Darien Man Charged with Having a Stolen Car

A 40-year-old Darien man was arrested on an accusation that he stole a vehicle from the Leroy West parking lot at Darien Railroad Station in October.

Darien police gave this account (an accusation not proven in court) of the matter:

On Oct. 21, a Norwalk man reported the theft of his 2003 Honda Civic to Darien police. The driver had left the keys hidden in the car and the car unlocked. Police started looking for the car when they were driving around Darien and later found it in the parking lot of an apartment building at 551 Post Rd.

Then police started knocking on doors and contacting residents to ask if they'd seen anyone using that car. One resident told police said he or she had spotted someone getting out of the car.

Darien police knew Walter Mastalsz (also known as Walter Davenport), knew that he lived in an apartment building where the parking lot was located, and had a photo of him.

They put that picture in a photo lineup to show the resident. The resident picked out Mastalsz. Police then applied for and received an arrest warrant and on Nov. 22 went to Mastalsz' apartment and arrested him without incident.

The car was returned to its owner.

Walter Mastalsz, who is also known as Walter Davenport, was charged with third-degree larceny and held on $2,500 bond.

When he appeared in state Superior Court in Stamford on Nov. 25, he was afterward held without bond. His next court appearance is not mentioned on the Connecticut Judicial Branch website.