Police Blotter for Aug. 16: $20K Watch Stolen in Southport

The Fairfield Police Department's press briefing Monday included the following cases:

A Patek Philippe watch, valued at $20,000, was reported stolen from a house on Harbor Road in Fairfield's Southport neighborhood sometime between July 29 and Friday evening while the homeowner was on vacation.

Police said there was no sign of forced entry to the house and that the watch's owner has a caretaker living with him and that his daughter threw a party in the house on the night of Aug. 11. The theft was reported to police at 7:53 p.m. Friday.

A 21-year-old Waterbury man accused of failing to return a rental car to Hertz Rent-a-Car on the Post Road in Fairfield was arrested on a charge of second-degree larceny early Saturday.

Police said Dalliston Dias, of Piedmont Street, was driving the 2009 Mazda, valued at $14,147, onto Coolidge Street from Interstate 95's exit 25 about 2:50 a.m. when a patrol officer checked the license plate and determined the car had been reported stolen. Dias was supposed to return the car on Feb. 1, police said. Dias admitted to renting the car months ago and said he needed it because his job was delivering signs, police said.

Dias also was charged with second-degree failure to appear in court from a case in New Haven and operating under suspension, police said.

He was released on $500 bond for the failure to appear in court charge and was released on $10,000 bond for the larceny charge in Fairfield. He was scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court Aug. 23 on the larceny and operating under suspension charges and was scheduled to appear Sept. 7 in New Haven court on the failure to appear in court charge, police said.

A 29-year-old Fairfield man accused of passing bad checks totaling $6,832 at five Fairfield businesses, as well as a bad check to his parents, was arrested on a charge of third-degree larceny Friday.

Maciej Raszczyk-Lawski, of Kings Highway East, also was charged with fifth-degree larceny, in a separate incident, for passing fradulent checks totaling $575 at Kinko's on the Post Road in downtown Fairfield, police said.

Police said Raszczyk-Lawski passed bad checks at Geiger's Garden Center, Fairfield Electric Supply, Shaw Jewelers, Fairfield Center Jewelers and Alton Jewelers beginning in July. He also purchased gift cards with a bad check at Cinzano's, a restaurant on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield, and requested that $120 be returned as cash, police said.

The checks were listed to a business in New Haven where Raszczyk-Lawski is no longer employed as a partner, police said.

Raszczyk-Lawski was arrested at Bridgeport Superior Court, where he was appearing on an unrelated charge, and his bond was set at a total of $20,000 for the two larceny charges, police said.

A Fairfield father and daughter were each arrested on a disorderly conduct charge Sunday afternoon after the father denied his daughter's request to drive his car.

Ashley Russo, 20, of Moritz Place, was also charged with second-degree threatening after she allegedly grabbed a knife and threatened to kill John Russo, 47, also of Moritz Place.

Police said the argument, in which Ashley was screaming out of control, turned physical when John grabbed his daughter's hair and pulled her to the floor. Ashley then threw a picture frame to the floor and threatened to smash everything in the house if she didn't get the car. She then went into the kitchen, grabbed a knife and threatened to kill her father, police said.

Ashley was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court Monday on the condition that she not return to the house. John was released on a promise to appear in court Monday. The incident took place about 1:57 p.m., police said.

A 41-year-old Fairfield man accused of punching his brother in the face on Tuesday was arrested on charges of third-degree assault and disorderly conduct Sunday night.

Eric Kutterman, of Redding Road, was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court Monday.

Police said the incident was reported to officers on Thursday and that the victim did not want an arrest made. But police said an officer saw that the victim had a laceration above his eye and bruising and swelling on his left temple and that an arrest is mandatory in that instance when domestic violence is involved. Kutterman turned himself in at the Fairfield Police Department on Sunday, police said.

A 28-year-old Fairfield man who allegedly was smoking a marijuana cigarette while walking on Burr Street on the Route 15 overpass Sunday night was arrested on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Christopher Brunetto, of Calico Lane, was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court Aug. 24, police said.

Police said Brunetto threw a baggie of suspected pot onto the Merritt Parkway after an officer saw him smoking the marijuana cigarette about 8:32 p.m.

Tires and rims valued at a total of $3,600 were reported stolen from a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck and 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan parked at Scap Dodge on Tunxis Hill Road in Fairfield sometime between 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday. The vehicles were left on cinder blocks and rocks, police said.

An Amazon Kindle valued at $350 was reported stolen from an unlocked car parked outside Cambridge Manor on Easton Turnpike in Fairfield sometime between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday. The theft was reported to police at 8 a.m. Monday. Police said the victim was visiting her husband in the nursing home and noticed the Kindle, which was on the passenger seat, had been stolen when she returned to her car.

A Stihl pack leaf blower valued at $400 was reported stolen from the driveway of a house on Reid Street in Fairfield Friday afternoon. Police said the homeowner was working in his yard and witnessed the theft just before 1 p.m. The man who stole the leaf blower got into a car and drove off, police said.

A 23-year-old Fairfield motorist was charged with driving under the influence after a patrol officer saw his car weaving on Black Rock Turnpike by the Fairfield and Bridgeport border early Saturday, police said.

Andrew Barnhard, of Galloping Hill Road, failed field sobriety tests and was released on $50 bond. He was scheduled to appear Aug. 23 in Bridgeport Superior Court, police said.

Barnhard was pulled over by police about 4:07 a.m., police said.

Two unlocked cars parked in the driveway of a house on Westlea Road in Fairfield were entered sometime between 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and 7:10 a.m. Wednesday and possessions valued at $350 were stolen. Thefts from the cars were reported to police on Saturday.

A wallet containing $22 cash, personal papers and credit cards was reported stolen from one car; a gym bag containing sneakers, clothes valued at $150 and two pairs of sunglasses, each valued at $100, was reported stolen from the other car, police said.

A 16-year-old Bridgeport youth was arrested on a shoplifting charge Sunday afternoon after he allegedly swapped his Nike sneakers for bear-paw slippers and tried to leave Bob's Stores on the Post Road in Fairfield.

The youth, whose name was not released by police because he is considered a juvenile under state law, was charged with sixth-degree larceny. He was released to a guardian and is scheduled to appear in Juvenile Court in Bridgeport on Aug. 24, police said.

The teen put his Nikes in the shoe box for the bear-paw slippers and then ran out of the store wearing the slippers about 2:22 p.m., police said. He was detained by store security until officers arrived.