Man charged in Norwalk car burglaries
NORWALK — A 36year-old Bridgeport man, who was charged with burglary and other crimes last month, was arrested again Monday at Norwalk Superior Court.
Francisco Reyes of Wells Street was originally charged in a series of burglaries to Hondas around Norwalk. Police said in that in all the incidents, car wheels were stolen and the vehicles were left on milk crates.
Police said the specificity of the crimes led them to arrest Reyes again Monday on five additional warrants.
Reyes was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force on Sept. 18 for a series of thefts from motor vehicles spanning from July 2017 to April 2018. The thefts were similar in nature and it appeared he had targeted specific vehicles, Norwalk Lt. Terry Blake said. The vehicles — all Hondas — had either broken windows or missing wheels.
In one instance April 5, 2018, police said, Reyes drove into an apartment complex on Aiken Street in Norwalk and shattered the passenger’s side window of a Honda. He removed the car’s wheels and tires and left the vehicle sitting on milk crates, police said.
Detectives collected DNA samples from the car and the lug nuts that were left on the ground, police said.
Detectives were able to obtain video surveillance from the apartment complex and identified Reyes as the suspect. Police said Reyes used a Honda Pilot to conduct the burglaries and the vehicle’s registered owner confirmed Reyes had been driving the car at the time of the incident.
On April 28, detectives interviewed Reyes, but he denied any involvement. Police obtained a search warrant for an address on Seaside Avenue in Stamford but could not confirm Reyes lived there. During the search, however, police said they found a crowbar that belonged to one of the Hondas in the investigation and a sweatshirt the suspect was wearing in surveillance footage.
On May 4, Reyes was interviewed at the Norwalk Police Department for a second time, and police said he admitted to nine burglaries and car thefts across the city. Police said he told detectives he was taking orders from unidentified people and that he would drive around Norwalk looking to steal from cars.
Reyes was charged Monday with three counts third-degree burglary, two counts third-degree larceny, three counts of fourthdegree larceny, two counts first-degree criminal mischief, two counts seconddegree criminal mischief, and one count tampering with a motor vehicle. He was held on $125,000 bond and is to appear in court Oct. 31.