MONROE, CT — A suspicious white transit van with Connecticut plates was seen in the area of two catalytic converter thefts Thursday afternoon, one outside NBC Sports, 35 Corporate Drive, and the other in the parking lot at Monroe Elementary School, 375 Monroe Turnpike.
“Both cases are believed to be connected and are under investigation by the Detective Division,” Police Lt. Stephen Corrone said Friday.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Monroe Police Department’s Detective Division at 203-452-2831.
On Thursday, police received a complaint from an NBC Sports employee just before 1 p.m. He told officers the catalytic converter was stolen off his silver Mitsubishi Outlander.
Then at 2:52 p.m., an employee of Monroe Elementary School said the catalytic converter was stolen off his Honda CRV during the school day.
Crash takes down pole, closes Route 111
A 21-year-old Naugatuck woman lost control of her Chevrolet Aveo while heading north on Monroe Turnpike, before hitting a curb and a mailbox, then crossing over both lanes and crashing into a utility pole Thursday morning.
When police officers responding to the 5:47 a.m. call arrived on the scene, in the 1300 block of Route 111, the driver allegedly fled on foot.
Officers found her and brought her back to the scene and police said she told them she was nervous.
She told officers a vehicle in the southbound lane went into her lane, so she swerved to the right to avoid a collision, hit a curb and a mailbox, then overcorrected, crossing over both lanes and hitting the utility pole, according to the report.
The driver, who refused a trip to the hospital, was cited for failure to have insurance, failure to maintain the proper lane, operating an unregistered vehicle and operating a vehicle without a license.
Eversource was called in to replace the damaged pole.
Police closed Bagburn and Old Zoar roads during the response to the crash, and said a portion of Route 111 was closed most of the day.
Thieves steal $88 worth of Red Bull
A white male and female allegedly stole two cases of Red Bull from Cumberland Farms, 455 Main St. Thursday, before driving off in a white sedan, heading south on Route 25.
Police said the 48 cans of the energy drink had a total value of $88. The theft was reported just before 1 a.m.
Motorcycle collision
A 63-year-old Trumbull man was given a verbal warning for failure to grant the right-of-way out of a private driveway Thursday afternoon, after hitting a Mercedes GLE 350 with his Harley Davidson motorcycle, as he turned left onto Judd Road from the Shell gas station parking lot.
Police said there were no apparent injuries to either driver. The incident occurred around 3:43 p.m., near the intersection with Main Street.
Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service personnel and firefighters also responded to the accident.
The driver of the Mercedes was a 71-year-old Newtown man.
Monroe man reports tax fraud
A local man told police he filed his taxes on April 15, before being notified by the IRS on May 6 that someone else had filed his taxes before he did.
Police advised him to contact the major credit bureaus to ensure there was no suspicious activity on his accounts.
