MONROE, CT — A New Haven man turned himself in on a warrant Monday morning, charging him with the theft of a purse containing credits cards, taken from a vehicle parked on Hawthorne Drive in late August.
One of the stolen cards was used for a purchase at a deli in New Haven, police said.
Jamell Hutchings, 18, was charged with payment card theft, illegal use of a credit card and criminal attempt at sixth-degree larceny. He was held on $10,000 bond and taken to court Monday morning.
Monroe police detectives responding to the theft complaint on Aug. 29 processed the scene for evidence. Investigators worked with other law enforcement agencies in developing suspects, which were Hutchings and a male juvenile.
On Sept. 20, the younger suspect was issued a juvenile summons for conspiracy to commit payment card theft, conspiracy to commit illegal use of a credit card and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny. His case was brought to the New Haven Court of Juvenile Matters on Sept. 24.
The purse was reported stolen on the morning of Aug. 29 and video surveillance video captured a white BMW SUV in the area the night before.
Monroe Police Lt. Kevin McKellick said the vehicle was sought by several other police departments in connection to crimes that occurred in their towns.
Hutchings was also arrested by Hamden police on Monday, and charged with third-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit third-degree larceny.
On Tuesday, he was arrested by New Haven police and charged with negligent storage of a firearm, stealing a firearm and possessing a firearm without a serial number.
Stolen ATVs
Two Honda ATVs were reported stolen from an unlocked shed outside a residence on Monroe Turnpike Tuesday morning.
A woman told officers she and her husband noticed the shed doors were open when they woke up in the morning, so they looked inside and noticed the ATVs were missing.
Police said one 2008 ATV was listed on Facebook Marketplace with an estimated value of $3,600, and the other, a 2005 model, was not for sale. Both ATVs had the keys in them, according to the report.
Detectives processed the scene and ask anybody with information or video in the 1300-block of Monroe Turnpike from the night of Nov. 4 into the morning of Nov. 5 to call them at 203-452-2831.
Charged with evading
A 22-year-old Monroe man was charged with evading the scene of an accident after allegedly causing a three-vehicle-crash in the 100-block of Main Street Wednesday evening.
At around 5:25 p.m., police were called to scene, where the other two drivers told officers someone in a 2006 Toyota Camry drove away after the accident.
According to police, the Camry was heading south when the driver did not pay attention and struck the rear bumper of a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder in front of him, forcing it to run into back of a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Police said accounts of the accident from the driver of the Pathfinder, a 48-year-old Newtown woman, and the 35-year-old Norwalk man who drove the Jeep, matched.
Witnesses got the registration plate number of the fleeing vehicle, which officers used to determine the owner of the Camry lived on Hattertown Road in Monroe, according to the report.
At the house, police said the male driver was cited for following too closely and evading the scene of an accident. The misdemeanor summons has an answer date of Nov. 25 at court in Bridgeport.
The Toyota had damage and both the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Pathfinder sustained disabling damage and had to be towed, police said.
Crash into a utility pole
A 50-year-old Bridgeport woman was heading west on Pepper Street in a 2017 Subaru Legacy Tuesday morning, when she looked away from the road for a moment and her car veered to the right, crashing into a utility pole, according to police.
Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service personnel treated the driver for injuries at the scene, before taking her to St. Vincent’s Medical Center.
The woman was issued an infraction for failure to drive in the proper lane and her vehicle was towed due to disabling damage.
Firefighters also responded to the accident, which occurred around 11 a.m.
Another theft at Great Hollow Lake
Police received a complaint of a theft from a vehicle parked at Great Hollow Lake Wednesday, the third one in the past few weeks.
A 32-year-old Monroe man told police he left his Honda SUV unlocked while visiting the park on Purdy Hill Road around 3:15 p.m. and returned an hour later to learn $120 cash and a debit card were stolen from his wallet.
The card was later used at a Nordstrom store in Norwalk, but the $116 purchase was stopped, police said.
All three incidents included thefts from unlocked vehicles and purchases or attempted purchases with stolen cards at stores in Norwalk.
“We encourage people to lock their doors,” Lt. Kevin McKellick said. “Detectives are investigating these cases.”
Stolen Pride flag
A 33-year-old Turkey Roost Road man reported his Pride flag stolen from his property on Wednesday.
He told officers he left his home around 8 a.m. and discovered the theft when he returned at 4:03 p.m. The flag was valued at approximately $25.
Officers canvassed the area for witnesses and evidence, but came up empty, according to the report.
… never mind
A White male wearing glasses, a baseball cap and a gray T-shirt entered Union Savings Bank, 411 Monroe Turnpike, on Halloween and handed the teller an $864 check. Because the amount was higher than $500, the bank called the account holder before cashing it.
While the teller was waiting to speak to the account holder, police said the man abruptly left the bank without receiving the money.
Police are investigating the incident, which occurred around 12:39 p.m.
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