Serial Burglar Arrested In Stamford: Police

STAMFORD, CT — Police said they arrested a 51-year-old Stamford man early Monday morning following a burglary at Park View Variety, a convenience store located at 233 Main St.

Capt. Richard Conklin of the Stamford Police Department said the man, identified as Fabio Martinez-Rodriguez, admitted in an interview later on Monday that he committed six other burglaries in the Downtown, West Side areas dating back to Sept. 11.

Around 3:15 a.m. Monday, officers responded to Park View Variety on a report of an alarm, and found the front glass door smashed by a brick, Conklin said; other burglaries in recent weeks were carried out in a similar fashion

"Store owners arrived quickly and were able to cue-up the security video for [the officers]. They got a good description which they got out [over the radio] of a hispanic male, which is consistent with a number of these burglaries that we've had recently," Conklin said.

Officers found Martinez-Rodriguez, who matched the description from the surveillance footage, nearby on Atlantic Street and arrested him, Conklin said, adding that he was in possession of $237 in cash.

Martinez-Rodriguez was treated at the scene for cuts on his hands which Conklin said were sustained from breaking glass to gain entry into the convenience store.

"This was an outstanding job by uniformed patrol officers who responded very quickly and were able to look at the video, get that description out, and other officers in the area were able to take this party into custody about a block away from the scene," Conklin said.

Martinez-Rodriguez was charged with third-degree burglary, sixth-degree larceny, second-degree criminal mischief, and given a court-set bond of $100,000 related to the incident Monday morning, Conklin said. He has a court date of Nov. 1.

Other charges are expected to follow, explained Conklin.

"After the fact this morning, investigators interrogated and interviewed Martinez-Rodriguez and he admitted to six other commercial burglaries in recent weeks in the West Side, Downtown area. Many of them were variety type stores that he targeted," Conklin said.

The other incidents took place in the early morning hours on Sept. 11, two on Sept. 24, Oct. 5, Oct. 9 and Oct. 10, according to Conklin.

"We found blood at a couple of those scenes. That will be compared to his DNA to further solidify those cases," Conklin said.

Conklin said police "will do some homework" into other burglary cases to see if Martinez-Rodriguez, who recently moved to Stamford from Bridgeport, was involved.