrants: a new felony charge for violating a protective order on June 12, and a second false-statement charge, again over an undisclosed firearm police say he failed to report.

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Commentary: A police chief hit two women, got a program instead of a courtroom, walked out the other side with a clean record, and was back in handcuffs within two months — proving that "diversion" for domestic violence sometimes just means diverting the consequences until the badge runs out.

Source: https://dailyvoice.com/ct/windsor/ex-east-lyme-police-chief-arrested-again-after-domestic-dispute-adding-to-troubling-history/

AI disclosure: ⚠️ This content was researched and written with AI assistance and may be fully AI-generated. All facts are sourced from the linked article and corroborating sources.