Mayor put behind bars

WINSTED — Mayor Althea “Candy� Perez and Grammy Award-winning Native American flutist Joseph Fire Crow were among the notable individuals from Winsted who went to jail Tuesday morning to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), chipping in more than $5,000 together to the cause.

Perez and Fire Crow were joined by Darlene Bentley, Francine Shandra, Denise Sohocki and Joann Moore for Tuesday’s Laurel City contingent, in which the MDA sent a van to pick up some of the volunteers to be “imprisoned� at the Cambridge House Brew Pub in Torrington.

“It was a lot of fun,� said Fire Crow, a nationally known musician who performs solo, with a band and most recently with symphony orchestras. “They came by and picked us up. I raised a total of $465.� Fire Crow’s partner and manager, Joann Moore, raised $440.

Mayor Perez was the big earner for the day, pulling in $2,480 to get herself bailed out. Perez’s next mission was to prepare for an eighth-grade promotion ceremony at Northwestern Regional Middle School (see story, top right), where she serves as principal.

The Cambridge House was reportedly jam-packed throughout the day Tuesday, as community business leaders and town leaders from throughout the Torrington area were arrested at their places of business and transported to the restaurant. Participating jailbirds were served complimentary “jail food� while they raised their bail money for MDA. All proceeds go toward the fight against muscular dystrophy.

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