Police Blotter for April 11: Beach Organs Determined to be From Deer

The Fairfield Police Department's press briefing Monday included the following cases. Arrest information does not indicate a conviction.

A heart and lung found at the high tide mark on Southport Beach on Sunday were determined Monday to be from a deer, police said.

Police said a man walking on the beach saw the organs about 10:53 a.m. and called police, saying they could be human remains. Arriving officers found no other evidence and contacted Dr. John Kristy, a Fairfield veterinarian, and a woman who operates a search and rescue organization and has a dog trained to search for cadavers. Kristy couldn't determine if the heart and lung were from a human or animal, and they were packaged and brought by officers to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington, who determined Monday morning that they were from a deer, police said.

"I couldn't even speculate how it got there," Police Sgt. Sue Lussier, a department spokesman, said of the remains on the beach. "They were probably dumped."

A 26-year-old Bridgeport man accused of stealing three packages of gum from Walgreen's on Villa Avenue in Fairfield and claiming he could no longer be detained by security officers because he had a 5-month-old child unattended in a car was arrested Saturday on charges of sixth-degree larceny and interfering with an officer, police said.

Police said Nicholas Payne, of Old Town Road, was detained by Walgreens security after he left the store without paying for the gum, valued at $16, and that he told security officers he had to leave because of the unattended child. The security officers refused to let him go, and Payne and the security officers got into a struggle before police arrived, police said.

Police officers couldn't find a car matching the description given by Payne and determined Payne had an outstanding warrant out of Bridgeport for failure to appear in court, police said.

Payne was held in lieu of a total $750 bond for the three charges and was scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court April 21, police said.

A 39-year-old Easton woman accused of striking her husband as he drove them home from Tombo, a restaurant on the Post Road in Fairfield, Saturday night was charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

Kristin O'Brien, of Heritage Drive, struck her husband in the right eye and scratched both of his arms, causing him to bleed, police said. Police said O'Brien punched her husband in the eye while he was driving and that he pulled into a commuter lot on Round Hill Road in Fairfield to let her drive. As she was driving, she took both hands off the wheel to scratch her husband, police said.

Police said the O'Briens' children were in the car at the time but were sleeping.

Kathleen O'Brien was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Monday and the state Department of Children and Families in Bridgeport was notified of the incident, police said.

A 28-year-old Bridgeport woman accused of stealing a check from a patient in St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport and forging and cashing it for $875 was arrested on Saturday.

Fallon Norris, of Washington Avenue, was charged with second-degree forgery, fifth-degree larceny and third-degree identity theft. She was held in lieu of $50,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court April 20, police said.

Two Fairfield men were each arrested Sunday night on a breach of peace charge after one accused the other of stealing his laptop computer, police said.

Rokeen Shabazz, 43, and Arterrio Johnson, 28, both of Biro Street, were released on promises to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court April 11.

Police said Johnson called 911 and said Shabazz, his sister's boyfriend, had assaulted him. Shabazz believed Johnson stole his laptop computer, police said. Police said the laptop apparently was delivered to the house but no one could find it.

No one was injured and there was no evidence an assault had taken place, police said. Both men admitted to being in a struggle, police said.

Two residents on Division Avenue in Fairfield were each charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct on Sunday afternoon after a dispute over a neighbor playing music and each side turning off power to the house.

Christina Hobbs, 63, and Olivia Hobbs, 23, were arrested after Christina turned off power to her neighbor's apartment about 12:19 p.m. and a fight ensued, police said. The 38-year-old neighbor said Christina, who lives below her, had yelled at her to turn down her music and that her power went off minutes later, police said. The neighbor went into the basement, saw the fuse box had been turned off and turned her power back on and turned Olivia and Christina Hobbs' power off, police said.

When the neighbor emerged from the basement, Christina swore at her and hit her in the right jaw, causing her to fall to the floor, and Olivia and Christina then jumped on her back and pulled her hair, police said.

Christina Hobbs and Olivia Hobbs were each released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court April 18, police said.

A car stereo valued at $50 was reported stolen from the dashboard of an unlocked car parked on Marne Avenue in Fairfield sometime between 11:30 p.m. Thursday and 6:30 a.m. Friday. The ignition on the car also was damaged, indicating the thief tried to steal it, police said.

A 36-year-old Easton motorist was charged with driving under the influence early Saturday after a patrol officer saw him driving erratically on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield, north of Tunxis Hill Cutoff, police said.

Shaun Summers, of Wintergreen Drive, also was cited for making an unsafe lane change, police said.

Police said Summers failed field sobriety tests. He was released on $100 bond and was scheduled to appear April 18 in Bridgeport Superior Court, police said.

An unidentified man stole Red Bull and beer that had filled a shopping cart from Super Stop & Shop on Kings Highway Cutoff in Fairfield Saturday afternoon.

Police said the man, wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans, got into a white Honda Civic driven by a woman about 1:43 p.m. He stole three cases of Red Bull, two cases of Corona and a case of Budweiser, with a total value of $250, police said.

A wheelchair valued at $450 was reported stolen from an apartment in the 1800 block of Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield on Saturday afternoon. There was no sign of forced entry, police said.

A 275-gallon oil tank valued at $600 was reported stolen from outside Auto Source on Kings Highway in Fairfield sometime between midnight on April 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday, police said.

A GPS unit valued at $150 was reported stolen from a 2007 Jeep Wrangler parked in a mini-mall on Kings Highway East in Fairfield sometime between noon and 4:40 p.m. Friday, police said. The right, front window was smashed to gain entry, police said. Damage to the window was estimated at $200, police said.

A wallet containing $55 cash, a driver's license, a Stop and Shop gift card valued at $100, credit cards and two checks was reported stolen or lost at the Community Theatre in downtown Fairfield Saturday night.

Police said the victim reported that the wallet had been in her jacket pocket and that it went missing sometime between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

A 20-year-old Derby woman was assaulted outside the Andros Diner in Fairfield early Sunday, police said.

Police said the woman had been arguing with her boyfriend in the diner, and that when they went outside, another man, whom she did not recognize, punched her in the face four or five times. The victim was bleeding from her nose, had blood on her hands and legs and was taken to Bridgeport Hospital, police said.

The suspect in the 4:12 a.m. attack was described by police as a white man, five feet, nine inches tall, with an average build and dark hair.

An iPhone of unknown value was reported stolen from the pocket of a coat at 55 Degrees Wine Bar & Restaurant on Miller Street in Fairfield sometime between 8:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday, police said.

A 43-year-old Fairfield man was bitten by a raccoon Saturday night after he tried to get the raccoon off his dog, police said.

Police said the man, who lives on Park Drive, was bitten by the raccoon as he got it off his dog and that the man threw the raccoon across his yard.

"After he threw it across the yard, it came back at him like it wanted to fight," said Police Sgt. Sue Lussier, a department spokesman.

Police said there was no evidence that the dog had been bitten and that the dog was quarantined at the man's house. Officers couldn't find the raccoon after the 9:25 p.m. incident, police said.