An independent investigation has cleared Groton police of any policy violations in the July 2025 arrest of YouTuber SeanPaul Reyes, even as a 911 call made public afterward captured retired state police Sergeant Bryan Fahey telling dispatchers, “I have a gun and I'm going to go shoot him right now,” before confronting Reyes outside his home. Reyes, a self-described First Amendment auditor, was ultimately convicted of criminal trespassing for the encounter, while Fahey received accelerated rehabilitation on a disorderly conduct charge tied to an accusation that he spat on Reyes while holding a gun at his side.
The Town of Groton's internal review concluded that local officers did not violate department policies when they arrested Reyes at Fahey's home, according to CT Insider. The 911 audio capturing Fahey's gun threat was obtained through public records requests and made public in September 2025, revealing just how volatile the situation had become before Fahey walked outside to confront Reyes in person, as previously reported by CT Insider.
Reyes says he went to Fahey's home as an independent journalist investigating public payroll records showing the sergeant had collected roughly $75,000 in overtime while assigned to desk duty, according to an April 2026 internal investigation transcript cited by The Day. Fahey was placed on unpaid suspension before retiring.
A Confrontation That Ended in Handcuffs
Groton police arrested Reyes at the scene on July 11, 2025, after Fahey confronted him with a pistol at his side, per the station's report. Reyes was initially charged with felony voyeurism, breach of peace, and criminal trespass, and his bond was later increased from $10,000 to $75,000. Fahey himself was not arrested until August 29, 2025, when he was charged in connection with the alleged spitting incident.
Attorney Eric Daigle authored an 87-page report examining the Groton police response, ultimately concluding that town officers did nothing wrong, the outlet notes. Daigle did concede that officers should have taken Reyes' statement on the day of the incident, even as he cleared the department of broader misconduct allegations.
Groton Sgt. Devon Bedard said he did not believe spitting fell under the legal definition of assault, though he said he believed there was probable cause to arrest Fahey for breach of peace or disorderly conduct, the same report states. Bedard said officers wanted to arrest Reyes immediately because he lived out of state, while officers delayed arresting Fahey as they gathered more information, and Bedard maintained that police handled the incident professionally throughout.
Former Chief Points to Court Transfer Delay
Louis Fusaro, the former Town of Groton police chief, said transferring the case to the Danielson courthouse may have delayed the arrest warrant against Fahey, according to the same account. Fusaro also said that spitting probably was not the best way for Fahey to respond to the confrontation on his property.
Reyes filed a civilian complaint against the police response on July 17, 2025, prompting the Daigle Law Group to investigate his allegations. Daigle Law Group is a national law enforcement consulting firm that specializes in internal affairs investigations, police liability, and training departments on First Amendment auditor interactions, with principal attorney Eric Daigle regularly conducting training seminars for police executives nationwide. The firm's report cleared every officer on every allegation Reyes raised.
Charges Narrowed, Then a Conviction
Prosecutors dropped the initial first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree breach of peace charges against Reyes in December 2025, substituting a single lower-level misdemeanor charge of third-degree criminal trespass, according to Patch. A felony voyeurism charge originally filed by Groton police had already been dismissed earlier in the proceedings, and Reyes has said the voyeurism and breach of peace charges were dropped as the case narrowed.
Under Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-109, third-degree criminal trespass is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in prison when someone knowingly enters or remains on posted private property, per Justia's summary of the statute. The trial turned on whether a Private Road, No Turn Around sign constituted sufficient legal notice under state law, with Windham State's Attorney John F. Fahey arguing the sign alone gave reasonable notice that the property was private. Town of Groton police officers testified that such signs were posted along the driveway, while a no-trespassing sign was found lying in brush alongside the road.
Reyes elected to represent himself pro se without a defense attorney during his August 2026 trial in state Superior Court in Danielson, taking the stand to testify in his own defense, CT Insider reported. He was found guilty of criminal trespassing and sentenced to a suspended three-month prison term with one year of probation. The court also issued four standing criminal protective orders barring Reyes from contacting Fahey's family through 2099. Prosecutor John F. Fahey did not request prison time for Reyes. Kimberly Fahey, the sergeant's wife, said Reyes made more than 60 videos and livestreams about her husband and family.
During sworn trial testimony, attorney Eric Daigle stated that Reyes secretly recorded their internal affairs interview without permission and later posted the audio to his Long Island Audit YouTube channel, according to CT Examiner. Reyes has said he did not threaten physical harm to anyone, and he says he plans to appeal the conviction, calling the Daigle report biased and arguing it wasted taxpayer money. He has also filed a Freedom of Information request seeking the fee paid for Daigle's investigation.
A Pattern Stretching Back to 2021
Reyes' confrontations with Connecticut law enforcement did not begin in Groton. In August 2021, the Danbury Police Department disciplined four officers, including suspending one who remarked on body camera footage that Reyes would have been dead in an earlier era, following a filming confrontation with Reyes at the local public library. That viral video prompted other Connecticut departments to issue formal advisories on First Amendment auditor rights.
Reyes also posted videos of confrontations involving Danbury police and security guards in 2021, and he has separately been confronted by state troopers while filming at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. A federal lawsuit, Reyes v. Lavoie and Fahey, stemmed from a separate 2021 encounter outside state police headquarters.
Reyes' Long Island Audit brand has a YouTube channel. Reyes began video auditing in 2021 after being furloughed from a warehouse logistics job, turning the practice into a full-time media operation. CT Insider staff writer Lisa Backus reported the Groton findings, with Bruno Matarazzo Jr. contributing to the article.
