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Man arrested after indecent exposure complaints

3 mins read
Joel Batzell (FCSD photo 2012)

FARMINGTON – After receiving more than a dozen complaints, police arrested a 64-year-old man on a charge of indecent conduct Monday.

According to police reports, complaints about Joel Batzell of 103 Bridge Street started to come in on July 10. Motorists on Wilton Road passing by called to report a man, sometimes wearing a diaper, was shouting at traffic, coming up to vehicles stopped at the traffic light and peering inside or he was walking and weaving along the side of the road as if he might fall into traffic.

“Most described him as acting disoriented, as if he might stumble into traffic,” said Bonnie Pomeroy, a Farmington Police Department secretary who was reading from the officers’ reports. “People called out of concern that he might need mental health help,” she added.

On Monday morning, police received three, nearly simultaneous calls beginning at 8:26 a.m. reporting Batzell was walking around his yard and the park area across from his property completely naked.

Detective Marc Bowering and Patrol Officer Ryan Wagner responded but couldn’t find Batzell and he didn’t answer when the officers knocked on his door. They returned to his property at 10:15 a.m. and this time Batzell came outside his residence wearing shorts. A witness had signed a complaint that he was naked and after police interviewed him, Batzell was arrested, charged with indecent conduct and transported to the Franklin County Detention Center. He posted the $200 cash bail required and was released later on Monday.

Police are familiar with Batzell. He was arrested two years ago, on July 2, 2012, charged with disorderly conduct, indecent exposure and obstructing a public way.

For several years, town officials have tried to get Batzell to clean up his property and abide by signage ordinances. In 2009, an investigation of his Bridge Street residence by the state Fire Marshal’s Office found several safety violations that included issues with the furnace, wiring, alarms and escape egresses, according to that agency’s report.

While some of those repairs were made to his home and his property cleared of much of the  clutter out front, a court order remains in effect that requires Batzell be the only resident of 103 Bridge Street. In other court action, an order issued in January of this year required Batzell to remove a message sign sitting in his dooryard by Jan. 24. The sign has since been removed.

In issuing the judgement, Justice Michaela Murphy ruled that Batzell had violated a consent agreement signed in 2005 which prohibited new signage without approval. A very large message board installed prior to the agreement across the front on the second floor of his property is exempt from the order. In her ruling, Murphy also reaffirmed a prior order, dated May 1, 2013, that prohibits Batzell from housing tenants until he successfully brings legal action to have that order lifted.

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4 Comments

  1. Hahaha…. Remember the bath tub and rubber duck in the 80’s when Conrad Taylor had his garage on the corner? God love ya Joel some of us will miss you….

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