A Hartford man is facing state and federal charges after allegedly entering Aetna’s corporate headquarters on Farmington Avenue last week with a loaded assault pistol in his backpack.
Denrey Wadlington, 51, was arrested April 16 after Hartford Police responded to a trespassing complaint at Aetna’s offices at 151 Farmington Ave.
Aetna security had detained Wadlington within three minutes of him entering the building, according to Hartford Police.
A federal criminal complaint filed April 17 in U.S. District Court in Hartford provides a detailed account of the incident, drawn from security footage and witness interviews.
According to an affidavit signed by FBI Special Agent Calvin DeVries, Wadlington was first spotted on surveillance cameras around 9:40 a.m. near Sigourney and Imlay streets, wearing all black and carrying a black Adidas backpack.
He attempted to enter the building multiple times — through the loading dock, a southwest entrance and the rear glass doors of the Executive Video Conference Center — before finding an unsecured door and walking inside, the affidavit states.
Once in the building, Wadlington approached a female employee, told her someone was following him and dropped the backpack beside her desk, according to the affidavit. Security took him into custody moments later.
An Aetna official opened the backpack and found the firearm, the affidavit states.
The weapon was identified as a Palmetto Arms assault rifle-style pistol, fitted with a detachable magazine capable of holding 45 rounds. It contained 11 rounds in the magazine and one live round in the chamber when it was recovered.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced the gun to a purchase made April 3, 2024, in Georgia by another person.
Wadlington faces state charges of third-degree criminal trespassing, criminal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of an assault weapon and possession of a large-capacity magazine. He is being held at Hartford Correctional Center on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on May 29.
Federal prosecutors have separately charged Wadlington with illegal possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to DeVries’ affidavit, a National Crime Information Center check showed Wadlington has multiple felony convictions in Connecticut stretching back to 1995, including first-degree larceny, first-degree failure to appear and carrying a pistol without a permit.
The federal case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Mahard.
