Police: Southington Man Breaks Into Relative's House, Steals Firearm

A Southington man was arrested by police and charged with stealing a firearm from a relative on Christmas Eve.

Police began investigating after they received a report shortly after 9 p.m. on Dec. 24 that a home had been broken into on Visconti Avenue, said Sgt. Jeffrey Dobratz, police spokesman.

Officers arrived and found the home had been forcibly broken into and several firearms were missing.

An investigation led detectives to Joseph Testa, 22, who is a relative of the person whose home was broken into, according to police.

Police searched Testa’s home and found a firearm that had been reported stolen, Dobratz said.

Testa, a convicted felon, isn’t allowed to possess firearms. He was charged with sixth-degree larceny, stealing a firearm and criminal possession of a firearm. He was held in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

“Members of the Southington Police Department Detective Division are currently investigating the theft in conjunction with other agencies and following up on multiple leads,” Dobratz said. “This is an active and on-going investigation.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Southington Police Department at 860-621-0101 or Detective Lewis Palmieri at 860-378-1646.