MONROE, CT — Two Haverstraw, N.Y., men were charged for allegedly using a Home Depot box truck to steal used cooking oil from a container behind Mr. Mac’s Canteen, 838 Main St., Monday morning.
Police officers were called to the restaurant at approximately 8:30 a.m. and later found the truck in the parking lot at 435 Main St., at the cooking oil depot behind Sakana Sushi restaurant, according to the report.
Police said two men were in the truck, which had New York registration plates.
Earlier that morning, police departments in Fairfield and Westport sent out notifications to be on the lookout for a vehicle matching the description, after attempted thefts of cooking oil in their towns, according to the report.
The driver went around the building at 435 Main St. and pulled into a parking space in front.
The men reportedly told officers they asked employees at Mr. Mac’s if they could buy used cooking oil from the restaurant, were told no, and left without taking any oil.
But the back of the truck was covered with oil and smelled like used cooking oil, police said, adding both men were covered in oil and smelled like oil and grease.
Based on statements from Mr. Mac’s employees and the oil on the suspects’ truck and clothing, police charged both with sixth-degree larceny and released them on a promise to appear in court Jan. 17.
The driver was also charged with operating a motor vehicle without a license.
Monroe transaction foils I.D. thief
A representative of M&T Bank told a 61-year-old Monroe man someone tried to withdraw $3,500 from his account, while using a fake driver’s license at a branch in Newark, Del., according to a police complaint made Saturday.
The male suspect gave the victim’s name and correct bank account number. When he started filling out a withdrawal slip, the bank teller thought his license looked suspicious, police said.
As she questioned him to verify his identity, she noticed a transaction go through at a supermarket in Monroe, Conn., which told her it wasn’t the man’s account, the report said.
The man did not receive the money and left the bank. The teller immediately put out an alert on the account.
Police said the victim was advised to contact the three major credit bureaus, the Social Security Administration and all of the banking institutions he does business with.
The Monroe Police Detective Division is investigating the case.
Breach of peace
A 47-year-old Fairfield man allegedly got into an argument with a CVS pharmacy employee at the Monroe Turnpike store Friday, was told to leave, then backed his vehicle up, accelerating toward the employee as he tried to take a photo of the license plate with his cellphone.
Police said the employee told officers he moved out of the way to avoid being struck.
The suspect told officers he got into an argument with the employee, was told to leave and left.
He was charged with breach of peace and reckless endangerment. Bond was set at $1,000 for a Jan. 9 court date.
Police also served him with a warrant from New Haven for failure to appear in court.
Shed burglary
A $460 ECHO backpack blower and two $400 chainsaws were reported stolen from a shed broken into on a residential property on Blueberry Lane Friday.
Police said the homeowner was going out in the morning when he noticed the shed door was open and the padlock had been pried off.
A heavy duty pry bar was found on the floor of the shed. The victim told officers he never saw it before, according to police.
The Monroe Police Detective Division is investigating the burglary.
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