3 Arrested After Stealing A Van In Darien: Police

DARIEN, CT — Two Stamford men and a juvenile were arrested in Darien early Sunday after they allegedly stole a van from a home on the Post Road near Hollow Tree Ridge Road, according to the Darien Police Department, which issued the below release describing the incident:

On February 11, 2018 an officer on patrol observed two males walking northbound on Hollow Tree Ridge Road in close proximity to the Post Road at approximately 1:00am. Over the past several months, this area of town has repeatedly experienced overnight motor vehicle burglaries. As the officer made contact with the two individuals, a third subject was observed emerging from a residential driveway on foot. Additional officers were then dispatched to the location.

While en-route as back up, a second officer located an abandoned Ford Econoline van on the Post Road, partially blocking the intersection with Hollow Tree Ridge Road. The van had no lights on, a flat tire, and the engine compartment was smoking. The three individuals that the first officer had detained were located less than a ¼ mile of where the van was located. Officers were then able to contact the registered owner of the van who indicated that the van should have been parked in the driveway of his nearby Post Road residence. The owner also explained that the keys had been left in the vehicle because it was being donated to a local charity and was scheduled to get picked up this week.

Through investigation it was determined that the three individuals that were detained had in fact stolen the van from the driveway of the residence. When the vehicle became disabled, they abandoned it and began walking northbound on Hollow Tree Ridge Road. The subjects were identified as Jonathan Blanco, age 18, of Dean Street, Stamford; Richard Beltran, age 19, of Stephens Street, Stamford, and the third subject who was seen emerging from the driveway was identified as a juvenile male. Initially while identifying Blanco, he provided a fake name to disguise his identity and later would be charged accordingly. All three subjects were taken into custody and transported to police headquarters separately. During processing, Blanco was extremely uncooperative and while secured in a cell, caused damage to the toilet on two occasions.

The suspects and their charges are as follows:

Jonathan Blanco, 18

Dean Street, Stamford

BOND: $5,000.00

• Burglary 3rd Degree
• Larceny 3rd Degree
• Conspiracy to Larceny 3rd Degree
• Interfering With An Officer
• 2 Counts Criminal Mischief 3rd Degree

Richard Beltran, 19

Stephens Street, Stamford

BOND: $5,000.00

• Burglary 3rd Degree
• Larceny 3rd Degree
• Conspiracy to Larceny 3rd Degree

Juvenile #1 was released to an adult and was referred to the Stamford Superior Court of Juvenile Matters.

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