Crime & Safety

Police: Suspects High Fived Each Other After Turkey Bowl Incident

Michael Klein, 21, confessed to a Darien police officer that he stole a New Canaan High football player's backpack from a Darien High School locker room during the Turkey Bowl, according to court documents.

 

Documents obtained at the state Superior Court in Stamford reveal which suspect allegedly stole a New Canaan High School football player's backpack, which one allegedly urinated on football equipment and which ones allegedly served as "look outs" during the 2012 Turkey Bowl game in November.

According to the arrest warrant application for one of the five arrestees—Michael Klein, 21, of 19 Salt Box Lane—video surveillance tapes provided to the Darien Police Department by Athletic Director Michael Sullivan show that he and the four other suspects—Gregory Klein, Kevin Green, William Canning and Rocco Colandro—all entered the girls' locker room where the stolen backpack and defiled equipment were kept during the second half of the game.

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Officer Edwin Vigil, who reviewed the tapes, stated in the affidavit that the video shows "Rocco Colandro and Kevin Green remain in the locker room for approximately ten seconds, while William Canning, Michael Klein and Gregory Klein remain in the locker room for approximately two minutes." Vigil observed that Colandro and Green "were acting as look outs as they paced back and forth outside of the locker room."

Vigil also stated in the affidavit that while all five suspects entered the locker room empty handed, Michael Klein "exited the locker room carrying a black draw string bag similar to the one described" by the player who reported it stolen to police. Vigil also said that the video shows Gregory Klein "fixing his zipper area of his pants as if he was closing his pants zipper after finishing urinating" while exiting the locker room. He said that he observed all five suspects "excited, high fiving" each other as they left the locker room.

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According to the affidavit, when Officer Vigil visited the Klein residence and revealed to Michael that the department obtained evidence of the incident, Michael confessed to Vigil that he the took the bag from the locker room and stated several times that he "didn't think anything of it" and that it was only a "fifteen dollar bag." Michael's older brother Jason then intervened the conversation and prevented Michael from speaking to Vigil any further, the affidavit states.

Colandro and the Klein brothers appeared in state Superior Court in Stamford on Monday and their cases were continued to future dates. They, along with Canning, are scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 29 and Green is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 22. Each was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, conspiracy to commit third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal trespass, while Klein was additionally charged with sixth-degree larceny.

According to court documents, Michael Klein, Gregory Klein and Canning have all applied for accelerated rehabilitation, which could place them on a period of unsupervised probation for up to two years after which their records would be cleared.


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