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Women Charged in Incident at Norwalk Leader's Home

NORWALK, Conn. – An argument at the home of a former common councilman led to the arrest of two women early Tuesday, Norwalk police say.

Sisters Trayshon Murphy, 35, and Bianca Murphy, 23, threw rocks and damaged a Ford Expedition in the parking lot outside ex-Councilman Travis Simms' apartment, according to Officer Carleton Giles.

Simms, who recently won election to the Democratic Town Committee along with his wife, Sandra Stokes, said he wasn't home when the incident occurred.

Police were dispatched to 28 Martin Luther King Drive at 4:03 a.m. on a 911 hangup, Giles said. While they were on the way, police got a phone call from another resident of the St. Paul's Terrace condo complex who said two women were throwing rocks at vehicles.

Officers said they found the Murphy sisters outside. Bianca Murphy said they had been beaten up in an apartment by a man they could not identify, according to Giles. She said she didn't know the apartment number. Trayshon Murphy was crying on her sister's shoulder, and police initially could not get her to lift her head or get involved in the conversation. When she finally showed them her face, officers saw her eye was red and swollen. She told officers a man in the apartment had punched her. She said she wasn't sure how many men had been in the apartment. Both women appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, police said.

A man whom Giles identified as Ben Tomlin came outside. His shirt had blood on it and his hand was cut, Giles said. Tomlin told police he had cut his hand on glass and that he had helped the two sisters.

Police went into Simms' apartment, where they found broken glass in the kitchen and living room, Giles said. The coffee table was off-kilter. Giles said Simms was in the kitchen sweeping up glass and was irate that police were there. There was an "S. Stokes" present. Giles did not know her first name. They seemed to have been drinking as well.

The Murphys and Stokes had argued, Giles said. He said Simms' 13-year-old daughter had gotten involved and was pushed and jostled. Simms and Tomlin had broken up the fight between the women, Giles said.

The sisters were arrested and charged with third-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, injury/risk/impairing morals and conspiracy. Bond was set at $5,000. Police have a Stamford address for Bianca at 10 Turtle St. and a Portsmouth, N.H., address for Trayshon.

The passenger side window of the Ford Expedition was broken with a large rock, Giles said.

Simms says his wife had friends over and he arrived home after the incident. His information came second-hand from his wife, he said.

"It was much ado about nothing," he said, adding that no one had been hurt. He was not aware that Trayshon Murphy had a swollen eye and said he was told that Trayshon fell and hit her eye on a table.

His wife asked police not to press the charges, he said.

"It is what it is," he said. "Things happen and you try to learn from them."

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