The Hills Have Eyes-Naugatuck’s small-town racism

Part 3

By Grant Miller

Carissa Walters and her son, Zach Walters. (Provided by Carissa Walters)

Naugatuck, Connecticut is a hilly town nestled between two different environments. To its south is the Naugatuck State Forest and its massive mountains and colorful October foliage. To the north is Waterbury, a city with just as many hills but more diversity. Between these two extremes is a town small enough for rumors to spread fast but big enough for matters to take months to handle, including police misconduct within its borders.

Two months after Naugatuck police officer Jasen Markette called former Naugatuck resident Carissa Walters a “mud shark” because of her biracial son, the town’s police chief Christopher Edson suspended Markette for 10 days without pay.

This screenshot shows Carissa Walters sharing Jasen Markette’s suspension.

During a Facebook argument on August 16, Markette called Walters a “mud shark” three times when he found out her son’s father was black. Walters alerted her friends on Facebook about him and learned he was a Naugatuck police officer. She then filed a complaint with the Naugatuck Police Department on August 19.

Word spread, and other former Naugatuck residents expressed disgust with Markette’s language but…