Wallingford Car Burglar Accused of Stealing Up to $200K in Merchandise: Police

Editor’s Note: In case you missed it from earlier this week. This story was originally published June 30.

Milford police say a serial car burglar who is accused of stealing from cars in Milford, Shelton, Stratford, Orange, Branford, Norwalk, Wallingford, and North Haven has been apprehended.

Police say Jimmie Bennett, 48, of 456 Newfield Avenue, Bridgeport had allegedly amassed up to $200,000 worth of stolen merchandize from numerous vehicles he is accused of breaking into all over Fairfield and New Haven counties.

Police say more than 100 items have been recovered.

Bennett is accused of keeping all of the stolen merchandise in a storage unit in Bridgeport.

Milford police said since January 2015, numerous communities have been experiencing a rash of motor vehicle burglaries in their jurisdictions.

Investigation revealed these incidents occurred during the evening hours and usually at commercial establishment parking lots such as hotels, motels, and fitness centers, police said.

Evidence gathered from numerous crime scenes developed Bennett as a suspect. “Milford Police and Shelton Police investigators collaborated to monitor Bennett’s activity and on May 27, 2015, Bennett was observed committing a vehicle burglary in Stratford,” said Milford police spokesman Joseph R. Dempsey. “Surveillance units followed him to a storage facility in Bridgeport where the proceeds from his criminal enterprise were being stored.”

On May 28, 2015, police executed a search warrant on a storage unit in Bridgeport where approximately $175,000 to $200,000 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered.

A majority of the stolen property recovered has been identified as being reported stolen from eight different towns or cities (Milford, Shelton, Stratford, Orange, Branford, Norwalk, Wallingford, and North Haven), police said.

The Milford Police Department arrested Bennett on six separate felony arrest warrants for incidents occurring in Milford.

Bennett was charged with the following offenses:

Burglary 3rd (5 counts)

Larceny 2nd

Larceny 3rd (5 counts)

Criminal Mischief 3rd (4 counts)

Criminal Mischief 2nd

Bennett was held on a $150,000 bond. Other law enforcement agencies are continuing with their investigations, attempting to identify the owners of over 100 items recovered by police. If anyone had a vehicle broken into and they believe that they may have been a victim please contact your local police department.

Photo courtesy of the Milford Police Department.