Berlin Man Charged With Shooting at Three Police Officers Taking His Case To Trial

Jury selection began earlier this week in the case of Kensington resident Jeffrey Yeaw, who is accused of firing a handgun at three Berlin officers during a domestic dispute last year.

The New Britain Herald reported that the jury selection began on Tuesday in New Britain Superior Court, meaning Yeaw's trial could start within the next few weeks.

Yeaw, 46, was arrested in March 2012 after Berlin officers responded to his 18 Peck St. home following a report of an assault. Police encountered a man outside who said he was assaulted by a man still in the home, and when the three officers entered the premises they encountered Yeaw while doing a search of the property, police said.

The suspect then fired a handgun on the three officers and Sgt. Mark Soneson fired back, striking Yeaw in his legs. Yeaw was taken to the hospital for injuries but later survived. None of the officers were injured.

Yeaw was initially charged with three counts of attempted murder, but apparently those charges have been dropped and he now only faces three counts of attempted first-degree assault and three counts of attempted assault on a public safety officer, online court records showed.

The suspect also faces unrelated, sexual misconduct charges stemming from a 2008 incident, court records showed.

Soneson, a 28-year veteran of the department, was briefly put on leave as police conducted an investigation into the shooting, however he was later cleared. In May, the Berlin Police Department awarded Soneson with a Medal of Valor.