An Orange police sergeant arrested during a melee at a Hartford Yard Goats baseball game has applied for a special probation program meant to wipe his record clean, even as the case against him remains unresolved months later. Frank Koshes, 57, faces charges of first-degree criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest stemming from the July 11 incident at Dunkin' Park.
Koshes was arrested as the Hartford Yard Goats played the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, according to the New Haven Register. He has applied for accelerated rehabilitation, a diversionary program available to first-time offenders facing nonviolent charges, as reported by CT Insider. A hearing on whether he will be admitted into the program was continued, attorney Brittany Paz said, per the same outlet's reporting.
What Allegedly Happened Inside the Ballpark
According to a police report cited by CT Insider, the park's head of security requested police assistance after reports that Koshes and his co-defendant, John Hatfield, appeared to be intoxicated. The report states that Koshes placed his hand on the chest of Hartford police Sgt. Arber Gashi outside the park and lightly pushed him. Koshes and Hatfield were told to leave the park at security's request and refused, the report says.
The same police report indicates that Hatfield made inappropriate comments toward a group of juveniles, including saying he would bang them, and that underage girls worked at the Yard Goats' team store inside the park at the time. Hatfield, 40, of Seymour, is charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and trespassing, according to Hartford police.
Diversion Already Granted to Co-Defendant
Hatfield's case has moved further than Koshes'. He was admitted into Connecticut's accelerated rehabilitation program during the week of September 15, the New Haven Independent reported, and his case is scheduled for a March 15, 2027 hearing, when he intends to seek its dismissal and erasure. Court records show he was granted the supervisory probation program through that date.
The outlet reported that the fallout from the arrest cost Hatfield two public roles. He resigned from his elected position on the Seymour school board on July 29, and he also stepped down from the board of directors of TEAM Inc., a Derby-based human services nonprofit, effective immediately, according to WFSB. Hatfield is also a teacher at Platt Technical High School in Milford, and Kerry Markey, communications director for the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, said he is on paid administrative leave.
Internal Review Underway at Orange Police
Koshes, who holds the rank of sergeant with the Orange Police Department, reported his own arrest to the department, Chief Robert Gagne said in a statement. The department has said it will conduct an internal investigation into the incident. Koshes' next court date is set for November 23, according to court records.
Accelerated rehabilitation is formally defined by the Connecticut Judicial Branch as a diversionary program, governed under Connecticut General Statutes § 54-56e, per the Connecticut General Assembly. A Connecticut General Assembly Office of Legislative Research report notes that supervision under the program can last up to two years, citing a 2020 Sentencing Commission finding of a 93 percent success rate for participants who completed it.
The outcome for officers facing similar requests has varied elsewhere in the state. A former Danbury police officer accused of stalking reapplied for accelerated rehabilitation while facing a second-degree stalking charge, according to the News-Times, while a judge denied accelerated rehabilitation requests for four former New Haven police officers charged in connection with an incident that left a man paralyzed, as reported by NBC Connecticut. Whether Koshes will ultimately be admitted into the program remains undecided.
