Stratford mom arraigned on sex offenses
By DANIEL TEPFER
dtepfer@ctpost.com
BRIDGEPORT — A demure Tammy Imre, tears running down her face, stood before a Superior Court judge Monday to face charges that she repeatedly had sex with an 8-year-old boy from her Stratford neighborhood.
Caught in the media glare from a crush of out-of-town reporters, Imre meekly answered, "Yes," when asked by Judge Susan Reynolds if she understood the charges against her.
Imre, 29, a secretary at a Stratford graphics company, was charged Friday with first-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.
The divorced Birch Drive resident has told investigators the boy — a playmate of her own 7-year-old daughter — was the aggressor in their relationship. Imre said he ordered her to dump an adult boyfriend and told her not to take birth control pills.
"That's a lie!" the boy's mother angrily retorted later. "He doesn't even watch things like that on television."
If convicted of the charges, Imre could face up to 45 years in prison.
During Monday's brief hearing in Superior Court, Assistant State's Attorney Susan Filan urged the judge to hold Imre in lieu of $350,000 bond.
"I think it's an appropriate bond to protect the community, she would present a danger were she to be released," Filan said. "The allegations are extremely serious and it is a very strong case for the state."
Imre's lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Michael Giannecchini, argued that a lower bond would be appropriate because his client has no prior criminal record and has strong ties to the community.
The judge agreed that Imre poses a danger to the community, but ordered her held in lieu of $250,000 bond. She continued the case to Nov. 30.
Imre broke into sobs as she was led away by judicial marshals, the chains around her ankles jangling as she was led out of the courtroom.
Her ordeal did not end there. Once outside the courtroom, she was led past a cell of male inmates who loudly jeered her.
Imre's mother and brother, who attended the hearing, hurriedly left the courtroom without comment.
The boy's mother said she was satisfied with the outcome.
"I want to see her go to jail for what she did to my son and to make sure she doesn't do this to anyone else's son," she said later.
In a Saturday interview, the boy's mother angrily said Imre "should be executed. She ruined my boy."
Her son and Imre's daughter, the mother said, had played together regularly and attended the same school. "I never suspected anything like this."
On Sept. 21, police said the boy's mother discovered a letter Imre had written to her son.
In the letter, police said Imre wrote: "I don't want anyone but you! Now tomorrow it's supposed to rain, you can come over we can [you know what]."
Police said when they confronted Imre, she readily admitted having sexual relations with the boy.
"I can't give a number, but it was a lot," she told them.
Imre's daughter said she saw the boy do "disgusting" things with her mother, police said. The girl said she often saw the boy lying on top of her mother, "humping" her, according to police.
Police said the boy initially denied doing anything sexual with Imre because he was worried about getting her in trouble. But later they said he admitted having sexual intercourse with her.
Imre's daughter is now in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families.
Imre is a secretary at Advanced Graphics in Stratford.
A company spokeswoman said Imre has worked there about two years.
"She was a dedicated employee who was here every day. These accusations against her are shocking," said the spokeswoman, who did not give her name. "We knew her as an excellent mother who sometimes brought her daughter to work and always showed her great love."
The spokeswoman said the firm intends to hold Imre's job for her and "and hope for the best."
Since the case broke in Saturday's Connecticut Post, it has drawn national attention. Reporters and photographers from a horde of media outlets converged on the Golden Hill Street courthouse for the hearing and outside Imre's Stratford home.
At Birch Drive, the microwave stalks of television news trucks towered over the row of two-story apartment buildings.
Children rode bicycles in the street, and neighbors sat on their stoops in the chilly night to watch the television news reporters prepare for the evening newscasts.
"She must have something very wrong with her," said a neighbor of Imre's, Juanita Flores. "I never saw her do anything wrong, I would see her when she was playing with the children and she seemed like a nice person."
Daniel Tepfer, who covers state courts and law enforcement issues, can be reached at 330-6308.
