#Westport, CT– On Tuesday August 11, 2020 at approximately 2:33am, Westport Police dispatch received a complaint of motor vehicle burglaries from a residence on Richmondville Avenue. The complainant reported that he had initially heard a vehicle speeding away from the area of his home. He then observed that multiple unlocked vehicles parked in his driveway had apparently been entered, noting that their interior lights were illuminated.
A responding officer initially observed a group of three vehicles traveling together a short distance from the location of the reported incident. Upon seeing the marked police cruiser all three vehicle operators turned off their headlamps in an apparent attempt to elude officers; fleeing the immediate area at a high rate of speed and traveling north on Weston Road toward the town line. Officers did not engage in pursuit. The officer who initially spotted these three vehicles was able to obtain a description of two of the three. This information was relayed to other responding officers who maintained a perimeter around the area.
A short time after the initial sighting of the two vehicles, a Cadillac Escalade and a Honda CRV-V, both returned to Westport heading southbound on Weston Road. An officer had positioned himself on Weston Road near the entrance ramps to the Merritt Parkway believing that the vehicles would travel back in that direction. At this time, he was able to successfully deploy a stop stick tire deflation device that was then struck by both of these vehicles as they passed his location. Both then entered the Merritt Parkway northbound at slow speeds with the officer following. It was confirmed through computer checks of their registrations that both vehicles were previously reported stolen and that both had been left unlocked with keys in the vehicles at the time of theft. The Cadillac had been stolen out of the town of Trumbull, Connecticut, and the Honda out of the town of Shelton, Connecticut. The Cadillac Escalade continued northbound on the Parkway, while the Honda CR-V exited into Fairfield with a Westport officer following. Shortly after exiting into Fairfield, the vehicle’s tires had fully deflated causing it to come to a stop. At that time four occupants were detained. The operator was identified as Tyjon Preston, age 18, of New Haven, Connecticut. He was in the company of three juveniles, also residing in New Haven, Connecticut. The Cadillac Escalade was recovered by the Connecticut State Police on Interstate 95 in the area of exit 30. It was unoccupied at the time of recovery. Found within the Honda CR-V that 20:47 2 had been recovered by Westport Police was an ignition key to a GMC Acadia. The matching GMC Acadia was located on Weston Road shortly thereafter within the town of Weston; also unoccupied. It was subsequently confirmed as having been stolen out of Easton, Connecticut. It too had been left unlocked with the key left in the vehicle at the time of theft. This was presumably the third vehicle that had been seen traveling with the Cadillac and Honda as was initially observed by the Westport Officer.
Tyjon Preston was taken into custody and subsequently charged with 53a-122 Larceny First Degree. Bond was set at $600.00. Preston was able to post this bond and was released. He is scheduled to appear at Norwalk Superior Court at 9:00am on Wednesday, September 30, 2020. The three juveniles that had been in the vehicle with Preston were not immediately charged as this investigation continues. They were released to the custody of parents. Although officers were successful in apprehending these individuals, this is not usually the case, as motor vehicle burglaries and stolen vehicles have become an all too common occurrence within our community in recent weeks. Although detailed in a prior press release by this agency, expect an additional follow-up message in the coming days that will continue to highlight the gravity of this situation and the urgent need for proactivity by our residents in taking preventative measures to avert further victimization.
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