A man arrested by state police has been accused of illegally storing commercial grade fireworks at his Connecticut home where three juveniles were present.
Richard Valuk, 47, of Berlin, turned himself in last Friday at Troop H in Hartford on charges of risk of injury to a child, illegal possession of explosives, illegal procurement/transport of explosives and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to Connecticut State Police.
State police said the charges stem from an alleged incident on Feb. 2 when emergency crews responded to Valuk’s home shortly after 12:30 a.m. for a medical call.
The state police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit was later asked to investigate after members of the Berlin Police Department learned that there were possibly fireworks or explosive materials in the home where three juveniles were present.
According to state police, a second adult residing in the home called 911 when Valuk experienced a medical emergency. He was taken to an area hospital.
When authorities entered the basement of the residence, they allegedly found a “large cache” of fireworks or explosives, state police said. A cursory examination found that they were illegal in Connecticut and consisted of alleged commercial and consumer grade fireworks, according to state police.
Investigators found that Valuk possessed a certificate of competency to display fireworks in Connecticut, though he did not have the permit required to legally store them in the home. All of the fireworks were seized and transported from the scene by the state police Bomb Squad.
State police said Valuk later spoke with investigators over the phone and asked whether they seized a 3-inch shell from the home, which had been taken. He allegedly told investigators the shell had been left over from a fireworks display and that he planned to bring it to a future show to be discharged, and did not plan to keep it, according to state police.
During the investigation, Valuk agreed to meet with investigators on Aug. 21 for an interview. State police said he allegedly acknowledged storing fireworks in his residence and indicated that some had been purchased in Pennsylvania. He also allegedly said that as part of his employment his truck was used to transport “equipment, trash and debris to and from fireworks displays,” according to state police.
Valuk allegedly told authorities he believed some of the illegal fireworks were “accidentally put into his truck and that he was unaware of their presence until he began cleaning his truck out at his residence,” state police said. Once he discovered them he put them in an area of his basement that he said was typically locked.
State police noted that Valuk did not have a license to transport explosives. They also allege the area where the fireworks were found was not locked and would have been accessible to anyone in the home. State police also said they allegedly were not stored in compliance with state and federal regulations involving commercial fireworks.
According to state police, investigators determined that the fireworks allegedly “posed a significant threat to human life and property based upon the amount of fireworks in an unprotected environment which lacked fire safety precautions and hazardous materials notifications to first responders in the event of an emergency.”
Authorities sought a warrant for Valuk’s arrest which was signed by a Superior Court Judge on Aug. 28.
Following his arrest, he was expected to be arraigned later in the day in New Britain Superior Court.
