Police Blotter: Stolen Trike, Soggy Property Dispute

The following information was provided by the Darien Police Department:

Monday, July 19

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE: Renata Santos, 24, of Greenwich was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and failure to drive right after police observed her driving erratically.

Around 2:40 a.m., an officer saw Santos's 2008 Toyota Corolla cross the double yellow line for roughly five seconds as it drove westbound on Tokeneke Road. The vehicle's rear bumper also appeared to be dragging on the road, police said.

When Santos was stopped, police noted additional damaged to the rear driver's side door and pieces of tree bark embedded in the damaged portions of the car. A bulletin was issued for any reports of a hit and run, but no responses were received.

Santos, who failed field sobriety tests, told police she had struck a telephone pole in Rowayton, possibly because she had fallen asleep. She posted $500 bond and is set to appear in court August 2.

Tuesday, July 20

VANDALISM: A house on Bittersweet Lane was vandalized by an unknown party around 2:50 a.m. The owner said he had been asleep upstairs when he heard a loud crash on the ground level. When he came downstairs, he found a broken window and two large rocks on the floor. The cost of the damage is not known.

LARCENY: A blue, red, and yellow tricycle with a push bar and basket was stolen from out front of The Children's Attic (282 Tokeneke Road). The theft, reported by the owner, was discovered around 11 a.m. when a customer entered the to the store to ask about purchasing the bike, which she had spotted outside earlier in the day. The item is valued at $150.

Wednesday, July 21

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE: James Deluca, 48, of Dubois Street in Darien was charged with driving under the influence, operating a vehicle under a suspended license, failure to return a suspended license, and disobeying the signal of an officer Wednesday evening.

Around 6:30 p.m., Deluca was observed operating his vehicle by an off-duty officer who knew from prior contact with the man that his license had been suspended. After on-duty officers were notified, police caught up with Deluca and attempted to pull him over on southbound Noroton Avenue, but he continued driving at a slow rate of speed.

After turning onto Casement Street and then Dubois Street, Deluca stopped at 20 Dubois, roughly a quarter mile from where police initially attempted to pull him over. Deluca failed field sobriety tests and acknowledged to officers that his license was under suspension. He was released on $250 bond and is set to appear in court August 2.

Thursday, July 22

ASSAULT & BREACH OF PEACE: Richard Nanos, 62, of Stamford was charged with third degree assault and breach of peace after allegedly attacking a woman in a Walgreens Parking lot.

Read the full story here: Man Accused of Walgreens Parking Lot Assault

MOTOR VEHICLE BURGLARY: Several items were stolen from a workman's 2000 Volkswagen Beetle parked on Morley Lane. According to the owner, he had left the car unlocked at 8 a.m. while performing work on a nearby house and returned at 3 p.m. to find a silver bracelet, a GPS unit, and a Sirius satellite radio missing. The bracelet is valued at $250; the cost of the other items is not known.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE: William Takacs, 27, of Fairfield was charged with driving under the influence and executing an improper turn after his car rolled over on Hollow Tree Ridge Road. 

Around 10:49 p.m., police received a report of a crash in the area of Indian Spring Trail. When officers arrived, they found Takacs' 2004 Volkswagen Jetta belly up but the driver unharmed apart from a laceration on his arm.

Police were able to ascertain from that Takacs had been coming home from a party when his vehicle left the roadway and flipped over, hitting a stone wall and a tree in the process. Officers also noted a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on the man, who subsequently failed field sobriety tests. He posted $250 bond and is set to appear in court August 2.

Friday, July 23

DISORDERLY CONDUCT Jason Enters, 39, of Noroton Avenue in Darien turned himself in on a warrant for disorderly conduct stemming from an incident on June 15. According to police, Enters and a neighbor had been engaged in an ongoing property line dispute involving a common driveway, a conflict which had brought officers to the scene several times in the preceding months.

On the evening in question, the neighbor had brought in workers to have security cameras installed. Enters, apparently annoyed by this, began spraying the installers with a garden hose over the 7-8 foot stockade fence between the two properties, fully soaking them.

When the workers moved away from the site, Enters would stop spraying; when they returned, he would start up again, police said. At one point he also set up lit sparklers on the fence. 

Enters was released on a promise to appear and is set to appear in court August 2.

UNDERCOVER DRUG BUST: Two Norwalk men were arrested and charged on a litany of drug counts after an undercover operation by Darien Police led to a significant marijuana seizure.

Read the full story here: Undercover Operation Leads to Two Drug Arrests

Saturday, July 24

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE: Domingo Santiago, 42, of Bridgeport was charged with driving under the influence, failure to drive right, and operating a vehicle with suspended driving privileges early Saturday morning.

Around 12:43 a.m., Santiago's 2004 Ford Taurus was traveling eastbound on Post Road near Brookside Drive, when officers observed it make a sudden u-turn, crossing the double yellow line in the process.

When Santiago was stopped, officers noted a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his person. He was arrested after failing field sobriety tests. Police said Santiago initially indicated he did not speak English, but the arresting officer was fluent in Spanish, which overcame the language gap.

Santiago posted $200 bond and is set to appear in court August 3.

Sunday, July 25

MOTOR VEHICLE BURGLARY: A 43-year-old woman from Bethesda, Md. filed a report for an apparent motor vehicle burglary that took place when she passed through Darien July 21.

The woman, who was on her way to visit family in Vermont, had parked her 2004 Toyota Highlander behind Post Corner Pizza to get some food. After staying there for about an hour, she continued on to Vermont, only noticing when she arrived that numerous items were missing from the vehicle.

The stolen effects included a Coach handbag, valued at $400; a MacBook Pro, valued at $3000; assorted toiletries, valued at  $100; and a piece of American Tourister Luggage of unknown value.