Crime & Safety

Juvenile Facing More Charges Related to Alleged Vernon Car Burglaries

The charges were added on Wednesday, police said.

A juvenile involved in the March car burglaries in the Merline Road area of town is facing three more sets of charges, police said on Thursday.

According to Thursday's arrest log, a juvenile is facing three sets of conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary and sixth-degree larceny. They are new charges levied on Wednesday as part of the ongoing investigation in to the case, police said.

Two sets carried $5,000 bonds and the third an $8,000 bond, police said.

The names of juveniles are exempt from disclosure under state law.

The case bagan as an attempted vehicular burglary on Vinetta Drive early on the morning of March 15.

Police said that at 2:17 a.m., an emergency call came in from a Vinetta Drive resident indicating he woke up to the noise of his garage door opening.

The resident said someone was attempting to enter the home and after he climbed out of bed to investigate, he noticed a vehicle speeding away from the house and onto Merline Road, according to police records.

Police said the vehicle was quickly located in front of 211 Merline Rd., but the driver would not stop for the police cruiser, which had its lights on. The driver then attempted to reverse his direction, but an officer pulled a cruiser to the side of the road, and struck the vehicle in an effort to block the escape route, police records state.

Both vehicles sustained minor damage at the front bumper area, police said.

The driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot, heading north on Merline Road, but another officer chased him down, police said.

A front-seat passenger also attempted to flee, but the officer who initially blocked the vehicle was able to close the car door and hold it shut, police said. He and a second passenger were taken into custody, joining the driver, police said. One was a 17-year-old.

An investigation at Vinetta Drive determined that the vehicles at the home had been burglarized, police said. The suspects used a door opener taken from a car outside to open the garage door, police said.

Police determined the motive was not home invasion.

The vehicle used in the burglary, a 2007 Volkswagen Jetta, had been reported stolen in West Hartford and West Hartford police also reported that several car burglaries were being investigated in the area where the car was taken, a news release states.

Vernon police said they searched the suspect vehicle several times and recovered GPS units, keys, sunglasses, cell phones, various chargers, and loose change. Police said the GPS units led them to areas of Vernon where there had been suspected car burglaries.

Police said they have been investigating a dozen car burglaries near Merline Road, Vinetta Drive, Sunset Terrace, and Pleasant View Drive.

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