Branford K9 'Arrow' Tracks & Catches 4 East Haven Suspects

EAST HAVEN, CT—After a job well done helping to catch alleged bad guys, an Egg McMuffin. Good dog, K9 Arrow.

In the pre-dawn hours Wednesday, four men were arrested after an "alert citizen" reported a group of "suspicious individuals pushing a motorcycle up Meadow Street, with a Nissan Maxima following slowly behind them," East Haven police explained.

As police showed up to investigate, four men took off into the woods. Branford Police K9 Arrow would make quick work of the search finding two of the four runaway suspects hiding in a marsh. Not long after, the other two would also be located, hiding in a marsh.

Three from Stratford and one from Middletown, the four men were arrested and charged with larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny, trespass and interfering with police.

According to East Haven Police Lt. Joseph Murgo, it was around 2 a.m. when police got a tip about the suspicious crew near Meadow Street. Before police got there, they learned that the suspects were last seen abandoning the motorcycle on the side of the road before getting into the Nissan and headed northbound out of the area.

Murgo said officers "flooded the area" and soon spotted the car traveling north bound on Hemingway Avenue. As soon as officers got behind it, the car pulled into a driveway on Hemingway Avenue and all four inside jumped out and took off running towards the Farm River Marsh.

By now, Branford Police arrived to help and, with K-9 Handler Sergeant Melissa Carney and K-9 partner Arrow, give chase. And made quick work of it. Carney and K-9 Arrow tracked the suspects into the marsh finding two: David Carpio, 20, of Stratford and Kevin Despres, 20, of Middletown.

The two were detained by Branford and East Haven officers while Carney and Arrow kept tracking. A short time later two more suspects, identified as Adrian Santiago, 20, of Stratford and Tyler Souza, 20, also of Stratford too were found hiding in the marsh and Carney immediately ordered them out. They were placed under arrest.

An investigation revealed that the motorcycle being pushed down the street by the suspects had been stolen from a residence on Meadow Street. Other stolen items belonging to Meadow Street residents were also found in the Nissan Maxima the four men abandoned to run from police.

Souza, Santiago, Carpio and Despres were all transported to the East Haven Police Department where they were processed and charged with third-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit third-degree larceny, both felonies, and second-degree criminal trespass and interfering with police.

They were initially held on $5,000 bond each but were released on a promise to appear, court records show.

Each are next due in court Sept. 16 in New Haven.