Waveny Car Break-Ins, Library Larceny, Zira Scores Again

Car Burglaries at Waveny Park 

April 6, 2 p.m:  A 49-year-old Darien resident reported her car was broken into and her purse stolen from Lapham Road near Talmadge Hill. The complainant left her car at about 1:45 p.m. and was gone 15 minutes. When she returned to the vehicle, which had been locked, she discovered the front passenger side window was smashed and a pocketbook that was left on the front passenger floor was missing.  Items missing are a brown leather bag from Calypso valued at $600, a $200 blue Kate Spade wallet, eyeglasses valued at $150, a Lucite cocktail ring $150, $25 cash and $150 worth of makeup.

April 9, 6:34 p.m: A 50-year-old Stamford resident returned from walking her dog at Waveny to find her vehicle had been broken into and a purse taken from the back seat. The complainant said she parked her Jeep Grand Cherokee in the lot in front of Waveny House at approximately 5:45 p.m. When she returned to the car 45 minutes later, the rear window on the driver’s side had been smashed and her purse was missing. The brown leather Brahman purse was valued at $50. It contained an eel skin wallet, valued at $50, $10 cash and miscellaneous credit and debit cards.

Narcotics Violation

April 7, 12:03 a.m:  Theodore A. Welty, 19, of Wilton Acres Road, Wilton, was charged with possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana, failure to display a number plate after he was stopped because he was driving without a front license plate. An officer on patrol pulled over the vehicle on South Ave. when he spotted the missing plate. When he approached the driver to ask for his license,  he smelled the odor of marijuana. He searched the vehicle and found a bag of marijuana in Welty’s pocket. Welty was released on a promise to appear and has a court date of April 14.

Larceny at the Library

April 7, 4:50 p.m:  New Canaan Library Director Alice Knapp notified police that a painting entitled “Tiffani Stained Glass” was missing from the art gallery by the front entrance to the library. The 8” X 10” painting is valued at $2,100. It was last seen at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday morning. Police are conducting an investigation.

False Alarm Leads to Narcotics Arrest

April 10, 2:37 p.m: Mark H. Walter, 53, of Sugarbush Court, Wilton, was charged with possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana when K-9 Zira discovered the substance as she accompanied her handler on an alarm call.

Officer Mike McFadden responded to the call at Beval Saddlery at 50 Pine St. and brought Zira along as he conducted an interior search of the building.

“Zira immediately began sniffing a desk within the building, to the point where she indicated possible drugs,” Sgt. Carol Ogrinc said. “McFadden opened the drawer and found what appeared to be a zip log bag containing marijuana.”

 McFadden made contact with Walter, the owner of the business. Walter was released on a promise to appear and is scheduled to appear in court on April 21.

Family Dispute

April 5, 7:35 p.m: Scott A. Martyr, 29, of Washington, DC was charged with interfering with an officer, disorderly conduct and 2nd degree threatening after he became upset when police and an ambulance arrived at his father’s Frogtown Road residence in response to a medical emergency call. Martyr’s father called the police after becoming concerned about his son’s health when the younger man was unresponsive. 

“We were trying to assist him to the ambulance, and he got in a scuffle with an officer,” Sgt. Carol Ogrinc said. “He was resisting, and the officers had to use some force to get him to comply.”  Ogrinc said the younger man threatened to harm his father physically.

Martyr was released on a promise to appear and has an April 6 court date.

Dispute

April 8, 9:30 p.m: Taylor M. Letendre, of Sun Valley, Idaho, was charged with breach of peace after a 45-year-old Park St. resident reported to police that Letendre rang her doorbell and was yelling expletives and pounding on the door. The complainant became frightened and called 911. Letendre, also 45, is a former New Canaan resident. “There have been problems with these two in the past,” Sgt. Carol Ogrinc said. “Less than a year ago, Letendre had been warned not to make any contact with the complainant.”

Ogrinc said police identified Letendre’s vehicle at the Roger Sherman Inn and arrested her there. She is scheduled to appear in court on April 21.

Larceny on Richmond Hill

April 8 2:05 p.m: A 46-year-old Richmond Hill Road resident reported that jewely and personal documents were missing from her home. The residence is on the market and is being shown to prospective buyers. Missing are a gold charm bracelet, valued at $200 and a silver watch, valued at $200, as well as some tax documents.

Warrant Service

April 9, 1:03 p.m: Samanth Laurenza, 29, of Carter St., New Canaan, turned herself in at New Canaan police headquarters after learning of a warrant for failure to respond to an infraction. On Feb. 9, 2011 Laurenza was charged with operating an unregistered motor vehicle and seat belt violation. She failed to respond to the infraction on March 30 and a warrant was issued that day. Upon turning herself in, Laurenza posted $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 25. 

Possession of Alcohol by a Minor

April 9, 10:53 p.m: Frank Donaldson, 18, was charged with possession of alcohol by a minor after police responded to a noise complaint at his family’s Jelliff Mill Road residence. When they arrived at the home, they saw a “bunch of youths running into the woods,” police said.

Donaldson told police he had had some friends over. “Some kids he didn’t know started arriving and they brought alcohol,” Sgt. Carol Ogrinc said. Ogrinc said the violation is not a criminal offense and the answer date is April 29.