PD: Home Invasion Suspect Broke Door Down, Cut Victim's Throat Over $400

A 42-year-old convicted felon is facing serious charges including home invasion, strangulation, assault and robbery after Middletown Police say he kicked down the door of a man's apartment, held him at knife point, and cut his throat over a $400 debt.

On Nov. 2 at 8:29 p.m., a man walked into police headquarters on Main Street saying a man, Dalton R. Barnes, 42, of Grand Street, had kicked his door in and threatened him with a knife, punched him in the head and cut his arm with the knife, according to the report, at a home on College Street.

A witness at 169 College Street told police he had seen the suspect, who had dreadlocks, kick in the door to a room and heard a fight. Both men said the suspects is known as "Dep," according to police, and one made a visual confirmation of Dalton, who was found on Main near Grand Street.

At Middlesex Hospital, the victim offered his account account, saying Dalton showed up at about 7:30 p.m. asking for $400 owed to him and, according to the report, threatened to kill the victim if he didn't get it then punched the man five times in the head.

Police say Dalton put a knife to the man's throat and cut it and his left arm, then covered his mouth as he tried to yell for help and strangled him. The report says Dalton threatened to kill the victim if he called police or EMTs and if he didn't pay the debt by Monday. Another resident of the home verified the victim's story, adding he heard the struggle and that Dalton asked him to let him in and he did, the report says, thinking he was visiting a friend, and that when he left the home, he said, "I wasn't here. You didn't see me."

Police say that man also visually confirmed it was Dalton.

During booking, the report says, Dalton was very agitated, sweating profusely and yelled, beat his chest and professed his innocence. Detectives discovered blood on Dalton's shoe and a white pill in his pocket. 

The report says Dalton has an extensive criminal history, including 26 arrests for probation violations, interfering, protective order violations, failures to appear, narcotics sale and assaults.

The state of Connecticut judicial website lists multiple felony convictions on Dalton from 2004 to the present.

He was charged with failure to comply with fingerprinting, first-degree robbery, attempt to commit a crime, second-degree assault, threatening, second-degree strangulation and home invasion.

Barnes was arrested on Aug. 6 for interfering with police and breach of peace and on Sept. 5 with disorderly contact after a physical fight with his live-in girlfriend, according to police reports.

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