Suspected Car Thief Nabbed In Vernon, Held On $500,000 Bond

VERNON, CT — A 30-year-old Wethersfield man is in custody on stolen car, drug and weapons charges after his arrest in Vernon, police said.

At 7:07 p.m. on Sept. 27, Vernon police were teaming up with Meriden police to recover a vehicle stolen out of that town, according to an arrest report. The vehicle was quickly located at 1292 Hartford Turnpike, the address for a Mobile gas station, a report indicates.

The driver, identified as Don Drepaul, was taken into custody without incident, but was booked on a carload of charges, police said.

He was charged with:

• Second-degree criminal mischief
• Violation of a protective order (eight counts)
• Possession of a controlled substance (three counts)
• Possession with intent to sell (three counts)
• Operating a drug factory
• Carrying a pistol without a permit
• Larceny of a motor vehicle
• Illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle

His bond was set at $500,000, which he did not post at an arraignment the next day. He is due back in court on Nov. 5, judicial system records show.