Police tracked down a thief and instead of making an arrest, made peace.
Officer James Murcko found a Volkswagen Jetta driver who had pulled an arbovitae from a planter at a Fitch Street gas station and hauled it away. The gas station owner chose not to pursue charges after the thief apologized and offered to replace the plant.
Details of how Murcko cracked the case appear in the latest round-up of west side crimes compiled by West Hills/Westville/West Rock/Amity/Beverly Hills top cop Lt. Rose Dell. Police are trying to track down some other thieves, who have for now gotten away with stealing a $150 Burger King chair and $4,000 worth of jewelry taken from a Barnett Street basement. In one instance, a left-behind blue coat and toothbrush offer clues to the identity of a person who stole “loose change and some cash” from a car parked in a Gilnock Drive garage where the door had been left open.
Dell’s full report follows.
FROM 2/16/19 to 2/23/19 POLICE RESPONDED TO 142 CALLS FOR SERVICE IN THE WESTVILLE/WEST HILLS SECTION OF NEW HAVEN. THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF NOTABLE INCIDENTS:
On Sunday morning, a resident of West Elm Street noticed that her vehicle was entered and her cell phone was stolen. She admitted that the doors had been left unlocked.
On 2/19, a clerk at the Family Dollar on Whalley Avenue heard the merchandise alarm sound at the front door and then saw two females run out of the store. The clerk chased the females and saw them enter a getaway vehicle, a silver Malibu with driver’s side damage which was operated by a third female. The vehicle fled westbound on Whalley Avenue. The thieves made off with an air fryer and other small items.
Tuesday evening police responded to West Rock Avenue on the report of a suspicious person. A resident came home and saw a male, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and jeans, either urinating on his house of peering through his windows. The resident approached the male and demanded to know why he was on his property. The subject claimed he worked for a cleaning service and was looking for some new business. He provided the incredulous resident with a business card that said, “Rhino Construction.”
On 2/20, a resident of a Barnett Street apartment went into the basement and found the locks were missing on all the storage units. She checked her unit and found over $4000 worth of jewelry was stolen. The other residents checked their units and reported that they were also entered, items were rifled through but nothing was missing. A piece of a washing machine was left behind in one of the units.
Police responded to Gilnock Drive on Thursday morning to investigate a car break-in. The resident left her garage door open and her vehicle unlocked. Stolen was $5-$10 in loose change and some cash. The thief left two clues behind: a blue coat on the ground outside of the vehicle and a toothbrush in a holder in the car. These items were seized and will be processed as evidence.
On 2/22, police were dispatched to Wayfarer Street on an attempted robbery. A pizza delivery driver arrived at the address provided when two young males in masks walked up to the passenger side of his vehicle. The driver lowered the window about a quarter of the way down, and the males asked him if he was the “pizza guy.” He told them he needed the money first and for them to remove their masks before he would hand over the pie. One of the perps obliged, took off his mask and revealed his face. Both subjects then pulled out black handguns and told the driver not to move. Since the car was never placed in park, the driver drove off. Both males were described as between 17 – 20 years of age, around 5’7” and 160 lbs.
On Friday morning, an employee of a gas station on Fitch Street called the police department to report a theft. Officer James Murcko arrived on scene and was shown video surveillance of the incident. A blue Volkswagen Jetta entered the lot and parked next to the store. A young white male exited the vehicle, approached a planter that was adjacent to the store and pulled an arborvitae from the dirt. The male took off with the stolen plant. Officer Murcko tracked down the owner of the vehicle by his license plate number and a call to the Branford Police Department for a recent cell phone number. When Officer Murcko told the thief he was caught on camera, he apologized for his actions, said he wasn’t thinking and offered to replace the plant. The owner of the gas station accepted the apology, along with the promise of a new plant and said he did not wish to pursue charges.
A resident of Maplewood Drive reported that her vehicle was broken into sometime overnight between 2/21 and 2/22. When she entered her vehicle in the morning, she noticed that it had been rummaged through with papers thrown throughout. Stolen was a small black hand bag with deodorant, a coin purse with $10 worth of change and a pack of cigarettes. There were no signs of forced entry, and the resident could not recall if the doors had been locked.
On 2/22, police responded to Burger King on Whalley Avenue for a theft complaint. The manager saw three juveniles enter the store and sit at a table. These young men have been to the restaurant before and always cause a ruckus. The manager approached the males, and told them to leave or he would call the police. One of the subjects became agitated, grabbed a chair and ran from the store with the chair in tow. The chair is worth around $150.
On Saturday, motor units conducted motor vehicle enforcement on Whalley Avenue at East Ramsdell, Dayton and Emerson Streets. Numerous violators were stopped and issued tickets or warnings.