Portland Man Threatened Woman, Baby With Gun: Middletown Police

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A Portland man is accused of threatening a woman with a gun with a 4-month-old baby in the car, according to police. The woman reported the incident to police around 11 p.m. on April 4 and said that she had been driving Hardy Hodges, 29, to the bank to get money for him earlier in the day.

The victim told police that the two were arguing about money around 6:30 p.m. and she agreed to withdraw $300 for him at a bank in Middletown. As she was driving on Washington Street, Hodges demanded that she give him $600 and she said she didn’t have that much, according to the police report.

Hodges, who the victim said had been drinking alcohol throughout the day, became angry and grabbed a gun that was in the backseat and was holding it between his legs, according to the report. He is accused of making threatening statements such as “I will kill everyone” and “I will kill us all,” referring to everyone inside the vehicle, the report states.

The victim said she tried to calm Hodges down and he grabbed the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to swerve into another lane and almost crashing, according to the report. The victim realized she needed to go back home for her debit card.

Hodges then asked the victim to take him to the Dollar Tree in Portland to buy cigarettes. He went inside and left the gun in the car and the victim drove away, according to police. Portland police retrieved the gun, which was described as an AK-74 assault rifle, and said Hodges had two 30-round magazines that were loaded, according to the report.

Police later located Hodges at his home and arrested him. He admitted to drinking alcohol throughout the day and said the rifle was his and that he bought it in New York a few years ago, according to police.

Hodges, 29, of Chatham Court, Portland, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree threatening, risk of injury to a minor, weapons in a motor vehicle, carrying a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm while under the influence, criminal use of a firearm and illegal possession of a firearm. He was held on a $300,000 bond and was scheduled to be arraigned on April 6.