A Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen overnight last week on Bittersweet Lane, and elsewhere in town, on a different night last week, vehicles were entered overnight, resulting in at least one theft, Darien police said. All the vehicles were unlocked. Police gave this account of the incidents:
The Grand Cherokee was stolen overnight Saturday to Sunday, Aug. 9 to 10. The keys to the vehicle were “possibly inside” it, police said in a news release.
Darien’s September 11th Memorial Observation Ceremony will start at 8:25 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 11 and last 35 minutes at the town’s 9/11 monument behind Middlesex Middle School. The town Monuments and Ceremonies Commission invites you to participate. The ceremony, taking place 24 years since the massacres in 2001, will be at the town’s 9/11 Monument, located in the courtyard behind Middlesex Middle School on Hollow Tree Ridge Road. Since the date this year falls on Thursday, school will be in session, and those attending the event are asked to park in the rear lot.
Two thieves were seen stuffing garbage bags with merchandise at the Lululemon athletic apparel store in Noroton Heights on Monday, Aug. 4, but the vehicle they fled in was stopped and the suspects were arrested, police said. Darien police gave this further account, including accusations not proven in court:
The suspects were seen stealing the merchandise shortly before 3:07 p.m. at the store, located in the Darien Commons development off of Heights Road. The pair fled in a black Nissan Sentra with Virginia license plates. Two other people were also in the car.
A revised paving schedule, showing when certain roads in Darien will be repaved, was issued Thursday by the town Department of Public Works. The department also announced work on
The original schedule was issued in early July. Here’s the new list (minus paving that was newly scheduled from Thursday through Monday — the revised list is on the town government website, here). The paragraph at the bottom of the announcement is republished at the bottom of this article because it might be easier to read. The announcement says that bad weather may change the paving dates.
The Interim Superintendent of Schools is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jennifer Falcone has been appointed director of elementary education, Interim Schools Superintendent Eric Byrne announced. Falcone, who starts her job in Darien in August, will replace Julie Droller, who retired in June. “Dr. Falcone brings a wide range of experiences that will serve her well in her new role as director of elementary [education] in Darien,” Byrne said in an announcement emailed Tuesday morning. Jennifer began her teaching career in Norwalk Public Schools, where she served as a fourth grade teacher at Tracey Elementary School. Jennifer next worked in Brookfield Public Schoolsin a variety of positions, including elementary classroom teacher, remedial reading teacher at Whisconier Middle School, English language learner coordinator (K through 12), literacy and social studies curriculum coordinator for Grades 5 through 8 and district elementary literacy specialist for Grades K through 6.
A 2022 Audi Q8 was stolen from outside a house on Peterick Lane in the early hours of Wednesday, June 25, Darien police said. The owner provided police with a surveillance recording showing that at 2:15 a.m. a suspect walked across the property. The car had been unlocked, and the keys had been left inside. The owner reported the theft to police early that morning.
A 30-year-old man arrested on an accusation he stole money and credit cards from a man’s locker at the Darien YMCA is “linked to similar crimes across multiple states,” Darien police said. Police gave this account, including accusations not proven in court:
The theft was reported to police on March 7. It involved $500 in cash and two credit cards. The cards were used to buy an item or items at the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Greenwich, where a total of $11,206 was charged to the credit card accounts. A police investigation which included surveillance recordings led to identifying the suspect, Alende Olteanu of the Woodside section of Queens, New York.
After Stamford police notified police in Darien that a driver in a traffic accident had fled into Darien on West Avenue, driving erratically in a Toyota Rav4. Town police later charged the 34-year-old man with driving while intoxicated. Darien police gave this account of what happened, including accusations not proven in court:
At about 2:10 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, officers located the SUV traveling on West Avenue and stopped it at the intersection with Old Parish Road. Police saw that the driver, a Stamford resident, had glassy, bloodshot eyes and an unsteady gait. Open beer cans and empty alcohol containers were found in the vehicle.
The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk has officially launched its new research vessel, R/V Sound Explorer, just in time for summer to give visitors the opportunity to learn about nature, wildlife and conservation in Long Island Sound. — an announcement from The Maritime Aquarium
The “floating classroom” will have public tours starting in June. As part of the organization’s commitment to being “an Aquarium without walls,” the R/V Sound Explorer provides a vital new opportunity for marine education and research in Long Island Sound and supports hands-on learning for all. The Marine Life Encounter Cruise invites visitors to learn about the biodiversity of the Sound alongside Aquarium scientists and educators, featuring a plankton tow that brings up fish, crabs, mollusks and more. For those looking for a more casual cruise, the Sunset Cruise offers a unique perspective on the beauty of the Norwalk islands and surrounding wildlife.
A 64-year-old woman stole a credit card from a person living at the Residence at Selleck’s Woods, and charged more than $10,000 with the card. After an extensive police investigation, she was arrested last week, Darien police said. The director of the assisted living residence told police on Jan. 2 that a resident’s American Express card had been stolen. The victim told police that unauthorized charges had been made on the card to businesses or organizations in multiple states, including New York and Colorado.
For the third time in a week, a written racial slur was found at Middlesex Middle School, schools Superintendent Alan Addley said Friday afternoon in an email sent to staff and families of students. Addley’s announcement didn’t say where the writing was found, what the racial slur is or even whether it was in the form of graffiti. Addley mentioned the slur only in the first paragraph of a five-paragraph message that also discussed other topics. Darienite.com’s coverage of the other two incidents:
• Schools Superintendent: Another Racial Slur Found at Middlesex Middle School (Wednesday, May 21)
• More Racial Slur Graffiti Found in Middlesex Bathroom: Superintendent Urges Parents to Talk to Their Kids (Friday, May 16)
Full Text of the Message
Dear Families and Staff,
In the span of a week, Middlesex Middle School has experienced three incidents involving written racial slurs, two previously reported and another discovered yesterday. While these repeated acts are deeply disconcerting, they only strengthen our determination to confront hate and to continue fostering a school environment rooted in respect, empathy, and inclusion.
After police collected DNA evidence from an SUV stolen in Darien and left in Hamden, they linked that evidence to a 19-year-old Hamden man and charged him with stealing it, Darien police said. Police gave this account of the case, including accusations not proven in court:
Almost a year ago, on May 27, 2024, a 2021 Audi Q5 was reported stolen from outside a house on Hickory Lane. It had been left unlocked with the keys inside. The vehicle was found in Hamden on June 5, and Darien, Hamden and New Haven police worked together on the investigation. Police didn’t say how they linked the DNA in the vehicle with the DNA of Khalil Council of Hobson Avenue in Hamden.
Darien Library will open the Community Room from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. to show a livestream of coverage of Pope Francis’ funeral from the Vatican News channel on YouTube, the library announced. The funeral will take place before the library opens, starting at 4 a.m., Eastern Time (10 a.m. in Rome) but parts or all of it can be expected to be replayed. The video channel may also show related events, interviews and discussions. The funeral Mass takes place in St. Peter’s Square, marking the beginning of nine days of mourning and Masses.
Technology in the form of a universal smart key fob aided the theft of a car in New York state, and technology in the form of a license plate reader alerted a police officer who arrested a man and recovered the car in Darien, police said. Police gave this further account, including accusations not proven in court:
On Sunday, April 13, at about 5:40 p.m., the officer saw two vehicles entering the Exxon station at 1358 Post Road (between Darien Library and Exit 11 of Interstate 95). The vehicles appeared to be moving in “an aggressive manner,” according to a police news release. That caught the officer’s attention. What caught it even more was an alert from the license plate reader in the police car.
A 22-year-old woman who stole two Rolex watches from a home on Shady Acres Road was arrested on Feb. 23, Darien police said. Police gave this further account, including accusations not proven in court:
The victim told police that the Rolex’s are a Milgauss and a Sea-Dweller, and they were stolen along with their boxes and paperwork. An investigation found that the watches had been pawned at Pawn King in Stratford. Police did not say whether the watches were recovered although the police news release said “evidence collection” and interviews were parts of the investigation.
