Police Blotter for Sept. 14: Switch on Sales Tag Leads to Shoplifting Arrest

The Fairfield Police Department's press briefing on Tuesday included the following cases. Arrest information, supplied by the Fairfield Police Department, does not indicate a conviction.

A 21-year-old Bridgeport man accused of switching the sales tag on a ceiling fan and then paying a much lower price for it at the self check-out at The Home Depot in Fairfield was arrested Monday morning.

Police said Kurt Schneider, of Fairfield Avenue, placed a $49.97 sales tag on a ceiling fan that costs $229 and tried to leave The Home Depot about 10:19 a.m. A loss prevention officer at the store detained Schneider until police officers arrived, and Schneider was charged with sixth-degree larceny, police said.

Schneider was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court Sept. 23, police said.

About 300 feet of copper wire valued at $75 was reported stolen from between two SNET poles on Old Academy Road in Fairfield. The theft, which took place during an unknown time frame, was reported to police Monday. Police asked anyone who observes suspicious people by churches, where copper gutters have recently been stolen, or utility poles to contact the Fairfield Police Department. Stolen copper is often resold at scrap yards or used in home remodeling jobs, police said.

A mountain bike valued at $1,000 was reported stolen from a bike rack on the north side of the Fairfield Railroad Station sometime between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday. It wasn't clear if the bike had been locked.