Westport Police/Linkedin Anna Lee Halderman.
Anna Lee Halderman is a 28-year-old Connecticut woman facing felony charges after police say she confronted a woman who called her out for sunbathing topless in front of children at a beach in Westport. Halderman is accused of not only exposing her breasts in front of children, but also pulling down her swimsuit bottoms to flash her backside at the woman who complained, police say.
After an “extensive investigation” identified Halderman as the woman in the July 2019 incident, she was arrested on August 17, police said. Halderman, who lives in the nearby Fairfield County city of Norwalk, was charged with risk of injury to a minor and second-degree breach of peace, the Westport Police Department said in a press release.
Halderman’s father, Joe Halderman, is a disgraced CBS producer who spent time in prison after trying to extort David Letterman in 2009 when he found out the now-retired talk show host was having an affair with his assistant, Stephanie Birkitt.
Anna Lee Halderman and her father could not be reached for comment by Heavy. It is not clear if she has hired an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
Here’s what you need to know about Anna Lee Halderman:
1. Halderman ‘Became Belligerent’ & Removed ‘the Bottom Portion of Her Bathing Suit Exposing Her Buttocks’ After Being Confronted by the Mother, Police Say
Anna Lee Halderman
The incident involving Anna Lee Halderman occurred in the wealthy Fairfield County town of Westport on Monday, July 15, 2019, at Compo Beach, according to a press release. Westport Police were called to the beach just before 1:30 p.m.
“The caller reported to officers that she had observed a female on the beach remove the top portion of her bathing suit to tan. Believing that this behavior was inappropriate for a public beach, this individual attempted to confront the woman about what she was doing,” Westport Police said. “Upon speaking with this individual and attempting to convey her concerns, the woman allegedly became belligerent and proceeded to remove the bottom portion of her bathing suit exposing her buttocks.”
The woman told police she was with her juvenile child and the child witnessed the entire incident, according to the press release.
“The complainant reported that in addition to her inappropriate behavior this woman appeared to her to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the interaction,” police said.
Anna Lee Halderman.
Westport Police said an officer conducted an “extensive investigation,” and charges were filed against Halderman after she was identified by the officer. She turned herself in at Westport Police headquarters on Saturday, August 17, after learning an arrest warrant had been issued, police said.
The woman who made the complaint lives in New York. She posted on Facebook after the incident, “Why have we as a race lost our respect for ourselves for one another. Why have we lost our accountability. Rather than assisting in helping someone we would assume cover it up as best as we can. Wipe it under the carpet and hope it goes away. Last week I decided I needed a day with my children as we piled in the car and drove an hour and a half to Compo Beach in Westport CT. Upon arrival, I immediately noticed an older man and a younger woman in front of us. The woman was so belligerently drunk she stumbled into the ocean and fell to her side on her head. [She then] proceeded to get up stumble to her towel and body slam herself down so much so we heard a thump.”
The woman continued, “Being a mother with my children aI tried to enjoy myself but kept a firm eye on the situation. Approximately an hour in I noticed she had exposed her breast. I quietly and calmly approached them and explained I had children with me would she please cover up. Long story short they both decided to speak unpleasantries to me. I was yelling down the beach at this point for the life guard. As I was walking to get the 50 something year old man approached my children When I returned to my blanket the couple was packing up to leave but not before removing her top fully, asking where my children were then removing her top and then her bottoms preceding to bend over in front of them.”
The woman said in her post, written prior to Halderman’s arrest, that Westport officials were “doing nothing.” She said she was told they couldn’t locate the people involved. She said, “Security escorted them out. They have the make and model of the car and a partial license plate. A pass is needed to enter this beach and the beach is patrolled by cameras. I have a hard time believing the authorities could not locate these individuals. The town is covering something or someone up.”
The man Halderman was with has not been identified publicly.
2. She Told Police She Has ‘No Recollection’ of What Happened at the Beach & Apologized for Her Actions, According to the Arrest Report
Anna Halderman.
Westport Police said an officer conducted an “extensive investigation,” and charges were filed against Halderman after she was identified by the officer. She turned herself in at Westport Police headquarters on Saturday, August 17, after learning an arrest warrant had been issued, police said.
According to police, “in a subsequent interview with Halderman she stated that she did not recall what she may have done on the date in question but apologized for her behavior.”
According to a 2007 Hartford Courant article analyzing the criminality of being nude in public, breach of peace is often a charge used if an officer determines a person is nude and causes “annoyance” and “alarm.”
Halderman’s arrest comes as three New Hampshire women using the rallying cry “Free the Nipple,” try to challenge that state’s law barring women from being topless in public, saying it violates the Constitution because the law does not apply to men. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to take up the case, according to NBC News.
3. Halderman’s Father Spent 6 Months in Rikers Island in the $2 Million Letterman Blackmail Case
Anna Lee Halderman and her father Joe Halderman.
Halderman is the daughter of Robert “Joe” Halderman, a former CBS producer who was fired and arrested in 2009 when he attempted to blackmail talk show host David Letterman for $2 million after uncovering an affair that Letterman was having with his assistant.
According to CBS News, Letterman’s assistant, Stephanie Birkitt, also was apparently romantically involved with Halderman at the same time as her affair with Letterman and she was living with Halderman in his Norwalk home.
Joe Halderman was working as a senior producer for CBS News’ “48 Hours” at the time of his blackmail arrest. He was charged with attempted grand larceny in Manhattan and faced up to 15 years in prison, but pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted grand larceny and was sentenced to six months in prison. He served four months of his sentence at Rikers Island before being released.
Anna Halderman is one of two children born to Joe Halderman and his ex-wife, Patty Montet. Joe Halderman was last known to be working with controversial conservative figure James O’Keefe and Project Veritas.
4. Anna Lee Halderman Graduated From New Canaan High School & Colorado State University Before Working in Sales for Media Companies
Anna Lee Halderman.
Anna Lee Halderman is a native of New Canaan, Connecticut, another nearby Fairfield County town to Westport, and graduated from New Canaan High School, according to her Facebook profile. She then graduated from Colorado State University in 2015 with a degree in communications and a minor in political science, according to her Linkedin profile.
Halderman worked for a year as a media sales associate at a Stamford, Connecticut, company, and then spent a year working as an account executive for a Bridgeport, Connecticut, radio station. It is not clear if she is currently employed anywhere. She wrote on Linkedin that she is a “driven and successful digital and media sales professional with a passion for growth and achievement.”
5. Halderman Was Released After Posting $50,000 Bail
Anna Lee Halderman.
Anna Lee Halderman was charged with risk of injury to a minor, a felony, and second-degree breach of peace, a misdemeanor. Her bond was set at $50,000, and she was able to post that upon turning herself in on the arrest warrant on August 17, the Westport Police said in a press release.
Risk of injury to a minor is a class C felony and carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Second-degree breach of peace is a class B misdemeanor, which carries a potential sentence of up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
Halderman is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Norwalk for the first time on Friday, August 23. Halderman does not appear to have a prior criminal record.
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