Crime & Safety

Cops Catch Melville Avenue Burglary Suspect

Police believe Robert Ford Jr. of Bridgeport is responsible for several car break-ins and thefts from motor vehicles in Fairfield.

[Editor's note: Arrest information is supplied by the Fairfield Police Department. It does not indicate convictions.]

Fairfield police nabbed a burglary suspect early Tuesday following a report of a suspicious person in the vicinity of Melville Avenue.

The suspicious person report was phoned in just before 2 a.m. Tuesday when a resident saw the man in his yard and knocked on the window to get his attention. The suspect ran upon noticing the complainant at the window, according to the department.

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Several property crimes and thefts of items from cars had been recently reported in the area.

The suspicious person was quickly located walking along Melville Avenue by Officer Keith Perham. The suspect -- identified as Robert Ford Jr., 38, of Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport -- was carrying a black backpack believed to contain stolen items.

Find out what's happening in Fairfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ford was detained and his backpack searched. Investigators found items previously reported stolen from area neighbors --including a GPS unite, a cell phone, a large amount of loose change, and cigarettes -- in the bag, according to the report. 

Police questioned Ford about the items and he later admitted to taking them from several cars in the Melville are, according to the report. Officers were able to determine the victims' identities and found out the cell phone had been taken from a vehicle that was parked in a garage.

Ford was transported to police headquarters and charged with first-degree burglary, two counts of third-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, larceny by possession, fifth-degree larceny, and sixth-degree larceny. He was held in lieu of a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 15. 


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