Wanted man arrested after alleged shoplifting
A Torrington man wanted on 18 arrest warrants was taken into custody on Wednesday after reportedly fleeing from officers following an alleged shoplifting in East Haven, police said.
Officers were dispatched to the Snipes shoe store located at 684 Foxon Road in East Haven around 11:28 a.m. Wednesday for a report of shoplifting, according to the East Haven Police Department. A description of the suspects and the vehicle they fled in was provided to responding units, police said.
Detectives Jon Trinh and Fred Sego were in the area and located the suspect’s vehicle pulled onto the shoulder of Bradley Street by Bellman Street, according to police.
Sgt. John Finnimore and Officers Dean Bibens and Anthony Fiorillo converged on the car and attempted a motor vehicle stop, police said.
According to police, the driver, later identified as 45-year-old Nelson Vidro of Torrington, reportedly put the car in reverse and crashed into Finnimore’s police cruiser.
Police said Bibens and Fiorillo then boxed Vidro in “at which time he continued ramming cruisers in an attempt to flee.” With the help of Sego and Trinh, Vidro and his passenger, 38-year-old Nadine Inorio of West Haven, were taken into custody.
Vidro was charged with conspiracy to commit fifth-degree larceny, interfering with an officer, assault on police, first-degree reckless endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, failure to carry an insurance card, reckless driving, failure to obey an officer signal and operating with a suspended license, according to police.
At the time of his arrest, Vidro had 18 arrest warrants issued from various police agencies, police said. He was held on a $100,000 bond for the on-site arrest and appeared in court on Thursday in New Haven.
Inorio was charged with fifth-degree larceny, interfering with an officer and conspiracy to commit fifth-degree larceny, according to police. She was held on a $2,500 surety bond and also appeared in court in New Haven on Thursday.
State House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, state Rep. Joe Zullo and state Sen. Paul Cicarella, who all represent East Haven residents, released a statement on Thursday in response to the arrests.
“This serious situation in Foxon described by East Haven police today not only describes the danger faced by law enforcement professionals on a daily basis, but also the shortcomings of a criminal justice system that Democrats in the legislature insist is working just fine,” the Republican officials said. “That an individual with nearly two dozen active arrest warrants and multiple pending court cases is roaming freely is an indictment on the catch-and-release mentality that has infected policymaking and courtroom decisions.
“This incident could have very easily resulted in an officer or member of the public getting injured — or worse,” the officials added. “We continue to marvel at the great work from officers such as those in East Haven, but at some point, the people who control the levers of state government must impose measures of accountability expected and deserved by residents across Connecticut who are beyond frustrated by brazen crimes in their communities. Thanks again to East Haven police for putting themselves in harm’s way and resolving this dangerous situation.”