CT prison guard choked wife, held their 2 kids hostage: cops

A Connecticut prison guard strangled his wife, took their two children from their home and held them hostage for hours, authorities said Monday.

John Lacen-Romero, 36, faces numerous charges in connection with the incident Sunday, which triggered a massive police response and a lengthy standoff in Stamford, the Connecticut Post reported.

Lacen-Romero got into an argument with his wife around 12 p.m. Sunday at their home in Newington, the local police department said in a Facebook post. During the argument, Lacen-Romero grabbed the woman by the neck and overpowered her, cops said.

The woman had already placed their two children, ages 11 and 9, in a vehicle in an attempt to escape the scene, Newington Police Sgt. Matthew D’Esposito told the CT Post. After Lacen-Romero assaulted her, he took the vehicle and drove off with the kids inside, police said.

Cops in Stamford, about a 90-minute drive southwest of Newington, spotted Lacen-Romero’s vehicle and attempted to arrest him, sparking a short chase that included multiple collisions, local ABC affiliate WTNH reported.

But even after Lacen-Romero’s car was disabled, he engaged law enforcement in a seven-hour standoff, according to the CT Post. During the showdown, he threatened to kill himself and the children, authorities said.

Officers intervened to end the standoff because they feared for the children’s safety inside a disabled car on a sunny day, police said.

Lacen-Romero has worked for the Connecticut Department of Correction since 2022.