2 Arrested in New Haven Feb. 28 | The Quinnipiac Post

Arrests recorded through P2C system as department operates under acting leadership

Two Arrested in New Haven on February 28

New Haven police made two arrests on February 28, 2026, according to records from the department's Police to Citizen portal.

Antoine Lamont Paige was charged with breach of peace and threatening in the second degree. The charges indicate an incident involving a disturbance and verbal threats, though the police logs do not include narrative details about the circumstances.

Separately, Ryan Delbert Scheuffele, 40, was arrested on Orange Street on a charge of failure to appear in the second degree. The charge is a procedural offense related to a missed court obligation. Scheuffele is listed as homeless in the arrest record.

No additional details about either incident were included in the police log entries. The New Haven Police Department has not issued statements about either arrest.

How New Haven's Arrest Records Work

The New Haven Police Department publishes arrest records through its Police to Citizen portal, a public database that logs daily enforcement actions across the city. The system records the arrested person's name, age, arrest date and time, charges, and arresting unit.

The portal provides a layer of transparency into daily police operations, but the entries are limited to basic booking information and do not include incident narratives, officer accounts, or follow-up investigation details. For residents, the system offers a way to track police activity in their neighborhoods without waiting for formal press releases or news coverage.

Arrest records are processed at police headquarters at 1 Union Ave. The department's non-emergency number for routine inquiries is (203) 946-6316.

New Haven Police Department in Transition

The February 28 arrests came during a period of significant transition for the New Haven Police Department. Acting Chief David Zannelli has been leading the department since former Chief Karl Jacobson abruptly retired in January 2026.

Jacobson was arrested on February 20, 2026, on two counts of first-degree larceny. He is accused of embezzling $81,500 from the department's Narcotic Enforcement Program fund between January 2024 and January 2026, and $4,000 from the Police Activity League fund in December 2025, according to court documents. Gambling platform records showed Jacobson wagered $4.46 million on DraftKings and FanDuel during a one-year period, losing $214,365, according to the arrest warrant.

Jacobson's case is scheduled to be heard in New Haven state court on March 6. His bond was set at $150,000.

Despite the leadership upheaval, the department has continued routine operations. Zannelli and Mayor Justin Elicker presented 2025 crime statistics in January showing a 23.9 percent decline in overall crime from 2024.

New Haven Crime Trends Show Improvement

The department's 2025 data showed broad improvements across most crime categories. Violent crime decreased 39 percent, including drops in rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults. Non-fatal shootings, confirmed shots fired, and robberies all reached 10-year lows, according to Acting Chief Zannelli.

Gun violence reports declined 44 percent, a figure Mayor Elicker highlighted even as the department expanded its ShotSpotter gunfire detection system. The city recorded 16 homicides in 2025, up from 15 in 2024.

The department fielded 103,576 calls for service in 2025, averaging 283 calls per day. Elm City COMPASS, a holistic response program, handled 1,675 of those calls.

For 2026, the department has outlined plans to expand walking patrols, deploy red light and speed cameras, and continue its use of drones and license plate readers. The city has also installed approximately 500 surveillance cameras across New Haven as part of its crime prevention strategy.

Failure to appear charges, like the one in Scheuffele's case, are among the most common procedural arrests logged by police departments. The charge typically results from a defendant missing a scheduled court date, triggering a bench warrant.

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