Bethel Police Nab NY Man for Computer Thefts

BETHEL, CT — A New York man accused of stealing laptop computers from the Target store on Stony Hill Road was arraigned Friday at state Superior Court in Danbury.

Ryan L. Jensen, 30, of South Salem, turned himself in to police on a warrant Sept. 16. He was charged with fourth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny, fifth-degree larceny and organized retail theft of less than $10,000.

The investigation began on Feb. 23, when police were first called to the store on a larceny complaint. During their investigation, police learned that laptops were stolen from the store on multiple occasions, and not all thefts directly involved Jensen. The first theft date, as determined by CCTV surveillance footage made available by the store, was over a year ago, on Sept. 18, 2018.

Involved in all the thefts, according to the affidavit, was Jensen's brother Michael, 35, also of South Salem. The five videos all showed the elder Jensen walking out of the store with laptops he had lifted from the electronics department and entering either a light-colored Jeep with Connecticut plates, or a dark-colored Ford Explorer with New York plates.

Footage from the occasions of two thefts show both Jensens exiting the Target with laptops under their arms.

Michael Jensen was identified from a tip received after police posted stills from the CCTV footage online.

Police were able to recover one of three laptops the Jensen brothers had turned in at a Federal Road pawn shop. Target reported a total loss of $3,627.96 for the five incidents. Ryan Jensen's work accounted for $1,879.93 of that loss, according to police.

Ryan Jensen was released in a $10,000 cash bond, and is scheduled back in court on Oct. 10.