Monroe Man Arrested for Theft of Over $50,000 From Town

Monroe Police arrested a man today in relation to a theft from the town owned WMNR Tower located on Old Newtown Road that occurred in December 2014 .

According to police, physical evidence collected at the site by Monroe Police Detectives, including DNA led to the arrest of Jason D. Klein, 30, of Monroe. Klein was served with an arrest warrant at Bridgeport Superior Court.

Klein is incarcerated at the Bridgeport Community Corrections Center on unrelated charges.

Officers from the Monroe Police Department served three active arrest warrants to Klein at his home on Feb. 27 at around 9 p.m.

Upon arrival, Klein ran out of the rear door and into the nearby wooded area. Monroe Police K9 Gunner and his handler tracked Klein through the woods along Stanley Road. Due to weather and terrain conditions, Trumbull Police Department’s K9 unit assisted and assumed the track along Main Street and back down Stanley Road. The track ended outside of a vacant house on Stanley Road owned by Klein’s parents, police said.

Officers entered the house and located Klein hiding inside and he was taken into custody without incident. Klein was transported to the Monroe Police Department where he received medical treatment for exposure by Monroe EMS and was transported to Bridgeport Hospital for treatment. He was released from the hospital and transported back to Monroe Police Department and processed.

Klein was charged with interfering with a police officer, sixth-degree larceny, violation of probation, second-degree failure to appear in court.

The sixth-degree larceny charge against Klein comes from the investigation of a shoplifting incident on Dec. 13, 2014 from Stop and Shop Supermarket in Monroe. The police investigation determined that Klein allegedly stole items from the store worth about $27. He was held at Monroe PD lock-up until arraignment in Bridgeport Superior Court.

The department’s investigation into the theft from the WMNR tower revealed that someone entered the site, cut and removed all the grounding wires for both the equipment building and tower. Security fencing surrounding the tower was torn open and large spools of communications and antenna cabling along with other metallic items were removed. The total loss was estimated to be $55,000 and $20,000 in damages and repairs to this site.

Due to the removal of copper rounds from this site, the Town of Monroe’s emergency radio system was placed in jeopardy of failure, police said.

Klein was charged with first-degree larceny, first-degree criminal mischief and third-degree criminal trespassing. He was arraigned the same day and held on a $50,000 bond.

Image courtesy Monroe PD

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