Watchdog says Glastonbury lawyer may be incapacitated

by Alex Wood

Oct. 5—The office that prosecutes disciplinary cases against Connecticut lawyers says it has "information and belief" that Glastonbury lawyer Wesley S. Spears "is incapacitated from continuing to practice law by reason of physical and/or mental illness."

INCAPACITATED?

LAWYER: Wesley S. Spears, who practices from his Glastonbury apartment

ALLEGATION: That Spears may be unable to continue to practice law as a result of "physical and/or mental illness"

STATUS: Case is pending in Hartford Superior Court, where Spears is vigorously disputing the allegation and charging that it stems from a conspiracy against him involving judges, prosecutors, and Glastonbury police

The chief disciplinary counsel's office has filed a petition in Hartford Superior Court asking a judge to place Spears on "inactive status." But first, the office wants the judge to order an examination of Spears "by a qualified medical expert or experts" to help determine whether Spears is incapacitated.

The "presentment" doesn't detail the basis for the office's belief that Spears is incapacitated, and Chief Disciplinary Counsel Brian B. Staines said Tuesday that the office doesn't comment on its cases.

Spears is vigorously opposing the petition. He has said in a motion that he is planning to arrange for testimony by at least six judges, five state's attorneys, and more than 25 lay witnesses, including incarcerated defendants.

Spears, 68, who practices law from his apartment in One Glastonbury Place at 32 House St., represents defendants in 137 criminal and motor vehicle cases in addition to parties in 15 pending civil lawsuits, according to the state Judicial Department website.

If a judge finds Spears incapacitated and places him on inactive status, another lawyer would be appointed as "trustee" to protect his clients' interests.

Judge Susan Quinn Cobb has scheduled a "trial management conference" for Oct. 11 in the disciplinary counsel's case.

Glastonbury police searched Spears' apartment July 29 after obtaining authorization from Judge Sheila M. Prats. The basis for the search was evidence that a gun may have been fired in the apartment that month, possibly on July 16, with the bullet piercing a wall and coming to rest in a next-door neighbor's apartment. No arrest has been made in the incident.

Spears filed a motion this week saying that Glastonbury police had filed papers prohibiting him from obtaining a firearm for self-protection. The result, he said, was that he was denied the right to buy a gun on Saturday at Hoffman's Gun Center in Newington.

The motion asks the judge to prohibit Glastonbury police from preventing Spears from obtaining a gun to replace the one they seized. Neither the Glastonbury Police Department nor any of its officers is a party in the disciplinary counsel's case, however.

Spears alleges in a motion that the disciplinary counsel's petition is part of "a broad-ranging conspiracy that has continued for years, involving judges, States Attorneys and the Glastonbury Police department against the defendant, Wesley Spears."

In another motion, Spears says he has filed a "Judicial Complaint" against Judge Laura F. Baldini alleging "bias and prejudice" against him. He adds that it is the only judicial complaint he has filed in 43 years of law practice. Spears says in the motion that he has proof that Prats was aware of his complaint against Baldini when Prats signed the warrant authorizing the search of his apartment.

Kevin J. Dunn, the executive director of the state Judicial Review Council, said he couldn't confirm or deny the existence of a complaint by Spears, explaining that state law bars him from doing so unless the council initiates a hearing on a complaint.

Spears also alleges that he accidentally discovered personal misconduct by two judges.

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Watchdog says Glastonbury lawyer may be incapacitated