Wilton was the target of multiple motor vehicle thefts and burglaries in the early hours of Thursday morning, June 21. In total, three cars were stolen from Wilton and two Wilton cars were broken into; a fourth car that had been stolen earlier from North Haven was also involved.
Police say that all vehicles entered illegally were left unlocked, and all vehicles stolen had their keys and/or key fobs left in the vehicle.
Wilton Police arrested two Bridgeport residents and charged them with several counts related to two of the motor vehicle thefts. Michael Lockhart, 19 and a 17-year-old juvenile were arrested and taken into custody.
Police say that at 3:15 a.m. a Wilton officer saw four vehicles exiting the Ogden House assisted living housing complex on River Rd., traveling southbound. Officers followed the cars on Old Highway and Sharp Hill Rd., before stopping two of the vehicles on Danbury Rd. in the area of Deerfield Rd..
Both vehicles were later found to be stolen: a Nissan Rogue, allegedly driven by Lockhart, that had been stolen out of North Haven last week, and a Ford Escape, allegedly driven by the juvenile, that had been taken out of Wilton just prior to being stopped by police.
Lockhart was charged with 11 counts, including: operating a motor vehicle under suspension, 3rd-degree burglary (two counts), 3rd-degree conspiracy to commit burglary (two counts), 1st-degree motor vehicle larceny (three counts), conspiracy to commit 1st-degree larceny (two counts), and 6th degree larceny. He was given a $20,000 bond and arraigned in Norwalk Superior Court.
The juvenile suspect was charged with eight counts, including two counts each of 3rd-degree burglary, 3rd-degree conspiracy to commit burglary, 1st-degree larceny and 1st-degree conspiracy to commit larceny. He was referred to the Juvenile Court in Bridgeport.
In addition, police received reports of two other vehicles being stolen during this time–a Volkswagen Jetta and a 2010 Nissan Rogue–as well as two motor vehicle burglaries, all in Wilton. Police recovered the Jetta shortly after the initial arrests in the parking garage of 20 Westport Rd.; the 2010 Nissan has not been recovered as of press time.
According to the incident press release, police identify the River Rd. area of Wilton Center as a target for motor vehicle theft and burglary in recent months.
Police have issued a reminder to residents to remove keys and lock vehicles, and say that doing so is the greatest deterrent to this type of activity.
Anyone with further information or who thinks that their vehicle was broken into overnight is asked to contact the Wilton Police Department at 203.834.6260. Residents of the neighborhood where the thefts took place who may have a video surveillance system are asked to review any recordings and and contact police if any related activity was captured by cameras.