Fairfield Man Charged with Falsely Reporting Burglary

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

A Fairfield man was arrested last week after he allegedly falsely reported a burglary at Harry's Wine and Liquor Shop, police said.

James Kosch, 27, of Linwood Avenue, was charged with falsely reporting an incident as well as 10 outstanding warrants from various agencies, including the Fairfield and Bridgeport police departments and State Police.

According to the initial report, a man called the Emergency Communications Center and the State Police Troop G barracks Wednesday morning to report a burglary in progress at Harry's Wine and Liquor. Police responded to the call, set up a perimeter, and then determined the building was clear and the call had been false.

The case was then referred to the Fairfield Detective Bureau. Investigators interviewed the dispatcher who took the call and then traced the location where the phone call was made -- a home on Linwood Avenue, a few hundred yards behind Harry's Wine and Liquor, department spokesperson Sgt. Sue Lussier said.

Police obtained a search warrant for the home and knew the individual they were looking for -- later identified as Kosch -- was believed to be armed, Lussier said.

The suspect was not found in his residence but Bridgeport police later found he was staying at the Sunnyside Inn in Bridgeport, Lussier said. He was arrested at the hotel without incident and taken into custody.

Police found the phone that was used to falsely report the burglary at Harry's Wine and Liquor on Kosch's person, according to the report.

Kosch was held in lieu of a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 22.