Man Charged In Theft Of Vehicles From Car Dealership: Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — A man has been arrested in connection with the burglary and theft of vehicles from a car dealership in Meriden last spring, according to police.

Police responded to Robert’s Chrysler Dodge at 87 South Broad St. around 4:25 a.m. on April 6 for a burglar alarm. Officers found that two of the large garage doors had been extensively damaged, according to police.

Officers determined the doors were damaged by someone driving a customer’s vehicles through the doors in an attempt to steal them, according to police.

Police said one of the vehicles, a Dodge Challenger Demon SRT that was valued at $150,000, was found damaged in the road in front of 533 South Broad Street. The other vehicle stolen was a Dodge Durango SRT, valued at $80,000, that belonged to the same owner, according to police.

The stolen Durango was found later that day in Hartford with a smashed-out rear window and damage to the front passenger side of the vehicle, police said.

Brian Vellon, 21, was identified as a suspect after a lengthy investigation, according to police.

Vellon, who is incarcerated on other pending charges, was arrested on a warrant Jan. 11 at Meriden Superior Court, police said. He was charged with two counts each of first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, and one count each of first-degree criminal trover, conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal trover, third-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, first-degree criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal mischief.

He was held in lieu of a $95,000 bond.

Police said Vellon has been “tentatively linked to 10 other incidents” around Connecticut involving motor vehicle thefts. The case remains under investigation and police said they are working toward additional arrests.