Police Blotter: Two Engagement Rings Stolen in Separate Incidents

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MONDAY, MARCH 28

Theft: An engagement ring valued at $12,000 was reported missing from a West Ave. residence. Police said the platinum ring, which included one large and two smaller diamonds, was last seen by the owner two or three weeks earlier. The item had been kept in a jewelry box in the top drawer of the master bedroom dresser, though nothing else appeared to have been taken from the box. "Certain people have access to the house," according to Capt. Fred Komm, and the matter remains under investigation.

Marijuana Possession: Christian Vazquez, 29, Ashton Thevenin, 29, and Juan Rangel, 29 — all of Stamford — were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana following a traffic stop. Vazquez was also charged with failure to wear a seatbelt.

According to police, the three were traveling westbound on Post Road near Richmond Drive around 6 p.m. when an officer noticed Vazquez — the driver — wasn't wearing a seatbelt. The officer stopped the vehicle on the southbound exit 13 onramp and, upon approaching the vehicle, reportedly noticed a strong odor of marijuana. Police said Vazquez admitted to having just smoked a blunt.

According to Komm, a search of the vehicle turned up an unsmoked blunt in the driver's side door, 3.6g worth of marijuana in a bag in the trunk, and additional quantities of the drug in Rangel's and Thevenin's possession. The three were arrested and released on $500 bond apiece. They are set to appear in court April 8.

Burglaries: Two downtown locations were reported burglarized over the weekend. The first, a photographer's studio at 975 Post Rd., was ransacked sometime between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning, the photographer told police. When she arrived around 11 a.m. Monday, she noticed someone had entered the studio, rifled through her desk, and stolen several items. Missing were a projector valued at $1,300, a CD burner valued at $300, and an MP3 player valued at $600. Police believe the thief may have entered through a window.

Later, police received a report that Kids Care Clubs (975 Post Rd.), had also been broken into sometime over the weekend. Several items were moved around and a fax machine was removed from its package, but nothing appeared to have been taken, Komm said.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30

Hoyt Street Pursuit: Keith Major, 36, was arrested and charged with a long list of crimes after allegedly fleeing from police Wednesday on Hoyt Street.

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DWI Warrant Arrest: Karen Marie Alsup, 48, of New York City was arrested on a warrant for driving under the influence, risk of injury to a minor, and making an improper turn.

The charges stem from a Feb. 19 incident in which Alsup allegedly crashed her 2001 Volvo into a ditch off of Old Kings Highway N. around 6 p.m. When police arrived at the scene, neither Alsup nor her 7-year-old son — who had been in the vehicle at the time — appeared injured, but Komm said the woman was unsteady and smelled strongly of alcohol. Alsup was reportedly unable to complete field sobriety tests and was taken into custody.

During processing, police said Alsup slipped, fell backwards, and struck her head, causing her to lose consciousness briefly and necessitating a trip to Stamford Hospital. Police later obtained a search warrant for her medical records, which Komm said showed a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

THURSDAY, MARCH 31

Larceny: Two Czech bracelets and several other pieces of jewelry were reported stolen from (1094 Post Rd.) Thursday afternoon. The owner told police that the items — valued at between $800 and $1,000 — were discovered missing around 4:43 p.m. According to police, surveillance tapes show an elderly white woman enter the store around 4:23 p.m., slip the bracelets into a book she was carrying, and grab additional items of jewelry before leaving about 10 minutes later. She is described as 5'6" tall and was wearing black shoes, dark-colored pants, and a light-green open sweater at the time. An employee of a neighboring business told police he saw a woman matching that description leave in a dark sedan, possibly a Subaru.

Burglary: Several rooms at a West Avenue residence were broken into Thursday afternoon or evening, according to police. A renter at the residence discovered that someone had entered his bedroom and gone through his dresser drawers while he was out, though nothing appeared to be missing. Three additional bedrooms in the house had also been entered, according to police. The rear doorknob was bent and a storm window was broken, Komm said, but police aren't sure how exactly the burglar got in.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1

Marijuana Possession: John Keegan, 21, of Darien was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and traveling too fast for conditions following a traffic stop. According to Komm, an officer saw Keegan's 2007 Chevrolet Blazer fishtail when it turned onto Camp Avenue from Hoyt Street around 1:57 a.m. When the officer stopped the vehicle on Hollow Tree Ridge Road, Keegan reportedly exhibited bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. He admitted to having smoked some marijuana after failing field sobriety tests, Komm said, and a half gram of the drug was located in the rear seat of the SUV. Keegan posted a $47 bond and is set to appear in court April 11.

Motor Vehicle Burglary: A red Mercedes belonging to a resident of Laforge Road was reportedly burglarized while parked in the owner's driveway. The owner told police that she had parked it at 11 p.m. on Thursday and returned at 11:45 a.m. Friday to find that her gym bag had been stolen from the back seat. Contained in the bag were a watch valued at $2,000, a high-end engagement ring of unknown value, a second ring valued at $900, and a pair of sneakers. The vehicle had been left unlocked, Komm said, and two other vehicles parked in the driveway — both locked — were left untouched.

SATURDAY, APRIL 2

Vandalism: Two Hilton Street residents were awoken around 1:30 a.m. when a first-floor window at their home was shattered, according to police. No one was observed nearby and no object used to break the window was found. The cost of the damage is unknown.