Assault, Burglary Charges Top Newtown Police Blotter March 12-18

NEWTOWN, CT — An assault on an elderly victim and an attempted burglary were at the top of the Newtown Police Department's blotter last week.

Newtown police responded to a report of a theft in progress in the area of the Cochran House within the Fairfield Hills Campus at 21 Mile Hill Road at 2:43 p.m. Sunday. After an investigation at the scene, police detained two suspects, a 63-year-old Milford man and a 60-year-old West Haven woman. Both were found to be in possession of copper piping stolen from the area of the Cochran House, according to the police report.

The woman was also found to have in her possession tools which were used to cut and steal the copper from air conditioning units located on the property. The man was found to be in possession of a controlled narcotic substance, according to police.

Both were arrested and taken to Newtown Police HQ. The woman was charged with sixth-degree larceny, possession of burglary tools, and third-degree trespassing on public land. The man was charged with sixth-degree larceny, third-degree trespassing on public land, possession of a controlled substance, and failure to keep narcotics in their original container. The pair was released after each posted 7 percent of a $1,000 bond, and scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court on March 26.

Also on Sunday, at around 1:00 p.m., a 39-year-old Naugatuck man turned himself in at Newtown Police Headquarters on an active arrest warrant. Police charged him with performing unlicensed occupational work. He was released from police custody after promising to appear in Danbury Superior Court on March 27.

On March 11, Nathanael Vernet, 36, of Oxford, turned himself into the Newtown Police Department on an active warrant after an extensive investigation, according to police. The charges included third-degree assault on an elderly victim and second-degree reckless endangerment. Both charges were a result of a complaint filed on Nov. 2, 2023, following an incident that occurred on Oct. 31, 2023 at the Newtown Rehabilitation Center.

Vernet was released on a $5,000 bond after being scheduled to appear at Danbury Superior Court on March 26.