Car Burglaries are Back, and a String of Wallet Larcenies from Funeral Homes

Tuesday, Oct. 13

An attempted motor vehicle burglary was reported.

A resident of Old Kings Highway North reported that a stick and a wrench was wedged between the passenger window and the frame of his 2005 Subaru Legacy. A PSP handheld video game system and a laptop had been left on the passenger seat and the floor of the car. The car was locked.

Friday, Oct. 16

String of wallet larcenies from local funeral homes. 

The owner of the Lawrence Funeral Home on 2119 Post Road received a call from the owner of Hoit Funeral Home in New Canaan, who said there had been a female stealing items such as wallets during funerals and wakes. Two such incidents were reported to New Canaan Police by the owner of Hoit. A similar incident occurred at Collins Funeral Home in Norwalk on Oct. 1 when a purse was taken and Cogneta Funeral Home in Stamford on Oct. 6 when a purse was taken. The woman is described as white and pale-faced, blonde hair parted in the middle with red roots, 5’5” and 45-years old.

A Bridgeport woman who had attended a funeral in Darien on Oct. 15 reported her wallet was missing. She said she had put her purse on the floor next to the fireplace in the main room at 3 p.m. She did not realize the wallet had been taken until the following day. The wallet was described as a cream-colored Dooney and Burke wallet valued at $150, containing $30-50 and a social security card.

Employees saw the suspect on Oct. 15 between 3 and 7 p.m. at a wake and funeral service. She was in the company of a white male, described as tall, clean-cut, black hair with slacks and dress shirt. Captain Fred Komm of the Darien Police advises people to either “leave your personal items in your car or make sure you keep them with you at all times in light of what’s going on.”

Norwalk man seen wandering through Darien charged in domestic violence incident.

A 37-year old Norwalk man was charged with assault in the third degree, strangulation in the second degree, criminal mischief in the third degree and threatening in the second degree. The domestic violence incident was reported to police around 2:30 p.m. The individual responsible was identified as being on foot on West Avenue; he was observed walking in the Walgreens parking lot by police officers. He allegedly assaulted a female victim and threatened to kill her if she called the police. He did not post $10,000 bond and went to court today (Monday).

Saturday, Oct. 17

Vandalism to a vehicle.

Vandalism to a vehicle was reported to a 2008 Lexus RX400. A woman was driving on Thursday, Oct. 15 between 2:45 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. eastbound on Hanson Road. She saw something strike the hood of her car as a school bus passed in the opposite direction. She did not check the vehicle until Saturday and discovered white paint splattered on the roof and right side of the vehicle, which is black. Damage estimate is unknown.

Two motor vehicle burglaries were reported from neighboring residences on Hollow Tree Ridge Road.

The first car, a 2001 Lexus ES330, was parked on the Oct. 16 around 7:30 p.m. The owner left a wallet in the center console and returned to the vehicle around 5:30 a.m. the following day. He saw his wallet, credit cards, driver’s license and other cards scattered on the floor of the car. Taken was $450. The car had been left unlocked.

The second car, a 2003 Honda Pilot, was parked around 10:20 p.m. on the Oct. 16. When the owner returned around 8:30 a.m., a silver Ipod nano valued at $450 and an Itrip cassette deck had been taken. The items had been left in plain view and the car had been left unlocked.

Norwalk woman charged with DWI at Darien train station.

Shannon Durham, 21, of Norwalk, was charged with DWI around 1:30 a.m. She was traveling eastbound on the Post Road near Center Street and driving a 2009 Honda Civic. Police pulled Durham over because they noticed sparks coming from the vehicle. She was stopped as she turned into the Darien train station parking lot. The right front tire of her vehicle was missing and she had been driving on the rim of the car. She failed a field sobriety test. Durham posted $250 bond and has a court date of Oct. 27.

Sunday, Oct. 18

Darien teen charged in domestic violence incident.

An 18-year old Darien man was charged with disorderly conduct in a domestic violence incident. He was acting in a threatening manner towards a female, according to police. He was released on a promise to appear and went to court Monday, Oct. 19.

Farifield woman charged with DWI on I-95.

Krisztina Augusztin, 33, of Fairfield was charged with DWI and driving with a defective marker lamp around 12:30 a.m. Augusztin was driving a 2000 Mercedes ML320 on the Post Road and nearly struck a police cruiser in the area of the Post Road and Tokeneke Road, according to reports. She was stopped on I-95, where police detected an odor of alcohol and she failed a field sobriety test. Augusztin posted $250 bond and has a court date of Oct. 28.