MONROE, CT — A Nissan Altima was reported stolen and personal items were taken from other unlocked vehicles during a crime spree in the overnight hours between June 9 and 10. Among the stolen belongings were tools, an iPad and a Bible.
At approximately 3:12 a.m. on Friday, June 10, a Meadow Brook Drive resident reported seeing three males in hoodies attempting to enter unlocked vehicles in the neighborhood, before driving off in a small SUV.
Though officers could not locate the vehicle, they did find a discarded leather backpack on the ground.
Police later learned the backpack was stolen from an unlocked 2020 Mercedes Benz on West Maiden Road. Missing from the backpack was a $1,500 iPad and a $100 Apple Pencil, according to the report.
A Nissan Altima, which was a rental, was also reported stolen on June 10. Police said the car had been left unlocked with the keys inside in the victim’s driveway on Wheeler Road.
The theft took place sometime between midnight on June 9 and 7:30 a.m. on the 10th, according to the report.
Waterbury police later notified Monroe officers that the Altima was recovered after it was involved in a crash in the Brass City. Police said the driver had fled on foot.
In another incident, tools were reported stolen from a 2015 Dodge pickup truck on Blake Road sometime overnight. Police said it was unlocked with the keys inside when it was entered.
The owner found the interior of his truck had been ransacked with the glove compartment left open, police said, adding $300 worth of tools were stolen from the bed of the truck, including a screw gun, a hammer drill and a socket set.
In another incident reported on June 10, a Bible and an empty sunglasses case were reported stolen from an unlocked Mercedes on Karen Drive sometime overnight.
Motorcycle crash, evading
A Fan Hill Road resident reported a crash Sunday and officers found a Victory Vegas motorcycle at the scene, but no rider, according to the report. Police said there was no paperwork on the bike and the keys had been taken out.
An investigation determined the rider was heading south on Fan Hill Road, left the roadway to the right, traveled on the grass and through a new fence post, before striking a large rock in a landscaping bed in someone’s front yard, police said.
Out of concern someone could be injured, officers brought in K-9 Murphy to search for the rider with negative results.
Police said the officers used the old motor vehicle registration to identity a 42-year-old Monroe man who bought the bike from the previous owner.
When they went to his home on Moose Hill Road, the officers were told he was at the hospital being treated for injuries sustained that morning, according to the report.
Officers later made contact with him at his home at 12:30 p.m. and determined he was operating the motorcycle during the crash, police said.
He was charged with evading responsibility, misuse of marker plates, riding with no insurance and failure to maintain the proper lane. He was released on a written promise to appear in court on June 21.
A rental scam
A local man told police he was looking for a new apartment when he found one on Craig’s List, contacted the person he believed to be the landlord, filled out a rental application, then went to the bank to wire $2,500 as a downpayment.
However, the bank teller told him it might be a scam, according to police.
Police said the man contacted the condo complex in Bridgeport and learned the listing was indeed a scam.
Although no money was exchanged, police said the victim had turned over personal information and a copy of his driver’s license. He was advised to contact the major credit bureaus.
