Acting Suffield, CT, Fire Chief Accused of Ordering Sons to Assault Man

A Connecticut man is facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly ordering his two sons to assault a man at a home in Suffield last month while he was acting chief of the Suffield Volunteer Fire Department.

John Guzie, Sr., 54, faces charges of conspiracy to commit third-degree assault and disorderly conduct following his arrest on Aug. 11 by members of the Suffield Police Department.

According to the warrant affidavit supporting the charges, Guzie arrived at a home on Aug. 8 sometime around 5 p.m. and yelled for a woman who owns the house, who was in the backyard pool area, to come inside and speak with him. The woman was in the yard with three co-workers, including two women and a man. The man tried hiding behind a cooler when he spotted Guzie, the warrant affidavit said.

Guzie, who had moved out of the home about a week earlier, had arrived in the home in the fire chief’s vehicle, as he was serving as acting chief while Fire Chief Scott Cunningham was on vacation, according to the warrant affidavit. When the woman went into the home, the three others in the backyard said they could hear Guzie shouting at her, the warrant affidavit said. He left shortly thereafter.

About five minutes later, Guzie’s son, Tanner Guzie, arrived at the home and went into the backyard, according to the warrant affidavit. Soon thereafter, Guzie’s other son, John Guzie, Jr., arrived and allegedly began swinging a golf club around as he aggressively approached the man who had attempted to hide earlier, the warrant affidavit said.

One of the women allegedly stepped in between Guzie, Jr., and the man before the woman who owns the home told him to drop the club, the warrant affidavit said. He allegedly threw the club into the yard before Guzie, Sr., returned to the home, according to the warrant affidavit.

Guzie, Sr., watched as his two sons were in a heated shouting match with the man before he allegedly snapped his fingers and told them to “Pop that (expletive) in the mouth to teach him a lesson,” the warrant affidavit said.

“Shut that (expletive) up,” he allegedly told his sons, according to the warrant affidavit.

Two of the women in the yard later told police the two sons reacted “instantly,” allegedly charging at the man and punching him, according to the warrant affidavit. Tanner Guzie allegedly began punching him first, while one of the women tried to get in the way of Guzie, Jr., police wrote.

Guzie, Jr., allegedly punched the woman’s chest twice before he began punching the man in the face and head as his brother allegedly did the same, the warrant affidavit said. The assault allegedly ended when Guzie, Sr., shouted “Let’s go boys” to his sons, the warrant affidavit said. After a brief shouting match, Guzie, Sr., and his sons allegedly left, police wrote.

Both people who said they were assaulted told police they were in pain but declined medical services at the scene, according to the warrant affidavit. The man, who claimed that he was punched about eight times, later went for a CT scan because of pain he felt in his jaw and was reportedly diagnosed with a minor head injury, the warrant affidavit said.

When reached by police, Guzie, Sr., allegedly told investigators he did not wish to speak without a lawyer, the warrant affidavit said. His two sons allegedly told police they were not interested in speaking about the incident, the warrant stated.

Guzie, Sr., was arrested three days after the incident and is free on a $50,000 bond, court records show. He is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Nov. 5 and has not entered a plea.

Cunningham did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Guzie, Sr.’s status with the department.

Guzie, Jr., and Tanner Guzie were both arrested on Aug. 29.

Guzie, Jr., faces two counts of third-degree assault and a single count each of second-degree threatening, disorderly conduct, second-degree reckless endangerment and conspiracy to commit third-degree assault. He is free on a $50,000 bond and is set to face a judge on Oct. 17. According to court records, he has not entered a plea to the charges.

Tanner Guzie, who is free on a $45,000 bond, faces charges of third-degree assault, conspiracy to commit third-degree assault and disorderly conduct, records show. He has not entered a plea and is set to face a judge on Nov. 6.

The law firms representing Guzie, Sr., Guzie, Jr., and Tanner Guzie did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

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