Seven Darien police officers have been commended by Police Chief Duane Lovello for their work in arresting two teenagers accused of overnight thefts from 14 vehicles parked on and around Intervale Road in May.
In a memo that Lovello shared with the Police Commission last week, he praised the seven officers for good teamwork in setting up a perimeter and arresting the two after police started getting calls from residents at about 5:30 a.m. on May 4.
“The rapid and coordinated response of the officers resulted in a most positive outcome,” Lovello said in his memo.
As recounted later that day in Darienite.com, (with quotes from a police news release):
[O]n Devon Road, Officers Daniel Noto and Daniel Gorton found a subject who matched the caller’s description. Police determined the subject, a 17-year-old Stamford boy, was one of the two burglars, and they arrested him.
“The suspect then intentionally misdirected officers to prevent them from locating the second suspect,” according to a Police Department announcement about the burglary.
“A short time later Officer Michael Cummings observed a subject matching the description of the second suspect in the woods in nearby Woodland Park,” the announcement said.
That subject, Karon McCollom, 18, of Orchard Street in Stamford, didn’t give himself up to the officer without a struggle, so a taser was used on him.
The two teenagers were found to have on them many checkbooks, cell phones, chargers, wallets, sunglasses, a watch and loose change. Police determined that 10 vehicles — each of them unlocked — had been entered.
“It is worth noting that Officer Ehret was off-duty, but hearing the broadcast, responded immediately to assist,” Lovello wrote. According to Lovello’s memo, a total of 14 motor vehicle burglaries were solved as a result of the arrests.
Here’s Lovello’s memo:
To: Lt. Chip Vitone
From: Chief Duane J. Lovello
Date: May 13, 2016
Re: Award Nomination — Sgt. [Mark] Cirillo; Officers [Kathy] Conlin, [Michael] Cummings, [Daniel] Noto, [Michael] Delvecchio, [Daniel] Gorton and [Daniel] Ehret
I am pleased to have received and endorse your award nomination of the above officers for the team effort resulting in the arrest of two suspects for a series of motor vehicle burglaries during the overnight hours of May 4, 2016.
On that date at 0542 hours [5:42 a.m.], communications received multiple calls reporting two suspicious males entering vehicles in the Intervale Road area.
Responding officers, using information relayed by communications officer Conlin and at the direction of Sgt. Cirillo, immediately set up an effective perimeter which resulted in one of the two suspects being quickly apprehended by Officers Gorton and Ehret.
It is worth noting that Officer Ehret was off-duty, but hearing the broadcast, responded immediately to assist. Simultaneous to that arrest, a second subject was seen running in nearby Woodland Park.
That subject was apprehended by Officer Cummings a short time later after a foot pursuit and a struggle to gain control of the suspect, resulting in Officer Cummings deploying his taser against the suspect.
After the suspect’s apprehension, Officer Noto recovered numerous items stolen from the nearby vehicles.
These arrests cleared 14 motor vehicle burglaries. The rapid and coordinated response of the officers resulted in a most positive outcome.
I will include this correspondence in the officers’ personnel files and will also bring this to the attention of the Police Commission.