Crime & Safety

Middletown Man Arrested for Gutting Deer in Parking Lot

Police say the Berlin resident found the carcass on the side of Route 9 and wanted to teach his sons how to "field strip" a deer.

The gutting of a deer in the parking lot of a Wesleyan University arts center resulted in charges this week for a Berlin man who, according to police, wanted to show his sons how to field strip a deer.

Lawrence Massey, 37, was arrested, police say, after downtown Middletown residents were shocked to see him employ his hunting knife to methodically gut and skin a deer. 

It is unclear if the deer was a buck or doe.

Find out what's happening in East Hampton-Portlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police were called to the back lot of the Green Street Arts Center Monday at 3:21 p.m., where several mothers and their young children were walking around. The report says the arriving officer was "overcome by a very strong smell emanating from the carcass" upon leaving his patrol car.

Massey, the police report says, told officers he found the carcass on the side of Route 9 southbound, loaded it into his minivan, and brought it home to show his sons the classic hunting technique of "how to field strip a deer after it had been killed."

Find out what's happening in East Hampton-Portlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to the arrest report, Massey's two sons live at the rowhouse-style 594 Main Street apartment complex adjacent to the arts center with their mother.

A witness who spoke to Middletown Patch but declined to give his name said Massey "had the back of his truck open, and dragged (the deer) over to the tree there and started cutting it. It was all bloated, and it doesn't get like that unless it's been there three or four days."

Police found Massey holding a folding knife in his right hand with both arms covered in blood beyond his elbows. The report says Massey had put down plastic tarps in the parking lot, slit the deer from "anus to lower throat" and placed the "guts of the deer, the intestines, liver, stomach, bladder, etc.," on the ground beside the carcass.

Without being asked, the report says, Massey cleaned up the mess by loading it into the rear of his minivan to take it home to Berlin. Several citizens, who wished to remain anonymous, the arrest report details, "found this behavior shocking and frightening and not an appropriate area."

Massey was charged with disorderly conduct and given a Nov. 11 court date.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.