Two Homes Ransacked in Fairfield's Southport Neighborhood

[Editor's note: The following arrest information was provided by the Fairfield Police Department. It does not indicate convictions.]

Two Homes Burgled in Southport

A burglary occurred sometime between 7:30 am and 3 p.m. Tuesday at 111 Arbor Drive, police said.

The homeowner arrived home a little after 3 p.m. and noticed the front door was ajar. She went around the house to the slider door and entered. Her 37-inch Vizio flat screen TV, valued at $700, was missing, as was her Xbox 360, valued at $300, police reported.   

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Two TVs and some jewelry were stolen from a house just down the street at 77 Hulls Highway, according to police. The homeowner, who had been out of the house since 8:30 a.m., reported the burglary just after 5:30 p.m.

The resident came home to find the backdoor broken in. The family’s living room Samsung 20-inch flat screen TV, some jewelry and a 20-inch Vizio flat screen TV from an upstairs bedroom were all missing, according to police. The Samsung is valued at $250; the Vizio at $300.

Police said they do not believe the burglaries are linked at this time.

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CVS Bandit Arrested

A 40-year-old Branford man responsible for multiple CVS thefts throughout the state has been arrested and charged with committing larceny in the fourth degree, police said.

Mario Fernando Varriale was identified on the security video at the CVS on Grasmere Road after he shoplifted toothbrushes on Sept. 3, police said. He was recognized after a warrant from his arrest was issued from West Haven, where he also shoplifted from a CVS.

He was held on a $500 bond; his court date was Tuesday.  

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Credit Card Fraud at DeSantie Tire

Police are looking for a man who "purchased" $1,400 worth of tires via credit card fraud on Sept. 13, 2011 from . The man identified himself as Lamont Reed, though police believe this is a fake name.

The man, a six-foot, four-inch, light-skinned, bald individual with a mustache, charged the tires to an American Express card and produced an ID at the time of purchase, police said. The card number had to be  punched in manually after swiping the card failed.

The actual cardholder later rejected the purchase, which lead DeSantie Tire employees to report the fraud, police said.

On the day of the transaction, the man drove away with the tires in a pickup truck, police said. He left a contact number, which was traced to a Stratford resident who was not familiar with a Lamont Reed or anyone who drives a pickup truck.

This incident is under investigation.

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Unruly Resident Uses Cane to Attack

Robert Bell Jr., 67, who lives in the on Meadowbrook Road, was arrested Tuesday after lunging at a complex administrator with his cane, police said.

The administrator arrived at the complex to find Bell opening an emergency fire exit, according to police. The staff member asked Bell to stop; Bell responded by saying he can do whatever he wants, police said. He then yelled, swore, and came after the staff member with his cane. However, no injuries were reported.

Bell has had a history of giving the Sullivan McKinney staff a hard time, police said. He has smoked inside the complex (which is prohibited) and has gotten intoxicated. Staff have reported him to police three other times since June, police said.

He was released on written promise to appear in court; his court date is set for Oct. 13.