MONROE, CT — Police made a second arrest Friday in the burglary of the Havana on 25 Cigar Lounge just over two years ago, when it was located at 446 Main St.
On Dec. 21 of 2022, at approximately 3:15 a.m., an officer drove east on Route 59. As he approached the intersection of Route 25 (Main Street), he saw a black four-door sedan quickly pull out of the parking lot at 446 Main St.
The officer followed the car, but it was traveling at a high rate of speed without its headlights on and police eventually lost sight of it.
Three minutes later, dispatch received a report of a burglar alarm at Havana on 25. Officers noticed forcible entry had been made to the business and the cash register, which contained an undisclosed amount of money, was taken, police said.
Monroe detectives arrived at the scene and processed it for evidence, then worked with other police departments, who were experiencing a rash of burglaries involving the same black sedan, police said.
After an extensive investigation, police identified two suspects.
On February 21, 2024, police arrested Dominik Marini, then 20, of 525 High St. in Naugatuck, on a warrant at Bridgeport Superior Court.
He was charged with burglary in the third degree, conspiracy to commit burglary in the third degree, criminal mischief in the second degree, conspiracy to committee criminal mischief in the second degree, larceny in the sixth degree and conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree.
On Thursday, Bridgeport police had the second suspect, Donnie James, in their custody, and called the Monroe Police Department. When he was brought to Superior Court in Bridgeport on Friday, Monroe detectives served their warrant.
James, 22, of Hodge Avenue in Ansonia, had the same charges as Marini and bond was set at $40,000. He was turned over to the judicial marshals for arraignment.
Theft of metal leads to arrest
A Bridgeport man was served a warrant charging him with the theft of thousands of dollars worth of scrap metal from Production Metals, 421 Old Zoar Road, Friday.
Edgar Crespo, 33, of Central Avenue, who was employed by Production Metals for 10 months in 2024, was charged with first-degree larceny and five counts of criminal trespass for continually going onto the property. Then he was brought to the judicial marshals for arraignment.
On December 21, 2024, Crespo was in a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee when it was involved in a traffic stop in Trumbull. Officers discovered a large amount of scrap metal inside the vehicle and learned it was stolen from Production Metals in Monroe.
The metal was seized and returned to the business, which determined it had a total value of $6,525, police said.
Monroe detectives’ ensuing investigation found that Crespo allegedly pawned large quantities of metal in Bridgeport over a period of time. Police tallied 56 transactions involving $26,500 worth of metal.
Then an arrest warrant was applied for and signed.
Bridgeport police had Crespo in their custody last Thursday and notified the Monroe Police Department due to its active warrant. He was being taken to court the following day, so Monroe detectives served their warrant there.
A two-vehicle-crash
Two vehicles were towed following a crash on in the 80-block of Main Street (Route 25) Friday afternoon.
At approximately 12:22 p.m., a 30-year-old Danbury man headed south on Route 25 in his 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee when he slowed for the traffic in front of him, as other vehicles turned left onto Mill Street.
That’s when police said a 21-year-old Bridgeport woman hit the Jeep from behind with her 2011 Hyundai Sonata, according to the report.
She told officers the same thing the other driver told them, adding she could not stop in time to avoid the collision.
Both drivers were evaluated by Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service personnel, but declined a trip to the hospital for further evaluation, police said.
The Bridgeport woman was issued an infraction for following too closely.
A fraudulent Verizon account
A Monroe woman told police she learned someone had opened a fraudulent Verizon account in her name after receiving a $292 bill in the mail for two phone lines that were not hers, according to a complaint filed Friday.
In addition to reporting the incident to police, she notified Verizon and filed a claim with the company’s fraud department.
Police advised her to monitor her bank accounts and credit report. Verizon disconnected the two phone lines and the victim reported no financial loss at this time.
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