Man Found With Stolen Credit Cards, Drugs: West Haven Police

WEST HAVEN, CT — A man was recently arrested after police said he was found in the possession of stolen credit cards, mail, and drugs while hiding in an automotive junkyard in West Haven.

Police responded last Monday to the area of Wallace Street on the report of a suspicious man walking through yards and onto area residents’ front porches, according to officials.

The man was seen on a resident’s front porch around 9:15 p.m., then again at 9:55 p.m. for an unknown reason, police said. He was reported to have walked through a neighbor’s back yard where the caller lost sight of him, according to police.

While officers were checking the area, a man identified as 40-year-old Jeffrey Cepeda of Bronx, New York, was found hiding in a nearby automotive junkyard, police said.

During Cepeda’s arrest, police said he was found in the possession of the following: a large amount of U.S. mail that didn’t belong to him; nine different new credit cards with different names on them; a narcotic pill bottle with a different name; numerous capsules, a baggie and a rock of a clear crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine; and a glass pipe consistent with the style used to smoke methamphetamine.

Cepeda was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree criminal trespass, nine counts of credit card theft, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was being held in lieu of a $5,000 bond with a court date of Dec. 5, according to state judicial records.

Police are advising residents to “routinely check your accounts for any fraudulent activity. Also check for accounts or credit cards opened in your name by identity theft.”