Update, Monday, Dec. 21, 8:49 p.m.:
A 35-year-old Whitestone, Queens man found by police in a Leroy Avenue home on Monday, Dec. 14, had a victim’s watch and a gold chain on him when cops arrested him, according to police.
Police gave this account, with more details (and with accusations not proven in court) about the matter:
When police entered the home shortly after 11 a.m., a dog was barking downstairs, but they could still hear noises coming from the second floor. That’s when, guns drawn, they confronted the man, Teodoro Alicea, who was at the top of the stairs.
He ran further into the second floor. Police followed and confronted him again, ordering him to lay down on the floor, which he did.
Elsewhere on the second floor, police found jewelry, some of it in jewelry bags, in a white pillow case. Residents of the house later identified the items as theirs, and they identified the two items found on Alicea. The total estimated value of the amount almost stolen was $10,000.
Also on Alicea was a small pry bar. A back door to the basement of the house had pry marks on it, and a window on that door had been broken.
Alicea was charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree larceny. Alicea later paid his bond, and he was scheduled to appear later in state Superior Court in Stamford.
Police found items in Alicea’s car that they suspect were stolen in other burglaries. They are continuing to consult with other police agencies in the region to see if those items match any stolen in burglaries in other communities.
Original article, published Friday, Dec. 18:
Guns drawn, Darien police officers responding to a burglar alarm Monday at a Leroy Avenue home saw the feet and legs of a burglar as they looked up a staircase and ordered him to come downstairs, police said.
Darien police gave this further account (containing accusations not proven in court) of what happened:
The burglar ran elsewhere onto the second floor, so police (not knowing whether or not the man was armed) went up and confront the suspect upstairs, where he gave up without a struggle.
They arrested the man, charging him with burglary and larceny, but police didn’t immediately have many details of the incident, which occurred between 11 a.m. and noon within an hour or two of the weekly Monday news briefing, including identification of the man, the exact charges or even exact time of the incident.
The man had bagged a number of valuable items from the house in a pillow case he had with him, and he broke in through the back door, setting off the burglar alarm, which both notified police and was sounding off when police arrived at the house, located on Leroy Avenue south of the railroad overpass downtown.
Although the front door was unlocked, a back door leading to the basement had been entered after a window on or near it was smashed. When police arrived, they heard noises in the house, even though the burglar alarm was sounding. That’s when they entered and confronted the burglar. Police found no one else around and believe he wasn’t working with anyone else to break in.
The man’s car was parked in the lot for stores between Darien Sport Shop and Darien Playhouse. Police are trying to find out if any items inside it were taken in other burglaries in Darien or elsewhere. Police are continuing to investigate the matter and expect to have more information next week.
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